Modelling flow and heat transfer in co-rotating twin-screw extruders

This work presents a modelling routine of co-rotating twin-screw extrusion, from hopper to die. The program accounts for a sequence of individual stages linked together by boundary conditions, namely starve-fed solids conveying, solids conveying under pressure, delay, melting, melt conveying without pressure and melt conveying under pressure. It predicts the evolution along the screw and die of temperature, shear rate, residence time, viscosity, mechanical power consumption, pressure and fill ratio. The results obtained showed adequate sensitivity to changes in operating conditions and screw geometry and are in agreement with current theoretical and experimental knowledge.