A MIXING MODEL FOR MULTICOMPONENT REACTIONS IN TWIN SCREW EXTRUDERS APPLIED TO THE POLYMERIZATION OF URETHANES

To understand the performance of multicomponent reactions in twin screw extruders the mixing mechanism in the extruder had to be understood. Therefore. two new relevant mixing parameters are defined; the mixing efficiency, which is the average number of passages of material through a high shear region; and the mixing deficiency. which is the fraction of material that does not pass through a high shear region. With these parameters an analysis can be made of the mixing circumstances in the extruder. The new model was applied to the polymerization of urethanes in a counter-rotating twin screw extruder. The results agreed very well with the theoretical expectations.