Increasing Wood Pellet Drying Efficiency: Info For Plant Consultants

Wood pellets can be used in at least a few different ways. Although they are commonly used as a source of fuel for heating purposes, they can also be used as both eco-friendly kitty litter and bedding for a horse stable. As a consultant for a wood pellet plant, it is up to you to provide information to support efficient wood pellet drying methods. In truth, the drier the pellet the better it is for the customer.

Importance of a Dry Product

One way to increase drying efficiency is by understanding just how much moisture you should strive to remove from the pellet product. It is best to keep the moisture content – or MC – as low as possible in order to produce a quality pellet product. Keep in mind that pellets with an MC of approximately 45% provide standard equipment boilers with an efficiency of around 74%. However, wood pellets should have an MC that is equal to or less than 20%.

Aside from providing heating efficiency for certain units, dry pellets are important for other reasons as well. When used as kitty litter, it is important to ensure the pellets are dry enough so that they work properly. A dry pellet is capable of efficiently absorbing feline urine. If the product is too moist, it could impact how well it works as a litter.

Dry pellets are also useful when used for bedding in horse stables. Horse owners often line the stalls with straw from hay bales. However, many horse owners are quickly discovering the benefits of a dry wood pellet over the use of straw.

To begin with, the drier the pellet, the better it will be for storage purposes. Hay bales are significantly larger than wood pellets. Therefore, the space needed to store wood pellets is far less than the space needed for hay bales, which makes them beneficial for horse owners. In other words, it is best to ensure as dry a pellet as possible.

Keeping Moisture Content Low

Low moisture content is achieved through various processes. One such process is the use of a rotary drum or rotary wood dryer. The drum contains a rotating transmission that is shaped like a cylinder. The wood is fed into the drum where it is then exposed to high temperatures and air heat. The high temperatures and air heat work to dry the wood and other biomass materials in a quick, even manner.

There are different methods a plant owner can choose for drying wood pellets. As a consultant, it is up to you to find the best way to keep moisture content as low as possible. Rotary drums are a great choice for various reasons. Rotary drums offer the ability to produce large quantities of dried materials. They are also relatively easy to operate and far less costly to fix thanks to their simple design.

The consistent drying provided by rotary drums ensures the wood will have a low enough MC to provide a useful and beneficial product to the customer. Therefore, when a plant manager asks you for advice regarding efficient ways to dry out wood pellets, rotary drums are certainly a top-notch option.

If you are interested in providing the plant manager with more information regarding the benefits of a rotary drum for drying efficiency, speak to a drum manufacturer, such as Uzelac Industries. A drum manufacturer or expert can assist you in finding the right drum for the job. They can go over the various aspects of the drum to ensure that it meets or exceeds the plant manager's expectations for moisture content control to ensure a quality wood pellet product.