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Finite element analysis of mixing phenomena in tangential twin‐screw extruders for non‐Newtonian fluids
Author(s) -
Sastrohartono T.,
Kwon T. H.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
international journal for numerical methods in engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.421
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1097-0207
pISSN - 0029-5981
DOI - 10.1002/nme.1620300803
Subject(s) - mixing (physics) , mechanics , residence time distribution , flow (mathematics) , newtonian fluid , non newtonian fluid , finite element method , materials science , geometry , physics , mathematics , thermodynamics , quantum mechanics
A flow analysis of non‐Newtonian fluids inside co‐rotating tangential twin‐screw extruders is presented with the emphasis on mixing phenomena. A new simplified approach was proposed in modelling the flow, i.e. the flow in twin‐screw extruders was considered as a sequence of flows in two regions: (i) the translation region (T‐region), similar to a single‐screw extruder; and (ii) the mixing region (M‐region), representing the central part of twin‐screw extruders. The flow has been assumed to be isothermal, steady‐state and creeping. Furthermore, it was assumed that the velocity field does not change significantly in one co‐ordinate (i.e. the down‐channel direction in the case of the T‐region and the axial direction in the case of the M‐region) as compared with the other co‐ordinate directions. Accordingly, a quasi‐three‐dimensional finite element method has been developed to analyse the flows in both regions. The mixing mechanisms inside the T ‐ and M‐regions were analysed and the inter‐channel mixing in the M‐region was quantified. The residence time distribution and performance characteristic of a single screw with a self‐wiping profile were also calculated.