A Simple-to-Implement Simulator for the Reactive Extrusion of Poly(Lactic Acid) in a Corotating Uniform Twin-Screw Extruder
The present paper deals with the poly(lactic acid) (PLA) reactive processing simulation in a uniform corotating twin-screw extruder that can be readily turned into practical applications in pilot and industrial equipment. The simulator provides a cause-effect guide that can be useful for starting an...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2015-01-01
|
| Series: | Advances in Materials Science and Engineering |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/458949 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | The present paper deals with the poly(lactic acid) (PLA) reactive processing simulation in a uniform corotating twin-screw extruder that can be readily turned into practical applications in pilot and industrial equipment. The simulator provides a cause-effect guide that can be useful for starting an experimental setup in a reactive screw extruder for a biopolymer in a growing industry. The proposed model considers a free radical ring-opening mechanism involving the main characteristic flows inside the extruder and the non-Newtonian behavior of PLA. The characteristic behavior relating reaction rate, average molecular weights, and polydispersity against chamber number are described by S-shaped and monotonically decreasing curves, for the equipment. Numerical predictions show that this simple and easy to implement model accurately reproduces previously reported data and that the impurity concentration exhibits a marked effect over all the variables, except conversion. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1687-8434 1687-8442 |