Powder Show Texas opened its first day to a strong exhibition and conference agenda, attracting attendees from across the region to the NRG Center in Houston. The show continues on Wednesday, Oct. 14 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Highlights of the first day included:

- Keynote panel "A Glimpse into the Future of Powder & Bulk Solids" opened the morning conference with speakers from a variety of bulk solids and chemical processing industries speaking about current trends, changes within the industry, and a discussion about challenges facing their field. Speakers included Timothy Bell, P.E. Engineering Fellow with DuPont; Pankaj Gupta, Ph.D., R&D Director with The Dow Chemical Company; John Liffiton, consultant with EPIC LLC; and Bob Reed, Vice President of Global Engineering with Kellogg Co.

-Jenike & Johanson Senior Consultant/Director Eric Maynard presented morning and afternoon sessions at the Powder & Bulk Solids Conference that focused on the fundamentals of bulk material handling and troubleshooting hoppers and silos. Using a combination of slide shows, sample materials, and real-world examples, Maynard discussed a variety of issues that can occur when working with powder flow. He emphasized that one of the key steps in handling material is knowing what you are working with: “Most vendors will ask for a sample of your powder to sample its characteristics.”

- Other conference session highlights included: Johannes Lottermann, director of explosion safety with REMBE, presenting his session, "Common Sense Approaches to Combustible Dust Risk Reduction." Lottermann demonstrated how flameless venting and explosion suppression equipment when used in the right spots can prevent a large explosion from occurring.

- Vahid Ebadat, CEO with Chilworth Asia Pacific, presented his session, "Testing to Assess Your Powder’s Fire & Explosion Hazards." Ebadat discussed what conditions are required for explosions and the importance of testing material and then what to do with those test results.

- Jack Hilbert, principal engineering consultant with Pneumatic Conveying Consultants used a tabletop working pneumatic conveying system to demonstrate various principles of pneumatic conveying to a crowd assembled around the system. The tabletop system is intended for conference attendees to “see how the flow pattern changes – the understanding and retention of what is seen is more firmly imbedded in their memory,” Hilbert said in an earlier interview.

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