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 2 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 it’s 50 year history, the aim of the Centre has remained the same – to help industry with its bulk solids handling issues.
Since 1974 we have been building the Centre to become what it is today – only one of 3 comprehensive Bulk Materials Handling Centres around the world – the only one of its kind in Europe.
We 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 industry and we are 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 our consultancy services we 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
Our short courses are regularly delivered to over 200 delegates around the world each year, whether on our premises in Medway, onsite or online.
If you have a problem that you think we could help you with, please get in touch. We are here to help.
The Wolfson Centre now has a dedicated contact in Germany to help industry with problem solving and short courses in German (see German version of this news item).
The Wolfson Centre for Bulk Solids Handling Technology;
Providing cost effective solutions to industrial problems.
