Method of dehydrating a water containing resin melt in a twin screw extruder

• Main Authors: VETTER, HEINZ, SCHIKOWSKY, HARTMUT
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 22.09.1999
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON; MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED BY REACTIONS ONLY INVOLVINGCARBON-TO-CARBON UNSATURATED BONDS; MAKING GRANULES OR PREFORMS; METALLURGY; ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PREPARATION OR PRETREATMENT OF THE MATERIAL TO BESHAPED; RECOVERY OF PLASTICS OR OTHER CONSTITUENTS OF WASTE MATERIALCONTAINING PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; TRANSPORTING; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

A two-phase liquid mixture of molten thermoplastic and water, esp. a latex coagulate, is dewatered in a contra-rotating twin screw extruder at a pressure greater than the water vapour pressure at the melt temperature. The water is removed from the dewatering zone of the extruder as a liquid. In the dewatering zone the melt is forwarded in partially filled screw flights. In at least one of the flights pressure is built up in continuous melt near the inlet in a steep gradient. Water is removed by gravity through an opening and melt does not come into contact with a continuous water phase. For dewatering synthetic melts by shear force in an extruder, esp. polyacrylate latex. Water is removed from each flight as it is separated out and is not allowed to form a continuous phase in the screw where it otherwise could be forced into the melt again in succeeding flights.