Computational fluid dynamics and simulation of a mixing mould unit of a mini foam batch production plant

Polyurethane foams are found in almost every home, whether in flexible or rigid form, and the demand for this product is high since it is a vital product for every home. Thus, there is a need to improve the quality and production rate of this valuable product. In this research, simulation and performance evaluation of a mixing and mould unit of a batch foam production plant were conducted. Computational fluid dynamics was employed to determine the effect of the stirrer in adequate mixing of the foam reactant chemicals, the velocity distribution of the flow through the mixer, temperature and flow rate of the product at the outlet of the foam mixing tank. The CFX-solver, on completion of the simulation, provided the flow variables. The results obtained at the inlet of the foam mixing tank include an average inlet velocity of 0.3m/s, the average inlet pressure of 30,460 Pa, and an average mass flow rate of 0.000148 kg/s. The temperature of the fluids at the outlet corresponds to 323K showing an increase in the flow rate of the fluids after mixing with the mass flow rate of 0.000780 kg/s. Therefore, it was concluded that CFD is a viable tool in predicting fluid flow behavior in mixing equipment.