Pellet Mill

Ring Die Pellet Mills

The two principle designs of pellet mills are either a flat die pellet mill, or in this case a ring die pellet mill. Ring die pellet mills were developed as an advancement on the simple flat die design. The two main advantages of rind die pellet mills is reduced roller and die wear, and reduced energy consumption. These factors have led to ring die pellet mills being adopted in most large scale pellet production lines. In general due to the more complex design you have to pay more for a ring die pellet mill, however it is much easier to produce quality pellets and replicate the process each time.

 

Summary of Ring Die Pellet Mill Design

 

A ring die pellet mill has a ring shaped die, and a set of rollers. The die it positioned vertically, with the rollers set within the die, applying force to the inner edge of the ring. Due to the vertical roller and die position a motor is required to meter raw material into the centre of the ring, this also provides more control.

 

Most ring die pellet mills operate with a driven ring and a stationary roller set. However there is a small selection of ring die pellet mills with a stationary die and rotating roller set. Some ring die pellet mills are direct gear driven from the motor, while others are belt driven. The advantages of gear driven is a more positive driving force without the possible slipping of belt systems. However belt driven mills are more economically and access for drive changes are easier and cheaper. The speed of the mill is dictated by the raw material being processed, for example one speed maybe suitable for grass but not wood. There is more on the importance of different die speeds in the guide.

 

Various Renewable Energy Sources

 

Renewable energy is one of the key sectors where the use of ring die pellet mills has grown rapidly. Large scale wood pellet production predominately uses ring die pellet mills in their set-ups for efficiency.

 

The wood pellet market is growing at a consistent rate due to the fact that wood pellets are a renewable form of energy. Renewable in the sense the wood resources can be replaced within a reasonable cycle. Other biomass resources can also be processed into fuel pellets, including agricultural resources such as straw.

 

Wood Pellet Production Guide

 

There is very little information available on the internet on the specifics of wood pellet production. There is a lot of general knowledge of how the process works, however it is very light on detail. The reasons for this is simple, very few people have first hand experience of the process, and how it actually works. The fact of the matter is wood pellet production is a skilled process, and describing the process in a few works, go no where near to explaining the complexity and detail of the process. At BiofuelTech we produce small wood pellet mills, and to improve general knowledge of the process we have developed a free beginners guide to pellets.