This research area encompasses growth, formation, processing, measurement, characterisation and multi-scale modelling of dry or wet particulate systems and fluid-particle systems.
This research area encompasses growth, formation, processing, measurement, characterisation and multi-scale modelling of dry or wet particulate systems and fluid-particle systems.
This area includes the fundamental understanding of powder flow and particle-particle interaction. There is a continuum of knowledge from design through synthesis to scale-up and formulation. A key aim is to form predictive links between physical properties and particle behaviour during process operations.
There is currently a high volume of activity in the particle technology area that is strongly linked to industry, primarily supported through EPSRC’s manufacturing the future theme. Many of the recent strategic investments have inflated and shifted the balance of the portfolio towards relatively high technology readiness levels relevant to UK manufacturing.
Although there is potential to identify a number of new research challenges from the current portfolio, it is essential to focus on fundamental engineering research to ensure the long term health of the area and to enable future impacts. Examples of these longer term challenges may include the fundamental understanding of different, novel particulate systems and products, in relation to particle behaviour and process models. EPSRC will work with the community to encourage focused grant applications that address fundamental challenges, so that the portfolio of research in this area will be appropriately balanced.
To ensure a balanced portfolio, we have considered this strategy alongside the broader chemical engineering portfolio including the complex fluids and rheology and process systems: components and integration research areas. We will work with the community to focus on collaboration across the chemistry and chemical engineering interface, identifying opportunities for multidisciplinary research that delivers against our wider organisational strategy. Opportunities may exist to link to the engineering grand challenge addressing engineering across length scales, from atoms to applications.
The growing number of chemical engineering undergraduates, emanating from strong industrial demand, means student training remains highly relevant in this research area and across the wider chemical engineering portfolio. We will work with the chemical engineering community to explore and address any concerns over academic leadership and the balance of support across all career levels.