The article discusses the influence of the moisture content of raw materials and the temperature of the extruder die on the engine torque and specific mechanical energy. An EK-40 laboratory extruder and a slot die / rheometer combination were used to measure the torque. The torque decreased with increasing humidity and temperature of the die. It was found that the temperature of the matrix is the most significant parameter affecting the torque and specific mechanical energy.

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.