The influence of the operating conditions of the extruder (raw material moisture, die temperature, screw speed and mass flow rate) on the pressure drop in the die for wet raw materials was investigated. An EK-40 laboratory extruder and a slot die / rheometer combination were used to measure the pressure drop across the die. The pressure drop decreased with increasing humidity, screw speed, and die temperature, and increased with increasing mass flow. It was found that the temperature of the matrix is the most significant parameter affecting the pressure drop of the matrix.

The article provides a study of factors (screw speed and mass flow rate) affecting the operating conditions of the extruder, engine torque and specific mechanical energy for high-moisture raw materials. A laboratory extruder and a slotted die with a rheometer were used to measure the die torque. The die torque decreased with increasing screw rotation speed and increased with increasing mass flow. However, the increase in mass flow has led to a decrease in the specific mechanical energy. Increasing the screw speed increased the specific mechanical energy. This was due to the higher shear rates at higher screw speeds.