Application of Network Analysis to Flow Systems with Alternating Wave Channels: Part B. (Superimposed Drag-Pressure Flows in Extrusion)
Year: 2020
Type: article
Abstract: Due to progress in the development of screw designs over recent decades, numerous high-performance screws have become commercially available in single-screw extrusion. While some of these advanced designs have been studied intensively, others have received comparatively less attention. We developed and validated a semi-numerical network-theory-based modeling approach to predicting flows of shear-thinning polymer melts in wave-dispersion screws. In the first part (Part A), we systematically reduced the complexity of the flow analysis by omitting the influence of the screw rotation on the conveying behavior of the wave zone. In this part (Part B), we extended the original theory by considering the drag flow imposed by the screw. Two- and three-dimensional melt-conveying models were combined to predict locally the conveying characteristics of the wave channels in a discretized flow network. Extensive experiments were performed on a laboratory single-screw extruder, using various barrel designs and wave-dispersion screws. The predictions of our semi-numerical modeling approach for the axial pressure profile along the wave-dispersion zone accurately reproduce the experimental data. Removing the need for time-consuming numerical simulations, this modeling approach enables fast analyses of the conveying behavior of wave-dispersion zones, thereby offering a useful tool for design and optimization studies and process troubleshooting.
Source: Polymers
Institutions: Johannes Kepler University of Linz, Paderborn University
Language: English
Subfield: Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes
Field: Chemical Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,732
Funder: Austrian Science Fund
OpenAlex ID: W3080184271