APPLICATION TESTING

The Bepex Technical Center in Minneapolis consists of 25,000 square feet and features these specialized areas: a physically isolated sanitary food processing bay and PolyQuest® Center; an explosion-proof thermal processing bay; and all purpose explosion-proof powder processing technology bay. All three have separate entries and conference facilities. The Technical Center consists of demonstration equipment and over 20 separate pilot systems which can be configured in many different arrangements for treatment of the broad range of materials, including chemical processing equipment, thermal processing equipment, and polymer processing equipment. This unique facility offers a full slate of process solutions including agglomeration/compaction; thermal processing/drying/cooling; desolventation/stripping/chemical reactors; size reduction; mixing/blending; liquid/solid separation; classifying; particle fabrication; coating; polymer crystallization/polymerization; physicochemical conversion under vacuum or in saturated/superheated steam atmosphere and hydration.

The facility has been designed to provide a dust/contamination free particle and powder processing atmosphere and is in compliance with EPA and OSHA regulations. A special Bench Test Lab is provided to evaluate feasibility of different unit operations and process ability of the test material. Three analytical labs equipped with a wide variety of test equipment including chemical processing equipment, thermal processing equipment, and polymer processing equipment.

We also offer a comprehensive rental program. When extended testing, developmental programs or confidential study is required; this can be accomplished at the customer's facility.

A Bepex International Application Engineer will work directly with you to develop your specific test objectives and to set up a bench test. Bench test analysis will be run on actual samples of your product to determine relevant physical properties and process-ability of your material as well as the feasibility of processing options.

Full-scale testing is conducted by a Bepex International Laboratory Engineer under direct supervision of an Application Engineer.

A test report is issued by an Application Engineer, including a full review of test results and recommendation for action. In addition to the report, processed and unprocessed materials are returned to the customer.

Bepex International selects a test program which most closely meets the customer's product specifications. This data also serves as a basis for the system layout and predicting scale-up through puts, power consumption levels, etc.

The following equipment is available for testing at the Bepex Technical Center:

MS-75 System Commercial size (up to 1 ton/hr) compaction/granulation system with aspiration and three different interchangeable grinders

PC-20 System Commercial size, full-scale grinding system with heating, drying and cooling options.

Schugi® System Universal continuous agglomeration system based on Fluid dryer Dryer (10 sq. ft.) can be interfaced with different agglomerators: Schugi®, Turbulizer®, Extrud-O-Mix®. Commercial capacity (up to 1 ton/hr)

Solidaire® 10-6 System Commercial size system for drying, heating, desolventizing and cooling. Clamshell design for inspection, cleaning and paddle adjustment.

Micron Dryer System size system for drying, grinding and classification.

Hopper Dryer/Reactor System System based on jacketed purge vessel that is equipped with mechanical discharge for operation in plug-flow mode.

Solid State Polymerization (SPP) System(s) System based on purge vessel in combination with different types of indirect heat supply units (or IR crystallizer) and Mechanical Discharge device. There are more than 15 different setups possible.

Liquid/Solid Separation Equipment and Systems Screw presses, V-Press and Belt Drainer for food processing and sludge dewatering.

Rubber Chopper For size reduction of natural or synthetic rubber bales.

Drying, Desolventizing and Particle Processing Equipment and Systems Over 50 specialized machines available in the Technical Center can be combined to simulate drying, desolventizing and other types of solids/powder processing technology developed by Bepex.

Food Test Area – Food Processing Equipment:

Schugi® System Universal continuous agglomeration system based on Fluid Bed Dryer (5 sq. ft.) can be equipped with different agglomerators (Schugi®, Extrud-O-Mix®) and grinders (Disintegrators)

PC-10 System Commercial size sanitary system for grinding and drying feed and pharmaceutical products.

GSP Pilot System Comprehensive sanitary pilot systems designed for preferable processing starch and starch bearing food products. System is based on patented Jet Rotor Solidaire® and Micron Dryer for thermo processing materials in saturated (superheated) steam atmosphere followed by final drying, grinding (de-agglomeration) and classification.

The following list shows some of the analytical equipment and instrumentation available in the Bepex International Technical Center:

Hitachi Scanning Electron Microscope, Auto system Gas Chromatograph, Powder Characteristic Tester, Hot Bench Kofler Unit, Mitsubishi Moisture Analyzer, Differential Scanning Calorimeter, Thermogrametric Analyzer, Density Gradient Column, Insitec Inline Particle Size Analyzer, Micron Airjet Sieve, Starch Master Viscometer, Melt-phase Viscometer.

The testing equipment and instrumentation are continuously updated to ensure that the customer has access to the latest technology.