Bulk Solids Innovation Center

The Bulk Solids Innovation Center (BSIC) in Salina is the new home of the Materials Handling Test Lab for Coperion and Coperion K-Tron in the Americas. The Center is the only one of its kind in North America, led by Kansas State University. Industry partners like Coperion provided state-of-the-art equipment to make it one of the most advanced facilities in the world for studying bulk solids handling and processing. It has every type of pneumatic conveying, multiple valves, feeders, storage hoppers of various geometries, and several types of particulate air filtration. The goal of the Center is to improve the understanding of bulk solids behavior and increase the state of technology for handling and processing bulk solids.

Research areas for various research projects

The Center offers possibilities for various research projects such as bulk solids handling, conveying, blending, segregation, flowability, degradation, gravity flow, particulate air filtration or storage. Furthermore, it includes state-of-the-art controls interfaces, monitoring, and data acquisition of all parameters. Real-time data from hundreds of sensors can be used to evaluate signals about pressure, temperature, flow rate, velocity, amperage, power consumption, weight and time. The data is stored on a server from which raw data, trending information, and graphs can be displayed.

In addition to the Full-Scale Lab, several smaller laboratories containing a full range of advanced material analyzers for bulk solids, providing independent evaluation of material properties and recommendations for customers, are available.

Training and education in the field of bulk solids

As well as the services listed above Kansas State University will coordinate and conduct education courses at the Bulk Solids Innovation Center. Various professional education courses will be offered for industry personnel to help them understand and improve the performance of bulk solids and the systems that handle them. Also lectures and course opportunities for research fellows, doctoral candidates and students will be offered. If you would like to receive information regarding courses held at the Center, please let us know by emailing info@coperion.com and we will see you are added to Kansas State’s distribution list.