Factors Impacting on Pellet Production
This article shows many factors which can affect pellets quality, and if you want to began pellet production it is very important.
Online, August 21, 2013 (Newswire.com) - As we all know that pelleting is a complex and delicate process because it rely on many different criteria such as feed formulation, moisture, raw material abrasiveness, particle size, conditioning, fat or molasses levels added, die maintenance, roll settings, cooling temperature and so. On the other hand, many factors can affect the pellet production, so it that only everything in the production is well done that we can produce good pellets. In the following, we will introduces some of these factors.
The rate of feed put into feed pellet mill
There is an adjustment that is not well known to have an impact on pellet production. That is the rate of feed put into the pellet mill. In fact, adjustment on feed rate and maintaining a consistent feed rate can be the key factors to impact pellet production, even if the raw material is perfectly prepared.
Conditioning and steam
Conditioning is the pre-treatment of the raw material before it reaches the pellet mill. Conditioning can include specific miming techniques and the introduction of additional water or steam. Steam can be used to preanneal the raw material and start the lignin melting process. Though conditioning can have several benefits, in some cases, the benefits are negligible and in other cases, it is simply not practical to use conditioning. However, generally, for wood pellet production, steam is used.
Operating temperatures temperature is a key requirement in pellet production. Unless a certain temperature is reached in the pellet mill, natural lignin will not melt. It is not possible to produce some biomass pellets. For example, wood pellets without sufficient heat. However, if the temperature is too high, this can damage the pellet and particular consumables such as the pellet mill die, rollers, bearings and seals.
Clearance between roller and die
Another adjustment that can impact heavily on how successfully the pellet mill operates is the distance between the roller and die template. The roller and die are wearing consumable parts, due to the abrasive nature and pressure of compression. The distance set between the roller and die can impact on how much energy the pellet mill uses, the quality of the pellet, pellet mill productivity and the amount of fines produced. Correctly, setting up the die on a pellet mill will also increase the life of the roller and die, and reduce the cost of changing these consumable pats.
Die design and metal used
Many different forms of metal alloy are used to produce pellet mill die templates. Different metal alloys have specific advantages. Using the correct alloy is crtical to reduce wear and increase production. The type of metal used also affects the finish of the die holes.