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August 27, 2024

Celebrating 50 years of the Wolfson Centre

August 27, 2024 - The Wolfson Centre for Bulk Solids Handling Technology was originally a department within the School of Engineering at what used to be Thames Polytechnic, later to become the University of Greenwich. At this time, in 1974, the office and laboratories were based in Woolwich, where they remained until their relocation to Medway in Kent in 2005.

The department was set up initially at the request of the then Head of School who had completed his PhD in two phase solid gas flow and discovered that the polytechnic did not cater for this discipline. He therefore appointed people to continue this stream of research which in turn led to research into general bulk materials handling, and the Bulk Solids Handling Unit was born. It was not until 1989 that the Wolfson Centre name was added, thanks to funding from the Wolfson Foundation.

Although the people, the location and the department name may have changed throughout its 50 year history, the aim of the Centre has remained the same - to help the industry with its bulk solids handling issues.

Since 1974 the team have been building the Centre to become what it is today - only one of three comprehensive Bulk Materials Handling Centres around the world - the only one of its kind in Europe.

They deal with all materials that are in the form of particles, a phase of matter that has its own unique patterns of behaviour unlike other materials. Such materials are widely used in the industry and the centre is recognised world-wide in both industry and academe for the work in this field through consultancy services, research and education through short courses, seminars and workshops.

Through their consultancy services they have helped:

  • Design new plant or advised on updating of existing plant
  • Advised on material blends for new products in the food and drink industries, homeware goods and renewable energy sectors
  • Tested countless materials for their handleability and flowability properties
  • Advised in expert witness cases
  • Advised on the aftermath of accidents - fires, destruction of silos, blow-outs
  • Been at the forefront of the design and implementation of unique tools and equipment such as the widely used Brookfield Powder Flow Tester, Segregation Testers, Virtual Formulation Laboratory (VFL), Cellular Automata (CA) based modelling to predict segregation in industrial hoppers and silos, a Mechanical Surface Energy Tester to predict bulk flow properties, to name but a few.

Their short courses are regularly delivered to over 200 delegates around the world each year, whether on the premises in Medway, onsite or online.

Research into new areas of technology has allowed them to provide studentships for around 50 PhD students since the early 1980s in subjects such as Pneumatic Conveying, Wear and Particulate Handling, including their own 'Professor of Bulk and Particulate Technology' Mike Bradley who graduated in 1990 and has remained in the Department ever since, moving from a student to an engineering consultant, to manager and is currently the Centre's Director. Without Mike the Wolfson Centre would not exist as it is today.

The Wolfson Centre remains a small independent department within the faculty of Engineering and Science. Helping Mie with the technical services, research and teaching are Drs Tong Deng, Baldeep Kaur, Vivek Garg, Atul Sharma and Hamed Johnny Saarnavi, all experts in different areas of bulk solids handling technology.

Working hard in the background is Senior Technical Paul Wakeman, who joined over a year ago bringing a wealth of experience and expertise to the laboratories, and the Centres Support Manager, Caroline Chapman who has been with the department for nearly 20 years, keeping everyone in check!

"Their availability and commitment to industry challenges make them an invaluable resource for companies involved in the processing of materials and other bulk solids," said Linda White, MHEA Secretary.

Ian Birkinshaw, SHAPA Secretary said, "The knowledge base they have in bulk solids handling is unrivalled and the whole team at Wolfson is a pleasure to work alongside."

The company would like to thank all that have come to them for help, to learn or to conduct research with them so far.

For more information, visit HERE.

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.

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