ChBE Spring Seminar: Particles Are Your Problems

Armour College of Engineering and Biological Engineering Department will host a seminar featuring Ben Freireich Technical, Director PSRI. He will present his lecture, Particles Are Your Problem.

Abstract:

The US process industries process and handle billions of pounds of bulk solids annually. Yet, most undergraduate chemical engineers have never had a lecture in solids processing, let alone a course. Hence, plants and products suffer from lost production, inability to achieve design production rates, and off-grade or off-specification products. During this seminar, we will examine the fun and exciting world of processing solids. Specifically, we will look at some of the more common particle-based technologies, examining the important role they play in society today and the associated technical challenges.

Short Biography:

Ben Freireich is the Technical Director at Particulate Solid Research, Inc. (PSRI) and previously a Research Scientist in Engineering Sciences at The Dow Chemical Company in the Solids Processing Lab. He obtained his PhD in Mechanical Engineering in 2010 from Purdue University studying manufacturing processes involving solid materials (particles, powders, etc.).

At PSRI, Ben guides member and contract research efforts executed by the technical staff. PSRI is a consortium-based research company with member companies worldwide that applies and generates fundamental research in particle technology, with a focus on fluidized systems. At Dow, he was involved in many products and processes, with expertise in powder flowability, fluidization, size enlargement, attrition, etc.

Ben has over 20 publications and over 250 citations. He sits on the Executive Committee of the AIChE Particle Technology Forum, is the Chair of the ASTM D18.24 subcommittee on Characterization of Bulk Solids and Powders, and was recently named one of AIChE’s 35 under 35 for 2017. He lives in Chicago, IL, and has four children.