NTE Scientific Hub

NTE Scientific Hub is the headquarters of the NTE Process Research & Development Department, a Technological Innovation Centre of excellence. It is unique in Italy and one of the best equipped in Europe, which enables talented Engineers and Technicians to create technologies and patents that improve processes and production techniques. These process gains positively impact NTE Process’ customers production environmentally.

Around 1000m² building houses a Research and Innovation Centre equipped with a laboratory and a 1: 1 scale pilot plant.

At the Hub customer requests and needs are engineered using NTE Process technologies, feasibility is confirmed by performing scientific tests (basic fluidity, aeration, consolidation, etc.). Full scale tests (technologies such as spray drying, drying, mixing solid-liquid, parallel processing, pneumatic conveying, etc.) are conducted, and simulate the performance of the various technologies in real world conditions, enabling customers to understand scaling capability.

NTE TEST

NTE Scientific Hub has 4 test areas, depending on the type of process to be tested, and a laboratory:

AREA 1 – POWDERS / GRANULES

Pneumatic mixing test
Pneumatic conveying test
Dosing test

AREA 2 – LIQUIDS / POWDERS / GRANULES

Concentration test
Drying test
Dissolution test
Mixing test

AREA 3 – POWDERS / GRANULES

Wonderbatch® system test
Big bag unloading and mixer loading test
Bag breaker and mixer loading test
Degassing test
Lump breaker test

AREA 4 – SPECIAL PROJECTS

This area is dedicated to special projects and for the completion of FAT (Factory Acceptance Test) in the presence of the customer.

NTE LAB

Here is where the right process and design are defined and calibrated based on the specific needs of each customer. At this stage, the NTE Process R&D Team carries out specific laboratory analyzes using a series of advanced instruments tools which allow the processing of detailed reports containing the most relevant information for the predictive analysis of performance, energy consumption and all the details necessary for the correct design of the system:

• Calculation of all the rheological properties of powders: thanks to the use of FT4 Rheometer we can investigate the effect of external variables by simulating the process conditions. In addition to the standard characterization (basic flowability, aeration, shear cell, wall friction, consolidation, compressibility, permeability), it is possible to perform an advanced characterization that allows you to define all the analysis variables and to perform predictive analyzes in different conditions, performing up to more than 150 different tests.
• Morphological analysis: the application of the Scanning Electron Miscroscopy (SEM) with spectrograph ensures a very high resolution analysis which provides information on the chemical composition of the material.
• Particle Size: through the use of a laser diffraction granulometer we can determine the particle size of both dry powders and solutions.
• Powder Moisture Content: the moisture content of the powders is detected by means of a thermal balance, in a particular environment characterized by a given temperature and pressure. In this way it is possible to study the behavior of a material which may be subject to changes in environmental conditions during the process.
• Material Density Calculation: bulk density as well as tap density.
• Flow Angle Calculation: definition of the minimum and maximum flow angle of the material to establish the correct geometry of the hoppers.
• Angle of Repose Calculation: to define the angle that the material creates with the surface when it settles due to gravity. This analysis is used for the correct design of the hoppers too.
• Fluidization tests: to determine the volume increase of a material given the absorption of air and the properties of the aerated material.

NTE Scientific Hub is a centre of excellence using advanced technologies, combined with an entrepreneurial vision and the expected Italian flair and creativity.

NTE Scientific Hub – Via G. di Vittorio 15/17, 20060 Pessano con Bornago (Italy)