At PelHeat when we talk about a ‘quality pellet’, it is a term that describes a pellet made from any biomass material, not just wood. The reason I’m stating this is because in the wood pellet market a ‘quality pellet’ refers to a pellet with very low ash, for example 0.3%. Because at PelHeat we wish to encourage the use of all types of biomass, most of the pellets you produce will have a far higher ash content. We define a quality pellet through mechanical durability and moisture content.
Mechanical Durability
Mechanical durability simply refers to how dense the pellet is, and how well it is formed. Pellets that are denser, are of course stronger, the advantage is the pellets withstand transportation better, and work more efficiently in the pellet burner.
When a quality pellet has exited the pellet mill it should have a smooth surface, with little or no cracks. If the pellet is cracking and expanding it is because there is too much moisture within the pellet. Once a quality pellet has cooled, it should be like a colouring crayon. The surface of the pellet should be smooth, and have a surface shine. Wood pellets tend to shine more than others; the most important thing is the pellet smooth compact state. Try tapping the pellet against a hard surface, to see if the pellet stays intact, or if they crumble or easily crush and separate. The length of the pellet is not really that important. The pellet mill uses a knife to keep pellets to a maximum length, as very long pellets are not as mechanically strong, and sometimes are hard to transport through the auger in the pellet burner.
Moisture Content
The less moisture within a pellet the more energy the pellet burner can use. However as you know, moisture is required in the pelleting process, so the target is to keep moisture as low as possible. Try to keep the moisture content of the finished pellet below or about 10%. Pellets with more than 10% will burn, but at the cost of efficiency.
These features are what to aim for, when producing pellets with the PelHeat Mobile Pelletizer.
Thank you for your interest.
