Numerical investigation of the mixing process in a Twin Cam Mixer: Influence of triangular cam height-base ratio and eccentricity

The twin cam mixer (TCM), as a general-purpose mixer, shares many attributes in common with 3D industrial mixers, like the internal mixer. We investigated the mixing process in a 2D TCM with two identical isosceles triangular cams rotating at 0.5 rpm. A 2D numerical model coupled with the species transport model was employed to study the influence of cam height-base ratio and eccentricity qualitatively and quantitatively, and both were found to have a significant effect on the mixing behavior of the mixer. Furthermore, a dimensionless parameter, named the modified pressurization coefficient, is put forward to quantify the geometry of the mixer. The logarithmic relationship between the modified pressurization coefficient and the mixing quality was discovered and expected to provide new ideas for establishing the relationship between the geometric parameters of a mixer and its mixing performance.