Abstract
This study employed the Eulerian multiphase flow model to investigate the influence of single-head interrupted helical blades on the solid–liquid separation performance of a screw extrusion device. Numerical simulations were conducted on cylindrical shafts with interruption distances of 30 mm, 40 mm, and 50 mm, and conical shafts with interruption distances of 20 mm, 30 mm, and 40 mm. The working performance, particle volume fraction, solid phase velocity, and pressure distribution in the dewatering zone were analyzed. The results indicated that the variation in particle volume fraction could be divided into three stages: the cylindrical shaft exhibited an oscillatory large-amplitude increase, while the conical shaft showed a stable small-amplitude increase. The dewatering performance of the conical shaft was significantly better than that of the cylindrical shaft, reaching the best effect at an interruption distance of 40 mm—the solid phase volume fraction reached 48% (cylindrical) and 55% (conical) respectively. The interruption distance had a significant impact on performance by controlling the material residence time. In the cylindrical shaft, the pressure in the extrusion zone decreased with the increase in the interruption distance; while in the conical shaft, both short and long distances maintain high pressure. These findings support the design of single-head interrupted helical screw extrusion devices.
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The data supporting the conclusions of this study are detailed in the main text of the paper and its supplementary information files. Due to the large size of the numerical simulation files, they may be provided by the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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Funding
This research was supported by the Key R&D and Achievement Transformation Program of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (Science and Technology Support for Northeast Revitalization) (2023YFDZ0061).
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Methodology, Formal Analysis and Research: Risu NA; Writing—Initial Draft Preparation, Analysis and Research: Nan WANG; Writing—Commentary and Editing: Silu Ma; Supervision: Haoran Sun.
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Na, R., Wang, N., Ma, S. et al. Numerical simulation of flow field in single-head broken-tooth spiral extrusion dewatering channel. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-36029-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-36029-9
