CFD simulation analysis of air curtain applications in vulcanization machines

Abstract

Abstract This study simulates the vulcanization gas generated during the processing of the vulcanizing machine. During the simulation process, the influence of different angles and flow rates of the gas curtain on its flow field is simulated. Since the rubber has to go through the vulcanization process of the vulcanizer during the manufacturing process, the original liquid rubber is turned into a viscoelastic rubber solid. During the process, toxic and high-temperature vulcanization gas will be generated due to high-temperature hot pressing. If a large amount of this gas is inhaled, it will cause harm to the human body. Therefore, this study uses the CFD software Flow Vision to simulate the opening of the vulcanizing machine, and observes the flow field with different air curtains to find the most suitable air curtain wind speed and angle. Then, make a simple model for actual experiments, using CO2 instead of sulfide gas and installing a CO2 sensor at the nose of the mannequin, using the sensor to observe whether there is excessive CO2 diffused to the mannequin to judge the air curtain. Whether the gas is successfully prevented from spreading to the position where the personnel is located, to facilitate the observation of the gas diffusion, a smoke machine and a ray generator are added so that the gas diffusion status can be observed in real-time. In the end, finding the 9 m/s flow rate and a 90° air curtain angle positioned near the machine can greatly reduce the inhalation of excessive sulfide gas by machine operators and reduce the potential harm to the human body during work.