Comprehensive Flow Modeling for Polymer Processing

Using Fluent Fluent CFD CFD Software Software & & Services Services Using

ANALYZE COMPLEX POLYMER FLOWS AND IMPROVE PROCESSES WITH FLUENT CFD SOFTWARE
Many flow-related engineering problems encountered in polymer processing involve complicated geometries, non-linear rheological properties, and complex physics. Fluents computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software lets you effectively model the performance of processes such as polymer extrusion, film casting, coating, fiber spinning, thermoforming and blow molding. The insight and foresight you gain from modeling your process with CFD lets you optimize your designs quickly, improve your product quality, make processes more efficient, and ultimately reduce costs. Fluent is the worlds largest CFD software and services provider with a wealth of experience in this industry sector. We offer a suite of CFD software consisting of FLUENT, FIDAP and POLYFLOW - each with unique strengths to offer depending on your application. Our training and support program is world-class, and ensures your success.

The die/mandrel design developed through the modeling techniques demonstrated their invaluable need by boosting production rates as high as 167% and decreasing waste and set-up time 18-fold, respectively.

Douglas Andrejewski Dow Corning

On front cover: extruder and single-screw extruders courtesy of Davis-Standard; extrusion die courtesy of Extrusion Dies, Inc.; tire photo: MICHELIN

CFD Benefits You

TROUBLESHOOT
Quickly determine the cause of defects and reduce production downtime.

Fluent Delivers Solutions For:

N 3D filling N Blow molding N Calendering N Chemical reactions N Coextrusion N Complex rheology N Compression molding N Crystallization N Die balancing N Dry spinning N Extrusion (film, foam, parison, profile, sheet) N Fiber spinning (multi-component, multi-fiber, quenching) N Film casting N Flow through spinnerets N Fluid flow and solid heat conduction N Fluid structure interaction N Gear pumps N Inverse prediction for die design N Mixers and mixing tanks N Polymer filtration N Polymerization N Porous media N Rubber curing

REDUCE COSTS
Use modeling to quickly optimize designs before expensive prototyping and testing.

OPTIMIZE OPERATING CONDITIONS

For existing production lines, explore ways to improve operating conditions, product quality, and production rate.

INNOVATE
Study the processing-structure-properties relationship to establish theoretical guidelines and design next-generation products and processes.

CFD analysis provides us with an invaluable opportunity it is the only modeling option that allows you to visualize and understand flow phenomena in complex 3D geometries at a low cost.

N Single- and twin-screw extruders N Thermoforming N Thin film coating (blade, curtain, dip, knife, roll, slide, slot, spin) N Viscoelastic flow N Wire coating

Eric Slachmuylders R&D Scientist M.F.P. Michelin

photo: MICHELIN

Extrusion
The physics of extrusion involve complex flows and die swell. Fluent CFD software has demonstrated success in modeling a variety of flows through extrusion dies, including profile extrusion, multi-material extrusion, and foam extrusion.You can design a die for balanced flow at the outlet, yielding more stable extrusion processes and minimizing deformations and residual stresses in the profile. For a given die, you can predict the shape of the extrudate. Or, using our unique die design method, you can start with the desired product shape and ask the software to compute the die lip shape required to produce that part. Considerable time and expense is saved due to reduced trial-and-error testing.

Predict the extrudate shape for a given die and processing conditions. Coextrusion of a threelayer sheet. Both the 3D free surface and the interface were predicted as a part of the solution.

Modeling of foam extrusion. The color contours denote the bubble size distribution, with blue and red representing the minimum and maximum bubble radius. Bubble growth due to pressure release at the die exit results in significant die swell.

Left: pressure contours; Right: comparison between the requested extrudate shape (green) and the calculated die lip shape (blue).

Velocity vectors and contours on the cross-section of the die exit indicate the unbalanced flow due to the poor design of the die.

Single- and Twin-Screw Extruders

Fluent CFD software helps you to visualize the velocity, pressure and temperature distribution in single- or twin-screw extruders.You can quantify the mixing characteristics, residence time, and shear rate in the extruder and evaluate how changes in design and operating conditions will affect the quality of mixing. Our unique mesh superposition technique lets you capture the complexity of screw rotation accurately, and significantly reduces the amount of setup time required.

Pressure distribution predicted for a single-screw extruder.

Pressure distribution predicted for a twin-screw extruder.The arrow denotes the extrusion direction.

Blow Molding and Thermoforming

With Fluent CFD software, you can simulate all phases of the various types of blow molding: extrusion blow molding (EBM) and injection (stretch) blow molding (I(S)BM). For EBM, this includes the parison extrusion and pinch-off stages, with moving mandrels if desired. For extrusion blow molding or injection (stretch) blow molding, the process is broken into four stages: parison or preform preparation (extrusion or injection), mold closing or stretching, blowing and cooling. Modeling blow molding and thermoforming with Fluent software helps you to achieve uniform thickness and structural properties, while reducing cycle time.

Modeling of parison extrusion. Parison shape may significantly affect the product quality and processing conditions, such as thickness distribution, cycle time and initial blowing pressure.

Blow molding modeling predicts thickness distribution, cycle time, and processing dynamics.

Fiber Spinning
Fluent CFD software enables you to optimize fiber spinning operating conditions, design spinnerets and quench boxes, and achieve higher fiber quality and production rates.

Modeling of 3D hollow fiber spinning. Color contours represent temperature distribution. According to the required fiber shape, the die lip was predicted using the inverse design approach.

Modeling of fiber spinning.The predicted filament diameter agrees quantitatively with the experimental observations of Bheda and Spruiell [ J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 39 (1990) 447-463].

Film Casting
The design challenge in film casting is to obtain a uniform thickness across the largest width of the film, since the nonuniform material along the edges is normally discarded or recycled. Fluent CFD software has been successfully applied to modeling polymer flows within the die and the film casting process, including viscoelastic elongational effects.The flow uniformity across the exit of the die can be studied as a function of die geometry, material properties and operating conditions.The thickness distribution and width of the cast film can also be predicted. Multilayer film casting simulations can also be performed using Fluent flow modeling software. The thickness distribution for each layer is calculated while taking into account the different rheological behavior, as well as different initial thicknesses for each layer.

Modeling of multi-fiber spinning. Left: fiber trajectories colored by temperature; Right: velocity vectors predicted in the middle plane of the quench chamber.

Velocity vectors and contours of thickness distribution predicted for a film casting process.

Coating
Coating processes typically involve complex fluid rheology, deforming free surfaces, and possibly fluid structure interaction (FSI). Simulation and analysis of these processes requires sophisticated flow modeling software, optimized for these types of problems. Fluent CFD software has proven capabilities in the analysis of a wide variety of coating processes, including slot, slide, curtain, blade, forward and reverse roll, and the coating of wire, cable, and optical fiber.

Streamline distribution in a two-layer slot coater.The operating conditions can be quickly changed to map out the stable operating window.

Modeling of cable coating. Left: velocity distribution; Right: coating free surface and thickness distribution.

Complex Rheology and Viscoelasticity

Fluent CFD software offers a wide range of comprehensive rheological models (including generalized Newtonian, differential and integral viscoelastic models) to address the complex behavior of industrial flows, from shear-thinning viscosity to thermal dependencies, thixotropic and highly elastic materials.This flexibility is essential, considering the various properties that need to be taken into account for accurate and useful flow modeling. Validation studies are available to prove the accuracy and robustness of the numerical methods implemented in our software for solving viscoelastic flows.

Viscoelastic modeling of tire tread extrusion.The contours represent the velocity distribution in the die.The significant die swell is caused by viscoelastic effects.

Fluent Inc. 10 Cavendish Court Lebanon, NH 03766, USA Tel: 603 643 2600 Fax: 603 643 3967 email: info@fluent.com US Regional Offices Evanston, IL 60201 Tel: 847 491 0200 Ann Arbor, MI 48104 Tel: 734 213 6821 Santa Clara, CA 95051 Tel: 408 522 8726 Morgantown,WV 26505 Tel: 304 598 3770 Fluent Europe Ltd Sheffield Airport Business Park Europa Link Sheffield, S9 1XU, England Tel: 44 114 281 8888 Fax: 44 114 281 8818 email: info@fluent.co.uk European Regional Offices Fluent Benelux Wavre, Belgium Tel: 32 1045 2861 Fluent Deutschland GmbH Darmstadt, Germany Tel: 49 6151 36440 Fluent France SA Montigny le Bretonneux, France Tel: 33 1 3060 9897 Fluent Italia Milano, Italy Tel: 39 02 8901 3378 Fluent Sweden AB Gteborg, Sweden Tel: 46 31 771 8780 Fluent Asia-Pacific Co., Ltd. Shinjuku Center Building 50F 1-25-1, Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku Tokyo 163-0650, Japan Tel: 81 3 5324 7301 Fax: 81 3 5324 7302 email: info@fluent.co.jp Osaka, Japan Tel: 81 6 6445 5690 Fax: 81 6 6445 6022 Fluent India Pvt. Ltd. Pune, India Tel: 91 20 6119424 DISTRIBUTORS ATES Seoul, Korea CFD-RES Sydney, Australia and Singapore SMARTtech Services and Systems, Ltd. Sao Paulo, Brazil Scientific Formosa, Inc. Taipei,Taiwan Beijing Hi-key Technology Corporation Ltd. Beijing, China For specific contact information visit our website: www.fluent.com/solutions/polymer

Choose Fluent
When you choose Fluent, you choose the worlds leading CFD software and consulting services, used today at more than 3,000 sites worldwide.You also align yourself with a company that is dedicated to ensuring your success. Our staff of technical experts takes pride in offering the services you need:

TRAINING
Our comprehensive, customized training courses teach you how to apply CFD to your design and analysis problems.Youll work with our technical support staff to learn how to plan the analysis, use the software and interpret results.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT
The relationship that started during training is strengthened as we stand behind you with unlimited technical support. Successful use of CFD depends on quality support, and we are renowned for providing it.

CONSULTING
When your organization chooses to use external manpower and resources for CFD analysis, our consulting staff can help you. Many of industrys leading fluid flow experts are on our staff and are ready to assist with anything from turnkey solutions to application specific software development.We can also analyze geometrically and physically detailed models for you using our highperformance computing resources when your accuracy requirements are greater than your in-house machines can bear.

Your partner in flow modeling

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