Study of the micropelletization process

A study has been performed to examine the Theological impact of micropelletization on several polyethylene grades with melt index values between 1-5 g/10 min. The experiments were done on a 50 mm 30:1 L/D extruder with an underwater micropelletizer attached. A 2-D finite element simulation was used to assist in the analysis by comparing the observed results to the predicted shear stresses in the die. The average micropellet size collected was 0.525 mm diameter. Minor sharkskin was observed on the surface of micropellets due to the high stresses experienced in the pelletizer die. However, the rheological properties of the micropellets did not change in comparison to the virgin resins.