Heat Transfer in Polymer Melt Flows

Abstract

<p>The heat transfer problem of polymer melts flowing through narrow channels and tubes has been studied. Four types of flow with constant temperature boundary conditions were examined:</p> <p>(i) drag (or Couette) flow beD~een parallel plates,</p> <p>(ii) Poiseuille flow between parallel plates,</p> <p>(iii) Poiseuille flow through a tube with circular cross-section, and</p> <p>(iv) drag flow between converging plates.</p> <p>In each case, the equations of conservation of mass, momentum and energy were solved simultaneously by the implicit finite difference method. A power-law temperature-dependent viscosity model was used and viscous dissipation was taken into account. Velocity and temperature profiles, pressure distributions, bulk temperatures and local Nusselt numbers have been calculated and are presented as a function of the axial distance along the channel. Results obtained by using the power-law temperature dependent viscosity model were also compared with the power-law temperature-independent viscosity model and the Newtonian, constant viscosity model results.</p>