Andrew Grima is the Chief Operating Officer at Bulk Materials Engineering Australia (BMEA) and has been involved with numerous research and commercial projects for all sectors of industry, involving R&D, feasibilities, troubleshooting, audits, design and de-bottlenecking of bulk handling plants and processes. Andrew has worked on a vast number of projects dealing with difficult-to-handle bulk solids such as wet and sticky iron ore, bauxite, copper ore and gold ore.

Andrew completed his Bachelor of Engineering (Hons Class 1) in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wollongong in 2007. Andrew continued at the same University to complete a PhD in 2011 on quantifying and modelling the dynamic behaviour of cohesionless and cohesive granular. Andrew’s PhD involved developing techniques to measure bulk material properties and calibrate discrete element method (DEM) simulations to assist in the design of robust handling systems.

Andrew has actively worked with industry and clients worldwide to assist with the following:

Peter Wypych is the Founder and General Manager of Bulk Materials Engineering Australia (BMEA), University of Wollongong and has completed over 500 projects for all sectors of industry, involving troubleshooting, design, feasibilities and research and development of bulk material handling plants and processes. His areas of expertise include bulk materials handling, flow properties, storage facilities, conveying, computer simulation technology, dust hazards and control, including dust explosions. He has published over 500 articles in these areas, and is the immediate previous Chair of the Australian Society for Bulk Solids Handling, Engineers Australia. He is also the Founding Director of the newly formed International Solids Handling Research Institute (ISHRI) at the University of Wollongong.

David obtained his Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering (Hons) and Master of Engineering Research (Hons) from the University of Wollongong (UOW) before being employed in 1997 in various research positions at UOW. In 2010, David was awarded a PhD for his project “Belt Conveyor transfers: Quantifying and Modelling Mechanics of Particle Flow”. In 2008 he took on a Lecture position within the Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences at UOW and has recently been promoted to Senior Lecturer.

David is an Expert Advisor for Bulk Materials Engineering Australia, consulting on bulk materials handling problems dealing with issues including;

Ian has been a member of the BMEA team for 30 years starting off as a Technical Officer and moving to Laboratory Manager in 2004. Ian’s role is to oversee all consulting and research testing that is being undertaken in the various Bulk Materials Engineering laboratories. This includes ensuring that staff and resources are available for various projects and timelines are met. He is also responsible for making sure that the correct OH&S guidelines are being followed within the laboratories. Ian’s main areas of interest are pneumatic conveying, dust control and wear. He has also been involved in site visits for problem solving and commissioning in various materials handling situations during this time.

Jon joined the BMEA team in 2019. He completed his Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) in July 2015 with First Class Honours and is currently enrolled in a Doctor of Philosophy working on the experimental investigation and numerical modelling of high-energy micro-mist technology for the control of dust in the bulk materials handling industry. Jon is experienced in the use of computational fluid dynamics and discrete element modelling for predicting and analysing bulk materials handling operations and process. Jon’s areas of interest include:
- dust control
- dust suppression nozzle technology
- computer aided engineering techniques including CAD, CFD, DEM, SPH, MBD
- material flow properties and handleability
- hopper and transfer chute design

John performs a wide range of flow property testing, as well as characterisation and dust testing of bulk materials, including raw products such as; iron ore, coal, bauxite and gold ores as well as organic products such as grains. He also collects and processes the obtained data before handing over to one of BMEA’s expert advisors.

Mark performs numerous of bulk material handling tasks, including a range of flow property testing, characterisation and large scale testing in the BMEA Product Handling and Infrustructure laboratory.