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Perspectives on the Transition from Batch to Continuous Mixing Technologies in the Compounding Industry

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Published/Copyright: April 6, 2013
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International Polymer Processing
From the journal International Polymer Processing Volume 25 Issue 5

Abstract

During the last quarter of the 20th century, there was a transition from batch to continuous mixing in the polymer and food industries. We present and summarize experimental studies of flows in both internal and continuous mixers. Simulation of flow in these machines is also described. It is argued that the primary reason for this transition was that continuous mixers produce more uniform and better quality mixes, and that this is inherent in their different fluid mechanics. Batch mixers are always starved and largely unpressurized. Their complex fluid mechanics produce non-uniform mixing in the various portions of the compound material. Continuous mixers set up a steady state hydrodynamic flow field generally consisting of alternating regions of pressurized fully filled flow and starved flow. All of the compounds must pass through these regions to reach the die exit and thus possess uniform mixing histories. This uniform deformation history which includes pressurized mixing regions produces superior uniform products.

∗ Mail address: Sug Hun Bumm, Department of Polymer Engineering, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325-0301, U. S. A. E-mail:

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Received: 2009-05-20
Accepted: 2009-12-02
Published Online: 2013-04-06
Published in Print: 2010-11-01

© 2010, Carl Hanser Verlag, Munich

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Contents
  2. Contents
  3. Review Article
  4. Perspectives on the Transition from Batch to Continuous Mixing Technologies in the Compounding Industry
  5. Regular Contributed Articles
  6. Reactive Blending of Thermoplastic Polyurethane and Polypropylene
  7. Effect of Malonic Acid/Calcium Stearate Bicomponent Nucleator on the β-Crystalline Formation in Isotactic Poly(propylene)
  8. Fabrication of a Nanosize Pattern Embedded Plastic Chip via an Injection Molding Method for Application to an Optical Biosensor
  9. Structure Development in the Melt Spinning of Polypropylene/Ethylene Butene Copolymer Blends and Birefringence Suppression Effect
  10. Investigation of Polymer Stretching Instabilities: Application to Film Blowing
  11. Air-coupled Ultrasound for Monitoring the Production of PUR Sandwich Structures
  12. PPS-News
  13. PPS News
  14. Seikei Kakou Abstracts
  15. Seikei-Kakou Abstracts
https://doi.org/10.3139/217.2293

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Contents
  2. Contents
  3. Review Article
  4. Perspectives on the Transition from Batch to Continuous Mixing Technologies in the Compounding Industry
  5. Regular Contributed Articles
  6. Reactive Blending of Thermoplastic Polyurethane and Polypropylene
  7. Effect of Malonic Acid/Calcium Stearate Bicomponent Nucleator on the β-Crystalline Formation in Isotactic Poly(propylene)
  8. Fabrication of a Nanosize Pattern Embedded Plastic Chip via an Injection Molding Method for Application to an Optical Biosensor
  9. Structure Development in the Melt Spinning of Polypropylene/Ethylene Butene Copolymer Blends and Birefringence Suppression Effect
  10. Investigation of Polymer Stretching Instabilities: Application to Film Blowing
  11. Air-coupled Ultrasound for Monitoring the Production of PUR Sandwich Structures
  12. PPS-News
  13. PPS News
  14. Seikei Kakou Abstracts
  15. Seikei-Kakou Abstracts
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