Screw channel

When devolatilization processes are conducted in screw extruders, the screw channels are only partially filled with the polymeric solution to be stripped of the volatile component (see Fig. 5) while the unoccupied portion of the screw channel serves to carry away the evaporated liquid. Because the barrel has a component of motion Vbz in the down channel direction, the solution is caused to flow from the extruder inlet to the outlet, which, in this case, is out of the plane of the paper. The crosschannel component of the barrel motion, Vtx, has two effects. First, it causes a circulation of the fluid in the nip and because of the continual... 

Fig. 5. Schematic representation of a screw channel that is partially filled with liquid. Mass transfer occurs from the film on the barrel wall and the surface of the nip.

The second effect which results from the cross-channel component of the barrel motion is the generation of a wiped film of the polymeric solution as the solution is dragged from the nip in an adjacent screw channel through the clearance between the flight tip and the barrel. Since this film is continually generated, mass is transferred to the gas phase in a time period given by... 

The constraint that the tip of one screw element wipe the flank of its mate in self-wiping, corotating twin-screw extruders leads to a unique relationship for the shape of the screw channel (Booy, 1978,1980). Figure 13 is an isometric view of this channel and Fig. 14 is a cross section of the channel in a plane that is perpendicular to the plane which defines the helix angle. Figure 14 shows the actual shape of the channel, which is described by the following expressions ... 

Cij Deformation rate / Fraction of screw channel filled with liquid F[> Ihag flow shape factor H, h Channel depth in screw extruder... 

The shape factors range from 0 to 1 and approach 1 for shallow channels that is, H/W fti 0. It Is Important to Include the shape factors when evaluating commercial screw channels. This becomes extremely Important for deep channels where H/W does not approach 0. The total mass flow rate, 0, Is calculated by combining the flow components as provided In Eq. 1.29 for the total mass flow rate. As stated previously, the rate, rotational flow, and pressure flow calculations should be performed at the start of every troubleshooting project. 

As shown in Fig. 4.1, resin feedstocks have a considerable level of interparticle space that is occupied by air. This level of space and thus the bulk density of the feedstock depend on the temperature, pressure, pellet (or powder) shape, resin type, and the level and shape of the recycle material. For a specific resin feedstock, the bulk density Increases with both temperature and the applied pressure. Understanding the compaction behavior of a resin feedstock is essential for both screw design and numerical simulation of the solids-conveying and melting processes. Screw channels must be able to accommodate the change in the bulk density to mitigate the entrainment of air and the decomposition of resin at the root of the screw. Typically, screw channels are set by using an acceptable compression ratio and compression rate for the resin. These parameters will be discussed in Section 6.1. 

The effect of channel depth on solids conveying rate is shown in Fig. 5.26 for screw and barrel temperatures of 75 and 125 °C, respectively, and at a screw speed of 50 rpm. At zero discharge pressure, the solids conveying rates were nearly proportional to the depth of the screw channel (or cross-sectional area perpendicular to the flight). For example, the conveying rates were 91 and 125 kg/h for the 8.89 and 11.1 mm deep screws, respectively. For these screws, the cross-sectional areas perpendicular to the flights were calculated at 420 and 530 mm an area increase of... 

Sample Simulations for Melting in a Conventional Screw Channel... 

Klein, 1., The Melting Factor in Extruder Performance, SPEL, 28, 47 (1972) Altinkaynak, A., Three-Dimensional Finite Element Simulation of Polymer Melting and Flow in a Single-Screw Extruder Optimization of Screw Channel Geometry, Ph. D. Thesis, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI (2010)... 

Figure 7.7 Schematic of a screw channel perpendicular to the flight edge showing the width of the channel and the depth of the channel...

With the development of modern computation techniques, more and more numerical simulations occur in the literature to predict the velocity profiles, pressure distribution, and the temperature distribution inside the extruder. Rotem and Shinnar [31] obtained numerical solutions for one-dimensional isothermal power law fluid flows. Griffith [25], Zamodits and Pearson [32], and Fenner [26] derived numerical solutions for two-dimensional fully developed, nonisothermal, and non-Newtonian flow in an infinitely wide rectangular screw channel. Karwe and Jaluria [33] completed a numerical solution for non-Newtonian fluids in a curved channel. The characteristic curves of the screw and residence time distributions were obtained. 

Reynolds equation was solved by the finite element method. Fraser et al. [42] performed FEM analysis on a metering screw channel that had slots in the flights. The slots increased the mixing ability of the screw by permitting flow between adjacent channels. 

Figure 7.10 Transformed (Lagrangian) frame for the analysis of extruder fluid flow. Here the reference frame is positioned on the bottom of the screw channel. The observer on the frame would see the barrel move with the component velocities of and V, ...

Thus traditional analysis predicts that when only the z-direction velocity is converted to the laboratory frame, the laboratory flow solution is toward the inlet of the extruder. Thus to be absolutely correct, the Literature Theory line of Fig. 7.13 should be below the x axis and predict a negative flow for all screw channel depths. 

The screw rotation analysis leads to the model equation for the extruder discharge rate. There are now two screw-rotation-driven velocities, and and a pressure-driven velocity, Pp that affect the rate. and transport the polymer fluid at right angles to one another. In order to calculate the net flow from screw rotation It Is necessary to resolve the two screw-rotation-driven velocities into one velocity, Vpi, that can be used to calculate the screw rotation-driven flow down the screw parallel to the screw axis (or centerline) as discussed in Chapter 1 and as depicted in Fig. 7.14. The resolved velocity will then be integrated over the screw channel area normal to the axis of the screw. 

Figure 8.13 Two-dimensional flows in a screw channel with a 6/14 = 1 and operating in extrusion mode. The arrows show the recirculation flows. The shaded area in the lower right corner is expanded in Fig. 8.14 to show the Moffat eddy...

Figure 8.26 Schematic of two common knob-type mixers a) a straight knob mixer with the knobs in the same angular position, and b) a pineapple mixer with the knobs positioned in a spiral pattern in the same direction as the main flights of the screw channel...

A sled device for measuring the depth of screw channels, barrier flight undercuts, and mixer flight undercuts is shown in Fig. 10.1. To use this device, the sled is positioned on the top of the screw with the micrometer tip contacting the top of the flight. The micrometer is zeroed at this position. Next the sled is slid axially on the screw, and the micrometer is adjusted until the top of the micrometer probe contacts... 

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