Enhancement of melting through corotating disk processors

Melting mechanisms in the corotating disk processor (DISK‐PACK) Farrel Company trademark. are presented and discussed. This polymer processor consists of disk elements attached to a shaft with the entire assembly fitted into a housing. All polymer processes are induced by the drag action of the jointly moving disks, compared to only one moving surface characteristic of single screw extruders. Experiments carried out in a 150 and 7‐1/2″ diameter corotating disk polymer processors indicate that polymers can be melted by either of two mechanisms: The drag melt removal mechanism and the dissipative mix‐melting mechanism. The former mechanism occurs when a molten film is constantly removed from both sides of the solid bed, while the latter takes place throughout a system of molten and solid particulate mixture occupying the space between the disks. A theoretical model is presented for the drag melt removal (DMR) mechanism in such corotating disk polymer processors. The additional capability to induce a dissipative mix‐melting (DMM) mechanism can increase the melting rate obtained from conventional mechanism by 300 percent and lower the exit melt temperature substantially. Melting rates over a broad range of conditions are presented for a variety of polymers.