Three-dimension isothermal flows of polymer melt in the kneading blocks of triangularly-arranged and parallelly-arranged intermeshing co-rotating three-screw extruders are simulated using the finite element package POLYFLOW. Based on the velocity fields calculated, the particle trajectories in both machines are visualized using particle tracking technique. The numerical results indicate that the flow patterns in three-screw extruders are similar to those in twin-screw extruders. The triangularly-arranged three-screw extruder has the largest pumping capacity and also the highest extrusion stability in terms of flowrate fluctuation with screw rotation. The instantaneous mixing and cumulative residence time distribution (RTD) characteristics are also analyzed and compared with traditional intermeshing co-rotating twin-screw extruders. It is shown that the start section of the cumulative RTD curve for the triangularly-arranged machine has a small shoulder, which is attributed to the faster flow in the central region of this type of extruder.
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