Understanding the Dynamics of Polymer Extrusion: Simulation of Thermoplastics Processing with Planetary Roller Extruders
Resource efficient processing of polymers is of paramount importance to minimize energy consumption, processing time, and material losses in the polymer industry. This study is concerned with polymer processing in planetary roller extruders. A three-dimensional numerical flow simulation was tailored...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-04-01
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| Series: | Heliyon |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844024047601 |
| _version_ | 1797226634565124096 |
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| author | Mario Radwan Steffen Schneider Thomas Ernst Müller Sulamith Frerich |
| author_facet | Mario Radwan Steffen Schneider Thomas Ernst Müller Sulamith Frerich |
| author_sort | Mario Radwan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Resource efficient processing of polymers is of paramount importance to minimize energy consumption, processing time, and material losses in the polymer industry. This study is concerned with polymer processing in planetary roller extruders. A three-dimensional numerical flow simulation was tailored to understand the polymer flow through the extruder in detail. Using the simulation software ANSYS Polyflow, we quantified both directly measurable process parameters, such as pressure build-up, and more intangible parameters, such as material shear. By varying operational and material parameters in a sensitivity analysis, we showed that the dynamics, material stress and pressure build-up are controlled primarily by the number of spindles and their rotational speed. Notably, this work provides the first successful validation of a 3D simulation of a polymer flow in a planetary roller extruder against actual experimental data. The simulation showed robust agreement between the simulated and experimental values, provided that a critical backpressure length is reached. This computational approach minimizes labor-intensive experimental testing in polymer processing. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T14:28:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8266fda8d2634b46ad713da4fcec9e3a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2405-8440 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T14:28:02Z |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Heliyon |
| spelling | doaj.art-8266fda8d2634b46ad713da4fcec9e3a2024-04-03T04:27:01ZengElsevierHeliyon2405-84402024-04-01107e28729Understanding the Dynamics of Polymer Extrusion: Simulation of Thermoplastics Processing with Planetary Roller ExtrudersMario Radwan0Steffen Schneider1Thomas Ernst Müller2Sulamith Frerich3Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Virtualization of Process Technology, Universitätsstr. 150, 44801 Bochum, Germany; Corresponding author.Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Carbon Sources and Conversion, Universitätsstr. 150, 44801 Bochum, GermanyRuhr-Universität Bochum, Carbon Sources and Conversion, Universitätsstr. 150, 44801 Bochum, GermanyRuhr-Universität Bochum, Virtualization of Process Technology, Universitätsstr. 150, 44801 Bochum, GermanyResource efficient processing of polymers is of paramount importance to minimize energy consumption, processing time, and material losses in the polymer industry. This study is concerned with polymer processing in planetary roller extruders. A three-dimensional numerical flow simulation was tailored to understand the polymer flow through the extruder in detail. Using the simulation software ANSYS Polyflow, we quantified both directly measurable process parameters, such as pressure build-up, and more intangible parameters, such as material shear. By varying operational and material parameters in a sensitivity analysis, we showed that the dynamics, material stress and pressure build-up are controlled primarily by the number of spindles and their rotational speed. Notably, this work provides the first successful validation of a 3D simulation of a polymer flow in a planetary roller extruder against actual experimental data. The simulation showed robust agreement between the simulated and experimental values, provided that a critical backpressure length is reached. This computational approach minimizes labor-intensive experimental testing in polymer processing.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844024047601Polymer processingPolymer extrusionPlanetary roller extruderNumerical modellingCFD simulationValidation |
| spellingShingle | Mario Radwan Steffen Schneider Thomas Ernst Müller Sulamith Frerich Understanding the Dynamics of Polymer Extrusion: Simulation of Thermoplastics Processing with Planetary Roller Extruders Heliyon Polymer processing Polymer extrusion Planetary roller extruder Numerical modelling CFD simulation Validation |
| title | Understanding the Dynamics of Polymer Extrusion: Simulation of Thermoplastics Processing with Planetary Roller Extruders |
| title_full | Understanding the Dynamics of Polymer Extrusion: Simulation of Thermoplastics Processing with Planetary Roller Extruders |
| title_fullStr | Understanding the Dynamics of Polymer Extrusion: Simulation of Thermoplastics Processing with Planetary Roller Extruders |
| title_full_unstemmed | Understanding the Dynamics of Polymer Extrusion: Simulation of Thermoplastics Processing with Planetary Roller Extruders |
| title_short | Understanding the Dynamics of Polymer Extrusion: Simulation of Thermoplastics Processing with Planetary Roller Extruders |
| title_sort | understanding the dynamics of polymer extrusion simulation of thermoplastics processing with planetary roller extruders |
| topic | Polymer processing Polymer extrusion Planetary roller extruder Numerical modelling CFD simulation Validation |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844024047601 |
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