3-D non-isothermal flow field analysis and mixing performance evaluation of kneading blocks in a co-rotating twin srew extruder

We have developed a three-dimensional non-Newtonian and non-isothermal flow analysis of the twin screw extruder (TSE) using the finite element method. This code can simulate the fully filled parts of several kinds of screw el ements, such as full flight screws, kneading blocks, rotors and their combi nations. A marker particle tracking analysis has also been developed to eva luate the mixing performance of the screw elements. In this paper, simulations for the kneading blocks in a co-rotating TSE wer e carried out. The screw configurations are combinations of 2-lobe kneading blocks with several stagger angles and disk widths. The effects of screw c onfigurations on pressure and temperature distributions are examined. We al so evaluate the dispersive and distributive mixing via stress magnitude and area stretch obtained by marker particle hacking analysis, Additionally, w e discuss the desirable stagger, disk width and their combinations that pro mote the mixing performance.