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Modeling Devolatilization in Single- and Multi-Screw Extruders

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference proceedingspeer-review

Abstract

Vacuum-vented single- and multi-screw extruders are widely used to remove undesirable residual volatile components from highly viscous polymer melts. To guarantee a smooth separation process and to increase devolatilization efficiency, screw channels in the extraction section of vented extruders are only partially filled. In the governing flow field, volatile components evaporate from the rotating melt pool that develops in front of the active flight flank and from the wiped melt film deposited on the extruder barrel. This paper investigates mass transport phenomena in the rotating melt pool in detail. Based on numerical methods, the flow field in the melt pool is calculated and related to Fick’s laws of diffusion. The course of volatile concentration in the melt pool is analyzed taking the circulatory motion of the melt pool into account, and the beneficial impact of surface renewal on devolatilization efficiency is elucidated.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of PPS-32: The 32nd International Conference of the Polymer Processing Society - Conference Papers
EditorsAbderrahim Maazouz
Number of pages5
Volume1914
ISBN (Electronic)9780735416062
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 14 Dec 2017

Publication series

NameAIP Conference Proceedings
Volume1914
ISSN (Print)0094-243X
ISSN (Electronic)1551-7616

Fields of science

  • 205 Materials Engineering
  • 205011 Polymer engineering
  • 102009 Computer simulation
  • 104018 Polymer chemistry
  • 205012 Polymer processing
  • 104019 Polymer sciences

JKU Focus areas

  • Digital Transformation
  • Sustainable Development: Responsible Technologies and Management

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