Mixing and residence time distribution in melt screw extruders

The residence time distribution (RTD) functions were derived for screw extruders, based on the “parallel plate” and curved channel flow models. The results indicate a relatively narrow distribution, and they explain several characteristics of screw extruders. The strain distribution in the fluid across the channel was also derived. With the aid of these two functions an average strain of the fluid leaving the extruder was defined. The resulting weighted-average total strain (WATS) provides a quantitative criterion to the “goodness of mixing” in extruders.     

One-line measurement of the residence time distribution in screw extruders

A fluorescence monitoring device was constructed to measure in real time the residence time distribution (RTD) function in screw extruders. Its centerpiece was an optical fiber probe capable of transmitting optical excitation energy to the processed flow stream and detecting the subsequent fluorescence emission. The source of fluorescence emission was an anthracene-bearing substance that was injected to the flow stream as a pulse (tracer) in very small amounts. This device was validated against an off-line ultraviolet spectrophotometer and self-checked as well. In addition to its great sensitivity to fluorescence emission and ease of implementation on an extrusion line, this device could be used to monitor in real time subtle variations of an extrusion operation. The influence of the nature of anthracene-bearing compounds on the measured distribution and the effects of processing parameters on the RTD function were also investigated.     

Mean residence time analysis for twin screw extruders

This paper presents and experimentally validates a physically motivated model for predicting the mean residence time in twin screw extruders. Accurate estimation of the mean residence time and the propagation delay through a plasticating extruder is critical for implementing feedback control schemes employing sensors mounted along the extruder. Experiments were carried out on a 30 mm Krupp Werner and Pfleiderer co‐rotating twin screw extruder equipped with reflectance optical probes over the melting section and mixing section and at the die. The residence time distributions for twelve operating conditions and two screw geometries are compared. The mean residence times predicted by our model are in good agreement with the experimentally measured mean residence times.     

Effect of the axial vibration of screw on residence time distribution in single‐screw extruders

An analytic model has been developed to analyze the residence time distribution of melt in the screw channel of the melt conveying section in a novel extruder of which the screw can vibrate axially. A comparison of the residence time distribution of melt in screw channel with and without vibration shows that the residence time of melt increases with the apply of vibration and the larger the vibration frequency and amplitude are, the longer time it will take the melt to travel through the melt conveying section, which is in favor of the improvement of the effect of melt mixing. POLYM. ENG. SCI. 46:198–204, 2006. © 2005 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Local residence time,residence revolution,and residence volume distributions in twin‐screw extruders

This work was aimed at studying the overall, partial, and local residence time distributions (RTD); overall, partial and local residence revolution distributions (RRD) and overall, partial and local residence volume distributions (RVD) in a co‐rotating twin screw extruder, on the one hand; and establishing the relationships among them, on the other hand. Emphasis was placed on the effects of the type and geometry of mixing elements (a gear block and various types of kneading elements differing in staggering angle) and process parameters on the RTD, RRD and RVD. The overall and partial RTD were directly measured in‐line during the extrusion process and the local ones were calculated by deconvolution based on a statistical theory. The local RTD allowed comparing the mixing performance of mixing elements. Also it was confirmed both experimentally and theoretically that specific throughput, defined as a ratio of throughput (Q) over screw speed (N), controlled all the above three types of residence distributions, be they local, partial or overall. The RRD and RVD do not provide more information on an extrusion process than the corresponding RTD. Rather they are different ways of representing the same phenomena. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 48:19–28, 2008. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers     

A study of residence time distribution in co‐rotating twin‐screw extruders. Part I: Theoretical modeling

A theoretical model to determine the residence time distribution (RTD) in a co‐rotating twin‐screw extruder is proposed. The method consists of coupling a continuum mechanics approach with a chemical engineering one and allows us to obtain the RTD without any adjustable parameter. The process parameters are obtained using Ludovic® twin‐screw modeling software, and ideal reactors are chosen to depict the screw profile. The influence of screw speed, feed rate and viscosity on RTD are described on a fictive screw profile. The predictions of the model are in qualitative agreement with literature data. The key point of this procedure is obviously the correct association between an ideal reactor and a screw element.     

Pressure profiles in plasticating extruders

The pressure distribution through the melting and melt zones of a plasticating extruder is discussed, and an analysis is described for predicting the pressure profile. In the stable melting zone, the pressure profile is calculated based on flow in the melt pool, and the pressure is strongly influenced by the flow of the solid bed of plastic. The solid bed flow is primarily determined by the polymer rigidity in the screw compression section. If the size (through a melting analysis) and the velocity (through a solid bed acceleration parameter) of the solid bed along the screw channel are reasonably approximated, the pressure profile is reasonably approximated by this analysis. Inaccurate representations of the size or velocity of the solid bed can yield inaccurate pressure profile prediction. In the unstable melting region, the assumption of a complete melt yields reasonable pressure predictions. The introduction of these concepts into an extrusion model permits a more accurate prediction of the operating RPM of a given screw design in a given machine.     

Predicting the effect of screw wear on the performance of plasticating extruders

The effect of screw wear on the performance of a 2.5 in. diameter extruder is studied with the aid of computer simulations. The effect of progressively increasing flight clearance on the extrusion of low density polyethylene, polypropylene and nylon 6/6 is presented. The remedial effect of increased screw speed and its side effects on melting behavior, solids content, extrudate temperature and power consumption are also described.     

The analysis of residence time distribution measurements using laguerre functions

The residence time distribution of a flow system can be determined from the response of the system to an arbitrary input, by a technique invoving Laguerre functions. This technique is convenient for digital computation, and is comparable in accuracy with other methods. The effects of the nature of the flow system, the arbitrary input, and the presence of noise are considered.     

Digital image processing method for measuring the residence time distribution in a plasticating extruder

In the present work, a digital image processing (DIP) method was developed to measure the residence time distribution (RTD) in a plasticating extruder. The DIP method is off-line, but it consumes less time and yields more data than the traditional off-line ones, and it avoids the expensive probes and data acquisition systems that are necessary in the on-line and in-line measurements. The correctness of the DIP method was validated by a comparative experiment using silica powder as the tracer. A locally made Buss Kneader equipped with a gear pump system was used herein. The effects of the operating conditions on the RTD in this equipment were also studied. Furthermore, the relationship between the mean residence time and the operating conditions was analyzed. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 47:1108–1113, 2007. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Measurements of residence time distribution for the peroxide degradation of polypropylene in a single-screw plasticating extruder

Measurements of the residence time distribution (RTD) in a single-screw plasticating extruder were carried out during experimental studies of the peroxide-initiated controlled chemical degradation of polypropylene (PP). A radioactive tracer method was employed, and the effect of screw speed, temperature, and reaction on the RTD was examined. An increase of the peroxide concentration resulted in a broader distribution whereas an increase of the extrusion temperature was found to result in a narrower distribution. Use of low screw speeds simply increased the time delay through the extruder without affecting considerably the breadth of distribution. Results obtained from the present experiments were compared with several theoretical models.     

Theoretical model for non-intermeshing twin screw extruders

A simple theoretical model for flow in nonintermeshing twin screw extruders has been derived. The assumptions which in single screw extruders result in the “two parallel plates” model, in twin screw extruders result in the “three parallel plates” model. The flow rate equation can be expressed, for Newtonian fluids, in terms of drag and pressure flow terms, as in single screw extrusion theory, but each term is multiplied by a geometrical factor. This factor incorporates the effect of one screw on the drag and pressure flow terms of the other. The theoretical model was experimentally verified on a 1 inch diameter Bausano twin screw extruder.     

A study of residence time distribution in co‐rotating twin‐screw extruders. Part II: Experimental validation

In the first part of this paper, a new approach to model the residence time distribution (RTD) in a co‐rotating twin‐screw extruder was proposed. It consists of coupling a continuum mechanics approach with a chemical engineering one, yielding an RTD curve without any fitting parameter. However, the choice of ideal reactors that depict the behavior of each particular profile is not evident. In this second part, we present an experimental study based on two types of extruder (Leistritz 30–34 and Clextral BC45), different screw profiles and two measurement techniques (off‐line and in‐line). Global, partial and local RTD curves were obtained, both experimentally and by means of a deconvolution technique. This series of experiments permitted the definition of the best association between ideal reactors and screw elements. Using this association, a comparison has been made between experimental results and theoretical calculations. A good agreement was generally obtained in terms of the RTD shape, delay time, mean residence time and variance.     

An experimental study on shear stress characteristics of polymers in plasticating single‐screw extruders

Frictional forces (for temperatures less than the melting or devitrification temperature) and viscous forces (for higher temperatures) have important roles on solids conveying and melting processes in plasticating single‐screw extruders. These forces are related to the shear stresses at polymer–metal interfaces. For temperatures at which the frictional forces are the main factor for the shear stresses, it is experimentally difficult to obtain the shear stresses at the polymer–metal interface. The interpretation of the data has further complications due to the frictional energy dissipation at the polymer–metal interface. An instrument called the Screw Simulator was used for further understanding of shear stresses at the polymer–metal interface and comparison of melting fluxes of different resins. This article presents the shear stress and melting flux measurements for low density polyethylene (LDPE), linear LDPE (LLDPE), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), and high‐impact polystyrene (HIPS) resins as a function of sliding velocity and interface temperature at a fixed pressure of 0.7 MPa. The relationship between the experimental data and the extrusion process is also discussed. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2009. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Assessing local residence time distributions in screw extruders through a new in‐line measurement instrument

This work aimed at developing a new instrument to measure in real time the residence time distribution (RTD) in screw extruders. The instrument followed the same principle as the one reported in the literature but possessed several important advantages. For example, the detection system had two probes that allowed to simultaneously measure RTDs at any two different locations of an extruder, thus providing the possibility of calculating the local RTD between them by a deconvolution method based on a statistical theory for the RTD. Its performance was evaluated on a corotating twin‐screw extruder using anthracene as tracer and polystyrene as flowing material. The effects of various process parameters such as feed rate and screw speed on the RTDs were investigated. The emphasis was placed, however, on the effect of the staggering angle of kneading discs on local RTDs both in the kneading zone itself and its neighboring upstream and downstream screw zones. This work is in support of an ongoing project on the simulation of flow in corotating twin‐screw extruders. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 46:510–519, 2006. © 2006 Society of Plastics Engineers.     

Residence time distribution in twin-screw extruders

Twin screw extruders are finding increased usage in reacting and devolatilizing applications. Using self-wiping profiles, the twin screws fulfill the requirement that there be no “dead” or “unmixed” zones. Agitator design must be chosen with care so that a reasonable balance can be obtained between forwarding rate, surface-generation rate, vapor passageway, power, and axial mixing. Techniques have been developed for measuring residence time distributions and characterizing axial flow behavior. The method also permits direct determination of the holdup in starved barrel applications. Data on residence time distribution are presented for 4-in. diameter twin screw equipment with a variety of rotor configurations.     

Numerical analysis of residence time distribution in microchannels

This article describes a numerical approach, which allows for the analysis of the residence time distribution (RTD) in microchannels. While the traditional methods provide the RTD at the outlet of the reactor, we consider the distribution of the tracer's age across the entire flowfield. The equation for the tracer's age distribution is solved by a modified method of moments and the distribution function is calculated by a reconstruction procedure. As an example we consider a Dean vortex-based micromixer.     

单螺杆挤出机中聚合物熔体停留时间分布预测

基于有限差分数值模拟技术 ,提出了预测聚合物熔体在单螺杆挤出机内停留时间分布半解析模拟方法 ,得到了不同操作参数下的停留时间及其函数的分布曲线。结果表明 ,无因次挤出流量越小 ,聚合物熔体在单螺杆挤出机内的停留时间就越长 ,而且分布越宽。所提出的方法能够反映耦合流场及压力反流对停留时间分布的影响 ,能更真实地反映聚合物熔体在单螺杆挤出机内的停留时间分布     

挤出过程停留时间分布影响因素之间的交互作用

应用全析因设计方法,研究了捏合块角度、比产率(喂料速率/螺杆转速)和螺杆转速对双螺杆挤出机机筒不同位置的延迟时间和平均停留时间的影响,考察了各因素之间的交互作用。结果表明,在所选取的操作条件下,螺杆转速对延迟时间和平均停留时间的影响最大,捏合块角度与比产率的影响程度相近。3因素两两交互作用对延迟时间的影响程度由大到小依次为捏合块角度与比产率、螺杆转速与比产率、捏合块角度与螺杆转速;对平均停留时间的影响由大到小依次为比产率与螺杆转速、捏合块角度与比产率、捏合块角度与螺杆转速。3因素3阶交互作用对平均停留时间的影响比较显著。     

Surging in screw extruders

Output uniformity is one of the main factors limiting the maximum output obtainable from a single screw plasticating extruder, and is adversely affected by surging. Several causes of surging have been identified, perhaps the most important being instabilities in the melting process. These are caused by periodic break-up of the bed of compacted solid polymer formed in the screw channel. Solid bed break-up is shown, both experimentally and theoretically, to be associated with rapid acceleration of the bed in the downstream direction parallel to the screw flight. A novel method of measuring solid bed velocity and hence acceleration is described. The theoretical model of the melting process is shown to be capable of predicting this acceleration reliably, and therefore the tendency for a particular combination of screw design, material and operating conditions to cause surging.