Primasonic - KTP Case Study - The University of Liverpool - Alex Bergus

Acoustic cleaning company Primasonics discovered a horn of plenty in the export market – and won a prestigious award – as a result of a research partnership with the University of Liverpool. Primasonics, which makes high-tech sonic horns to remove dust and dry deposits from industrial plant and equipment, massively expanded its international trade following the Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) programme. Completing the success story, Alex Bergus, the postgraduate associate placed with the company, has been recruited as Primasonics technical director. Employing six staff and turning over some £350,000 annually, Primasonics provides unique acoustic cleaning services for a broad range of industries including petrochemicals, construction and foodstuffs in more than 30 countries as far and wide as India and Australia. KTP programmes have three aims: to improve the competitiveness of the company; enhance the career of the graduate; and enable academic experts to make their work more relevant to business needs.

Penrith-based Primasonics had already won a government SMART award to develop a series of sonic horns. However, the business’ sales initiative was limited because it could not prove that the vibrations from the horns did not damage the structures being cleaned, such as flour silos and electro-static plates at power stations.

The company entered the partnership with the University of Liverpool to improve the effectiveness of its sonic horns; enhance its technical knowledge; and recruit a technical director.

Primasonics Managing Director Donald Cameron commments: "After the SMART award, the KTP programme was the next logical step and it was certainly a great success in enabling us to achieve all our objectives."

Postgraduate Alex Bergus was placed at Primasonics under the supervision of Professor Barry Gibbs and colleagues from the Architecture and Building Engineering Department.

"KTP partnerships benefit the University by giving students an opportunity to see the business relevance of the research work they have carried out," explains Dr Andy Jones, Assistant Director of the Merseyside KTP Centre at Liverpool University.Primasonics were delighted with Alex’s immediate contribution to the technical development of the business.

Acoustic cleaning involves transmitting sound through solids to create rapid pressure fluctuations. These penetrate dry material stuck or ‘bonded’ to surfaces, causing particles to resonate and fall away.

“The sonic horns worked on site, but our problem was proving to customers that the bonded or sticky material could be dislodged without damaging the structures – for example removing flour that builds up on the sides of silos,” explained Donald Cameron.

“The KTP programme was able to give us the proof we needed. This increased our technical credibility 1,000 per cent because it was underwritten by the University of Liverpool’s expertise. This meant we could drive sales much more effectively and have gained many new customers in various markets around the world.”

The future looks bright for Primasonics, which continues to grow export sales after receiving UK Trade and Investment’s export award for Cumbria in 2005.

“We have applied for a further SMART award to develop a new sonic boom product for use in furnaces where temperatures reach 1,000 degrees Celsius,” says Donald Cameron. “In these very hot environments, dry material becomes very sticky and we believe it can be cleaned using a miniature controlled explosion, lasting only a few milliseconds.”

If the SMART award application succeeds, Primasonics will recruit extra staff and expand its markets still further.