Polymer Flow Module

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Polymer Flow Module

Simulate the Flow of Non-Newtonian Fluids
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Image made using the COMSOL Multiphysics® software.

Slot die coating process.

Polymer Flow Module


The Polymer Flow Module is designed to aid engineers and scientists in simulating flows of non-Newtonian fluids with viscoelastic, thixotropic, shear-thickening, or shear-thinning properties. Simulations can be used to gain physical insight into the behavior of complex fluids, reduce prototyping costs, and speed up development. The Polymer Flow Module allows users to quickly and accurately model single-phase flows, multiphase flows, nonisothermal flows, and reacting flows of Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids.

The Polymer Flow Module can solve stationary and time-dependent flows in two-dimensional and three-dimensional domains. Formulations suitable for different types of flow are set up as predefined Fluid Flow interfaces, referred to as physics interfaces. These Fluid Flow interfaces use physical quantities, such as velocity and pressure, and physical properties, such as density and viscosity, to define a fluid flow problem. There are different physics interfaces available for a wide range of flows. For instance, there are the Laminar Flow, Creeping Flow, Viscoelastic Flow, Brinkman Equations, Darcy’s Flow, Heat Transfer, and Transport of Diluted Species interfaces. The physics interfaces can be combined with the interfaces in the Mathematics branch (Level Set, Phase Field in Fluids and Ternary Phase Field), or defined on arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) frame to simulate two- and three-phase flows, and rotating flows. The Polymer Flow Module includes a set of predefined multiphysics couplings for facilitating the setup of multiphysics simulations: Nonisothermal Flow; Reacting Flow; Two-Phase Flow, Level Set; Two-Phase Flow, Phase Field; Three-Phase Flow, Phase Field; Brinkman Equations, Level Set; and Rotating Machinery, Fluid Flow.


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Product Features

Application Areas

Models

Product Features

  • Viscoelastic Fluid Models
  • Inelastic Non-Newtonian Models
  • Multiphase Flow Models
  • Thermal Functions for Temperature Dependence

Application Areas

  • Polymer processing
  • Food production (e.g., yogurt, ketchup)
  • Pharmaceuticals (e.g., aqueous drug suspensions)
  • Cosmetics (e.g., lotions, creams, shampoo)
  • Household products
  • Fine chemicals

Models

This tutorial example of the pasta extruxion process shows how to simulate the non-isothermal flow of dough in the metering zone of a pasta extruder accounting for the temperature dependent material properties of the hydrated semolina dough.

This tutorial shows how to set up a 3D simulation of rubber injection molding. A phase field method is used to track the interface between the rubber and the displaced air. The rubber is modeled as shear-thinning inelastic non-Newtonian power law fluid with a fluid-consistency coefficient resulting in a high ratio between the viscosities of rubber and air. To smooth the large viscosity difference across the interface, a viscosity averaging method based on the volume fraction is used.

This example applies an Oldroyd-B fluid to model the thinning of a viscoelastic filament under the action of surface tension. For times smaller than the polymer relaxation time, the filament develops a beads-on-string structure. At times much larger than the relaxation time, the solution consists of almost spherical drops connected by exponentially thinning threads. Both transient regimes compare well with experimental measurements.

This is a tutorial of a slot die coating process in 3D where the channel is obstructed. The example uses a two-phase flow phase-field method with a non-Newtonian power-law fluid. The effects on the film thickness of the channel obstruction can clearly be seen.

Modeling curing is important in a wide variety of applications such as for devices utilizing polymer materials, rubber materials, plastics, and concrete.

Curing is usually an exothermic reaction.

In the current example, curing of butyl rubber is studied in a 3D mold for an automotive vibration damper.