The power-consumption-controlled extruder: a tool for pellet production

Area of Science:

• Materials Science and Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Process Control

Background:

• Extrusion is a key process for pellet production.
• Controlling extruder power consumption is hypothesized to influence pellet characteristics.
• Existing methods may lack precise control over extrudate properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a control circuit for extruder power consumption.
• To investigate the relationship between power consumption and pellet properties (shape, size, water content).
• To establish a method for automated water content adaptation in pellet extrusion.

Main Methods:

• Development of a power consumption control circuit for a twin-screw extruder.
• Separate feeding of powder and granulation liquid.
• Varying pump rate to control power consumption at a fixed powder-feed rate.

Main Results:

• A direct correlation was found between power consumption levels and specific water content in the extrudate.
• Pellet shape is predominantly determined by the power consumption level, independent of formulation.
• Pellet size is influenced by a shrinking factor dependent on water content.

Conclusions:

• The power-consumption-controlled extruder is a suitable tool for pellet manufacturing.
• The developed system effectively controls pellet shape and water content.
• The system demonstrates automatic adaptability for water content adjustment based on formulation.