Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) services

CPI’s AD Development Centre combines unique testing and scale-up facilities with practical experience and applied knowledge of science, engineering and economics. The centre consists of flexible lab to pilot scale facilities allowing clients to use their own equipment in CPI’s facilities to evaluate and develop AD processes for conventional and novel waste streams. The AD Development Centre can be used as a proof of concept facility for novel feedstocks, the assessment of co-digestion and novel pre/post processing technologies.CPI provides comprehensive and tailored AD studies to assist in the development and deployment of profitable AD processes, fit for application and purpose.

CPI’s pilot scale facilities can be used as a proof of concept facility for anaerobic digestion processes.With digester working volumes of between 1.5 m3 and 5 m3, clients can gain valuable information on how a new AD plant should be configured and the operational costs involved. Novel AD technology can be incorporated into the facility’s reconfigurable infrastructure, allowing tailored projects to be designed and executed.

CPI’s team of scientists, engineers and commercial experts can de-risk the process of taking commercial ventures to market by adopting a step-wise approach – from laboratory research to pilot scale testing. CPI can assess how laboratory based process will perform at larger scales, and provide a review of the likely scale up challenges.Fundamental scale up challenges can be spotted at an early stage, and alternative processing methodologies or technology options can be suggested to mitigate scale up risk. This information can transform a project, helping to drive ideas in a more focused direction and mitigate major process risks.

The Thermal Technologies Centre can assist organisations of all sizes to develop thermal processes quickly, sustainably and cost effectively. Clients can replicate and refine their process in our open access pyrolysis and gasification facilities, or we can send our experts to your site, to deliver in situ process investigation.

The Thermal Technologies Centre combines unique testing and scale-up facilities with practical experience and applied knowledge of science and engineering which includes high temperature process engineering, and economics. The centre has facilities ranging from laboratory to demonstration scale which have the ability for clients to ‘drop in’ their own equipment.

The Thermal Technologies Centre’s experts have a wealth of experience in understanding the issues relating to the optimisation of fuels and feedstocks to meet your requirements. Combining this with CPI’s supply chain knowledge, our experts are able to understand your problems, offer solutions and develop blends for your particular needs.

The Thermal Technologies Centre can de-risk the process of taking products and processes from research to demonstration scale production.Our team has access to a wide range of process, mechanical and industrial engineering capabilities, which are ideally configured for measurement, control and operation of thermal processes. These unique capabilities, provided by Tata Steel have been devised and developed over many years. Access to the specialist skills pioneered by Tata Steel’s Research Development & Technology centre at Teesside enables us to offer a comprehensive suite of thermal manufacturing technologies.

The Thermal Technologies Centre offers extensive process modelling and consultancy services, and via its collaboration partner Tata Steel this overall consultancy service extends to areas such as physical (fluid flow) and computational (CFD) process modelling. We also encompass bespoke measurement, metallurgical evaluation and finite element modelling.

The CPI Sustainable Engineering team is able to utilise its extensive experience of process modeling and process engineering to help review the feasibility of your process and accelerate the path to commercialisation.CPI has worked with several venture capitalists and large companies to assess University and SME technologies of interest, helping these partners reach a go/no-go decision on new technologies and investments.