Predictive formulation of high-solid content complex dispersions

Lead Research Organisation: University of Strathclyde
Department Name: Chemical and Process Engineering

Abstract

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Publications

10 25 50
 
Description New results on flow of thickening dispersions in complex flows such as squeezing, relaxaing, coating, pipe flows. Often cause of major headaches in processing, high solids content dispersions do not typically flow like simple controllable liquids. Our results extend the range of flows of practical importance where we are begi9nning to understand how to treat and control the flow of such 'difficult' materials.
Exploitation Route Major users are involved in the research project - prediction of flow and design of materials
Industries such as foods, ceramics, paints, nanoengineering, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas
Sectors Agriculture

Food and Drink

Chemicals

Construction

Education

Electronics

Energy

Environment

Manufacturing

including Industrial Biotechology

Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology

 
Description Major impact so far is in engagement with public and schools around the research themes and challenges for these 'everyday' materials. Some of these are detailed elsewhere in the fish but it is worth mentioning these here as this is a major and broad aim of the research that goes beyond the academic and industrial goals. This impact continues with sustained engagement with schools including mentoring projects focussed on children in traditionally 'low attainment' schools as recognised by indicies of deprivation in Scotland. After the close of the project our engagement activities continue and have been infromed by our research results. We are beginning to see an impact on the number of admissions to UG degrees from normally less well represented cohorts such as SIMD areas in Scotland, which we can partly attribute to the engagemtn work associated with this project. Additional impact is the completion of a related PhD project with a draft publication to be submitted. This has also led to the design of a simple, cheap 'bespoke' apparatus, constructred using hobby-level 3d printing, that would be suitable for use in teaching laboratories in schools, physics, engineering etc departments which will be the subject of a publication.
First Year Of Impact 2019
Sector Education
Impact Types Cultural

Societal

 
Description Engagement skills for postgraduate students and researchers
Geographic Reach Local/Municipal/Regional 
Policy Influence Type Influenced training of practitioners or researchers
Impact Improved engagement skills and awareness amongst researchers.
 
Description MISE Flexible Funding 2018 (EPSRC network - funding for collaboration with external partners)
Amount £30,000 (GBP)
Organisation Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 05/2018 
End 09/2018
 
Description Royal Academy of Engineering Ingenious Public Engagement fund
Amount £22,228 (GBP)
Organisation Royal Academy of Engineering 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United Kingdom
Start 05/2019 
End 05/2020
 
Title Bespoke high solids rheometer with local measurement and control 
Description A bespoke home-built rheometer to measure flow behaviour with the added novel technique of local continuous measurement for fluctuations which can then be linked to control systems, hence enabling control of unsteady flow eg in non-Newtonian fluids. 
Type Of Material Improvements to research infrastructure 
Year Produced 2019 
Provided To Others? No  
Impact Publications in preparation. 
 
Title Bespoke pipe flow device for jamming control 
Description A bespoke device to generate pipe flow of high solids content dispersions with capability to measure flow rate and force at high temporal rate, and to provide flexible fully programmable control methods to deal with complex non-Newtonian fluid responses. 
Type Of Material Improvements to research infrastructure 
Year Produced 2020 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact Publications in progress 
 
Title Predictive formulation of high-solid content complex dispersions (EPSRC Project EP/N024982/1) 
Description Full dataset from EPSRC project (09/16-10/19) 'Predictive formulation of high solid-content complex dispersions'. Data represents rheological measurements under various conditions of flow: Shear flow - as measured in DHR rheometer: all in folder 'Shear Data' and subfolders Squeeze flow - as measured in DHR rheometer and Anton Paar rheometer: all in folder 'squeeze flow data' Creep and relaxation tests - as measured in Haake Caber: all in folder 'squeeze flow data'/subfolder 'creep and relaxation tests'. Data is represented in xlsx format. Some 'raw data' is in .cbr Caber proprietary format but is all represented in the xlsx compiled/analysed data files. Materials: the majority of work is on cornstarch suspensions in glycerol/water mixed solvent, as indicated by subfolder and file nomenclature. There is some base data using pure glycerol for testing: in folder 'squeeze flow data'/subfolder 'glycerol'. The majority of data are in xlsx (Excel) format or in opj (Origin Project) format. Open source/free readers are available for these formats although further analysis and editing would require the full software versions. There are some additional representations of results in pdf and pptx formats. The above info is also available in a readme file. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2020 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL https://pureportal.strath.ac.uk/en/datasets/4cb453c4-c3d5-4725-b266-7ede4ef39d14
 
Title data sets on squeeze and relaxation of high solids content dispersions 
Description A dataset on extensive experiments with high solids content dispersions in complex squeeze and relaxation flows, including analysis methods and interpretation via recent models of thickening in such systems. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2020 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact The dataset provides novel data on complex flows with non-Newtonian shear thickening materials. 
 
Description 'Sludgy stuff roadshow' public engagement project 
Organisation Glasgow City Council
Department Education Services
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution Public engagement project focussed around the research topic of the research project - multiphase/solids dispersion flow and processing. Researchers from the team engage with schools, act as mentors to school teams.
Collaborator Contribution Funding, evaluation guidance and support (RAEng). Support and collaboration guidance (Glasgow City Council). ENgagement with project and supplying school facilities and class time (various schools thorughout Glasgow and Edinburgh)
Impact Engagement with 10 school teams of 5 children plus teachers each. School-based research projects. School teams (secondary) then visit their 'feeder' primary schools to engage classes of primary school children.Training in engagement skills for the researchers involved. Schools located in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Further events at science and other public festivals.
Start Year 2017
 
Description 'Sludgy stuff roadshow' public engagement project 
Organisation Royal Academy of Engineering
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution Public engagement project focussed around the research topic of the research project - multiphase/solids dispersion flow and processing. Researchers from the team engage with schools, act as mentors to school teams.
Collaborator Contribution Funding, evaluation guidance and support (RAEng). Support and collaboration guidance (Glasgow City Council). ENgagement with project and supplying school facilities and class time (various schools thorughout Glasgow and Edinburgh)
Impact Engagement with 10 school teams of 5 children plus teachers each. School-based research projects. School teams (secondary) then visit their 'feeder' primary schools to engage classes of primary school children.Training in engagement skills for the researchers involved. Schools located in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Further events at science and other public festivals.
Start Year 2017
 
Description Participation in popular comsumer tv show 
Form Of Engagement Activity A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press)
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Invited to appear on Channel 4 consumer programme 'supershoppers' to provide 'expert' discussion of how innvoative products related to complex flow and rheology work and what determines their consumer properties, specifically focussed on 'spreads' including butter and cheese.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description Sludgy stuff schools and public engagement 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Schools
Results and Impact Engagement with school teams linked to research project. Researchers in the research teams act as mentors. School teams and teachers carry out research projects and design their own engagement activities to take to their feeder primary schools. Schools across Glasgow and Edinburgh. Also public events.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017,2018