Calculation of a power-law fluid flow in a single-screw extruder

This paper is devoted to the creation of a physical and mathematical model of the fluid with a complex rheological behavior flowing in a single-screw extruder channel taking into account the presence of a circulation flow. The power-law model is used to describe the rheological behavior of the extruding polymer. The reversed motion is considered: the screw is assumed to be fixed and the extruder cylinder is movable. Providing a predetermined flow rate, four nonlinear equations describing the flow are obtained. The system of equations is solved by Newton's method. The calculation procedure for the polymer melt temperature along the extruder channel is presented. The heat conduction equation is written in a two-dimensional form taking into account the heat generation due to the viscous dissipation of energy and it is solved by marching method. The power-law fluid flow characteristics are calculated at different nonlinearity degree.