Non-Newtonian Shear Thinning Flow in a Single-Screw Extruder

Abstract

Simulation of a non-Newtonian, shear thinning fluid in the mixing section of a screw extruder is considered. The shear thinning fluid is simulated using a power law model. This is incorporated within a lattice Boltzmann fluid model. The nature of the shear thinning flow is considered and simulation results are presented for different shear thinning fluids. The results are compared with each other and also with the results for a Newtonian fluid. The results indicate the suitability of the lattice Boltzmann model with the non-Newtonian power law incorporated: Further, the differences observed between Newtonian and non-Newtonian simulations demonstrate the need to include the non-Newtonian nature of the fluid in screw extruder simulations.