Single Screw Extruder

Parent Category: Industries

The meshless CFD software NOGRID points can help to understand the flow inside a single screw extruder. In this example we show a barrel of constant radius with an inflow area at the top of the barrel. At the inlet a Newtonian fluid with a viscosity of 1 Pas is injected and starts to fill the extruder over time. We solve the complete Navier-Stokes equations including temperature transport in this example. 

 

Figure 1: Example of a single screw extruder with an inflow area

NOGRID unites abilities to handle such complex free surface flows and moving parts in the domain and allows the simulation of any conceivable extruder geometry and operation modes such as

  • Injection to the extruder by one or more inlets,
  • Moving and rotation of the screws (also intersecting screws),
  • Computation of temperature transport
  • Free definable material properties by equations or curves,
  • Any screw/barrel geometry with small gaps or cutouts
NOGRID's particular strengths are the rapid pre-processing (no grid needs to be generated) and the outstandingly short computation time even for complicated extruders.
In order to construct or import a geometrical model our pre-processor CAD tool COMPASS can bed used:
 
Single screw extruder with inlet
Figure 2: Single screw extruder with an inflow area built with CAD tool COMPASS
 
The User can set the resolution (finite point density = the number of finite points per volume) for the fluid domain manually or he can use the full automatic geometrical adaptive feature as in this case. That means the solver sets the local point density automatically depending on the geometrical dimensions (small gaps high density, free space low density):
 
 
Figure 3: CFD solution of the extruder case at time 19.77 s (shown is the finite points density H [m])
 
 Simulation extruder with NOGRID software
Figure 4: Particle tracing at time step 31.25 s
 


What is CFD from NOGRID?

CFD solves the fundamental equations that define the fluid flow process. With CFD software from NOGRID every engineer makes better decisions by predicting, analyzing and controlling fluid flow, heat and mass transfer or chemical reaction. By using NOGRID simulation software you receive information on essential flow characteristics as for example flow distribution. Using it additional to testing and experimentation NOGRID software helps to improve the evaluation of your design – resulting in better construction and operation parameters, increasing planning security and money savings due to faster time to the marketplace for your product or process.

Choose NOGRID

With NOGRID, you choose professional CFD software and services – our aim is helping you to be successful. When you decide to work with NOGRID you choose close cooperation with a dynamic, flat hierarchies-organization. Short information channels result in quick and accurate professional support and service. Our team consists of highly qualified employees, who are experts in fields such as numerical simulation or computational fluid dynamics. Based on our know-how, we are pleased to offer the following services, responding to your individual requirements:

TRAINING

In our two-days training courses you will learn, how to use NOGRID simulation software efficiently. Our technical support team will teach you how to handle and solve different cases.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT

We offer full professional support from the minute you start using our software, by telephone or by email. Contact us, when ever needed.

SERVICE

Lack of time or resources and other constraints often make outsourcing an attractive solution. We help you with your flow modeling needs. Based on our engineering expertise in this field we offer individual numerical simulation services matching the unique needs of your organization.