Effective Design of Particulate Products and Processes - a Systems Perspective

Product quality and processing efficiency are both paramount in consumer products industries. Model-based approaches can improve the design of particulate products and lead to more efficient processing. This seminar will discuss a complement of modeling and experimental efforts that are relevant to consumer-based particulate products, specifically in the context of the design and execution of Purdue’s Center for Particulate Products and Processes, CP3, including:

• Fundamental research in powder flow and stress fields, a foundational element of processing.
• Intensified formulation: granulation with highly concentrated [active] binders.
• A modeling framework: formulation, control, scale-up, and systems integration.
• Reconsidering flowsheet modeling: how to facilitate its adoption?
• Modular solids process design: an enabler for process intensification and optimization.

Further, we will discuss innovation as a collaborative strategy. Innovation is necessary to fuel growth in industry; yet bold innovation can be risky especially when core inventions rely on having particles in product design and/or processing operations. How can we become more effective in particulate product innovation? We often see correlation between successful innovation and useful models. While models are often used to quantify fundamental aspects of an invention, they can also be used to refine a problem statement, define more robust and efficient means of validation, and even to open up new ideas for execution and acceptance of an innovative product or process in the market. Overall, modeling helps us to deepen our understanding, extend breadth of connections, and can be used as a basis for collaboration within organizations as well as external partnerships.