Wood Pellets Moisture
Importance of Moisture Content
When looking at all the challenges that pellet plant operators are tasked with, moisture control is one of the biggest. In fact, sensing moisture in wood pellets is one of the most important steps, especially after manufacture when pellets are stored.
Those who are proactive in taking steps to monitor moisture in wood pellets understand that they can save money and avoid packaging products that are low in quality or wet. Measuring moisture in wood pellets can also help save energy wasted in over-drying. By measuring moisture continually through the production of wood pellets, proactive avoidance of moisture issues is accomplished. Our goal at MoistTech is to help those who manufacture wood pellets to deliver only the highest quality product through our moisture sensor technology.
Control Moisture Levels Now
Pellet Moisture
Feeding biomass into a pellet mill die chamber and the rolls work to press out a beautiful pellet with a high-quality sheen … as long as many factors, including moisture, are closely monitored.
Something to know about pellet mills is that they are only as efficient as the consistency of the material that is being inputted. Several factors must be considered such as:
- the wood species
- the die specifications
- the grind size
- the geometry of the grind
- the conveyance
- binder requirements and so on
A metric that is often overlooked or rather undervalued, is the moisture rate of the biomass. This area is neglected in biomass pelletizing systems due to a lack of knowledge about its importance – changing the moisture percentage even by as little as 1% makes a noticeable difference in the pellet quality both in the durability and in the sheen. If the moisture rate varies by 3-5% it is almost impossible to consistently make a durable pellet at all.
The other factor that moisture directly affects is the amperage of the main drive on the pellet mill. Bouncing of the amperage rate can have a detrimental effect on the production capacity of the pellet mill. Plants can experience over a 20% decrease in production rates simply because the inbound biomass wasn’t consistent with moisture, not to mention there is the possibility of plugging the mill.
non-contact
Our equipment never comes into contact with the product, allowing for less waste
zero drift
Our sensors are guaranteed not to drift over time – which saves time and money
closed loop
Create a closed-loop process by tying a moisture sensor into your PLC. Full control over the line!
no recalibrations
We’ve mastered the art of moisture sensors – your unit will never need to be recalibrated for the same product twice!
Immediate Benefits
The moisture level of the final blend before pressing is a crucial measurement in the process. To continuously monitor this moisture level, the IR3000 moisture meter is utilized in conjunction with the pellet mills. The sensor provides analog output signals that can be utilized to feed a PLC, which can then control the power level and speed of the press. This ensures a consistent and uniform product. Once the blend is prepared, it can either be pressed into pellets or returned to the dryer to be used as fuel. The sawdust is processed and conveyed into the pellet press, where it undergoes high pressure to form pellets.
This pressure removes excess water and allows the natural wood lignites to bind the sawdust, resulting in shiny and durable pellets. After pressing, the pellets undergo a final screening to recover any remaining sawdust for recycling. The screened and cooled pellets are then stored in silos until they are ready to be packaged and shipped. Typically, the pellets are packaged in moisture-protected bags weighing 40 lbs, which are commonly used for household heating. Europe is a significant market for wood pellets, as they are widely used in homes and power plants as an energy source.
Installation & Environment
Mount the wood pellet moisture analyzer several inches above the conveyor belt. This allows continuous process monitoring and controlled moisture either manually or automatically throughout the wood pellet process.
The IR-3000W is unique in that it is able to give accurate results even with small gaps in product flow. We have also developed sample systems and optical windows using sapphire optics. This provides real-time process measurement. See more details in our sampling technology section.
Dust is not normally a problem for our sensor. If, however, your environment produces extreme dust, it is recommended to install an Air Purge System to prevent accumulation on the sensor’s window. It may also be necessary to cool the sensor with air or water if it has been installed near the dryer outlet.
Contact
We offer service and support throughout the world for our moisture measurement sensors and would be happy to connect you with a rep in your area. Contact us today for more information!
Understand the Process
Making pellets is a fairly straightforward process from a 30,000-foot view, we feed biomass into a pellet mill die chamber and the rolls work to press out a beautiful pellet with a high quality sheen right? Not so fast, there are several metrics that must be considered when it comes to making a quality pellet day in and day out.