3D numerical simulation of the flow of viscous newtonian and shear thinning fluids in a twin sigma blade mixer

The flow and mixing in a 3D geometrically accurate representation of a twin sigma blade mixer is simulated using the finite element method (FEM) combined with the mesh superimposition technique as implemented by Polyflow (Fluent, Inc.) to calculate the velocity, velocity gradients, shear rates, and mixing index. The mixing conditions and material models are based on those used in the laser‐Doppler anemometry (LDA) experiments of Prakash and Kokini. The simulation results are analyzed to determine the effect of increasing shear thinning on the flow and mixing, and are also compared with the experimental results of Prakash and Kokini for the © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 25:182–194, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/adv.20071