PROCESSING | SIMULATION
work away from of the R&D department. New developments will be released soon.” Germany-based Ianus Simulation developed its
Figure 3: Pressure analysis in a twin-screw extruder determined using XimeX-TSE software
Image: SC-Consultants
current software. Non-miscible polymers are also an issue. Although it is not always physically possible to mix some specific polymers, com- pounders are still looking for ways and methods for achieving these special blends. Process simulation software will need to reflect this.” To provide additional accuracy in mixing and
process efficiency, SC-Consultants has developed the XimeX-TSE 3D CFD software. The company says this model focuses on a given mixing area within the twin-screw extruder in order to determine mixing with dispersive or distributive properties. XimeX-TSE provides statistical tools for analysing and compar- ing different screw profiles as part of the optimisa- tion process with regard to material properties and requirements (see Figures 3 and 4).
Cloud computing
Cloud computing is also developing strongly in the simulation market. This year SC-Consultants’ subsidiary Sky Computing will extend its offer with a new portfolio that will increase the number of users and expand the software dedicated to physical process modelling. Other future developments will look at complex physical and chemical reactions, according to the company. “All compounders can now master basic product formulations,” says Ratte. “Increasingly, they are now looking at complex products and material characteristics. Key challenges will be in the field of non-miscible polymers, or complex reversible or irreversible reactions in the machine, for example. These are some of the recent requests from our users. We will also continue to target practitioners with computer modelling software that will transfer
44 COMPOUNDING WORLD | March 2021
Code Extrud3DPro software around the FeatFlow solver package for incompressible 2D and 3D flow. The company says it can portray and calculate small paths, complex geometries, fast rotatory/ translational motions and high viscosities in high-resolution. Extrud3DPro is said to allow fast design of a process and to illustrate all parameters, including temperatures, velocities, viscosities, shear rates and pressures. This allows the determination of influences on geometry, material and process parameters during development, for example rotational speed and barrel temperature profile. Extrud3DPro is compiled individually for the specific simulation requirement. It can perform flow simulations in single- and twin-screw extruders as well as pumps, mixers and stirrers. Key features include dynamic grid generation, periodic bound- ary conditions, False-Time-Stepping method and a new temperature model.
Kneader simulation Swiss kneader extruder maker Buss has collaborated with a consortium including the Institute of Polymer Technology (IKT) at the University of Stuttgart and the Kunststoff-Zentrum (SKZ) in Würzburg, Germany, to take the first steps towards efficiently predicting the mixing behaviour of co-kneaders. The systematic process investigations, both experimental and theoretical, are said to show good agreement and contribute significantly to clarifying the process engineering sequences in the machine. Kneader extruders are particularly effective for
Figure 4: Comparison of particle mixing efficiency between a classic kneading disc (red) and a twisted kneading disc (blue) Image: SC-Consultants
www.compoundingworld.com
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