Kansas State University Bulk Solids Innovation Center

Construction on the Kansas State University Bulk Solids Innovation Center (BSIC), which will be built adjacent to the Coperion K-Tron Salina office, is set to break ground very soon and is expected to be complete by Summer 2015. A partnership consisting of Kansas State University, several government agencies and private companies including Coperion K-Tron received approval this past September of Federal funding to help build a Bulk Solids Innovation Center in Salina, Kansas. Support for the project is in the form of funds for construction, land, donated equipment and operating expenses. The total project cost is approximately $3,500,000. The university will be the key tenant in the center, along with Coperion K-Tron as an anchor tenant.

The almost 13,000 ft²(1,208 m²) facility will be used to study and develop the understanding of bulk solids materials handling, in turn enhancing the businesses that use these materials or manufacture the systems that convey, store and dispense them. Research at the BSIC will mainly focus on the process industries of foods, chemicals and plastics. The BSIC will be the fourth such university-level research center in the world, and the only one in North America. It will include office space for researchers and five flexible bulk solids laboratories to allow for collaborative and proprietary research projects by the building's tenants and industry sponsors. The largest space is a 30 ft (9.14 m) tall open bay for full scale testing of bulk solids behavior and applied research conducted by university investigators, students and tenants. It is envisioned that this facility will also act as an innovation center where the university and industry can work together on new ventures, and a large classroom will allow continuing education and university level courses about bulk solids. The university has committed to providing researchers, students and tenants to work on their own projects as well as on projects funded by industry.

Kansas State University Bulk Solids Innovation Center at a glance:

Two-story 13,000 ft² (1,208 m²) building

Research areas - five laboratories for university and industry sponsored research

Training/education center conference and lecture rooms

Material properties test lab - Bulk solid and particle properties will be evaluated and modeled in a test bench environment

Full scale bulk solids test bay - full scale systems to include: vacuum and pressure dilute phase, vacuum sequencing, vacuum and pressure vessel dense phase, rotary valve dense phase, batch weighing, silo zone blender, gravity flow, air filtration, feeding, mixing and silo storage

Research fellows, doctoral candidates and students

Continuing education and university level courses about bulk solids

Adjacent to Coperion K-Tron Salina