Numerical simulation of the 3D flow field in a ring die pellet mill considering viscous heating

Viscous heating has a substantial influence on the extrusion forming process and product quality of powder materials. This study selected the MUZL420 ring die pellet mill as the research object, from which a 3D flow physical model was established. The numerical simulation of 3D nonisothermal flow in the extrusion pelletizing process of granulated alfalfa was performed with POLYFLOW. The distribution laws of pressure, velocity, shear rate, viscosity, viscous heating and temperature in the flow field were revealed to thoroughly investigate the pelletizing process and provide a reference for structural optimization and process control. The results showed that two extrusion zones in the pelleting chamber were symmetrical with respect to the center, and the significant pressure gradient along the rotating direction of the ring die and the roller caused the material to flow back in the opposite direction. There were larger velocity gradients, shear rates and viscous heating levels in the deformation and compaction zone, the negative pressure zone behind the extrusion zone and the die holes. The distribution of viscosity was opposite to that of the shear rate. The temperature increase area caused by viscous heating gradually expanded from the material inlet to the bottom of the extrusion chamber along the [Formula: see text]-axis direction, and the temperature increased accordingly. The extrusion force and the forming temperature in the extrusion forming zone were captured in the numerical simulation. The extrusion forming density was calculated with the regression prediction model established through the simulation experiment of pelletizing with a ring die. Through a comparison with the results of mean alfalfa pellet density from the ring die pellet mill experiment, the relative error was less than 5%, which indicated that the numerical simulation method was reliable.