Development of Mixing Indexes for Scale-Up of Polymer Processing Equipment

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

DMI-9812969Manas-Zloczower Mixing is an important component of practically every polymer processing operation. Material processability and product properties are highly influenced by mixing quality. Applying the findings of fundamental research on mixing mechanisms to processes taking place inside complex industrial mixing devices, such as internal mixers or twin screw extruders, poses a big challenge. Developing scale-up rules for translating the results of experiments on small laboratory mixers to industrial equipment is another typical problem encountered in practice. This research project is aimed at identifying the important design and processing parameters enhancing realization of the mixing process in various processing equipment. Research will be conducted to define mixing criteria for process control and optimization and for equipment scale-up. The work will be conducted in close cooperation with researchers at DuPont Experimental Station in Wilmington, Delaware. Flow simulations of various mixing equipment and development of mixing criteria will be conducted at Case Western Reserve University. Flow visualization and compounding experiments will be performed at DuPont Experimental Station. This interactive program could provide valuable findings to gain further insight and understanding into the mixing mechanisms and material behavior during processing. In turn, an in-depth knowledge of the equipment used and the behavior of the materials being processed will render the key for process optimization and the development of scale-up rules. The results of this research will far and foremost help enhancing the efficiency of existing manufacturing processes in the polymer processing industry. However, the information base generated through this work will impact also on equipment manufacturing. Comprehension of the links between equipment design and process efficiency can lead to future generations of machines for processing of advanced materials.