Are Gears Or Belts Better For Pellet Mill Power?

The power source for the pellet mill may come from a combustion engine or an electric motor. If the power is from a combustion engine, a diesel engine is preferred over a petrol/gas engine.

There are two main reasons, firstly the diesel engine will have lower running costs and also the diesel engine will produce more torque. Torque is the real rating of power that is important when it comes to making pellets. There is a third option where a diesel engine could be powering a generator and the pellet mill is powered by an electric motor. What ever the source of power, what is best way to transmit this power to the pellet mill? There are many different options, however the two most common are either gears or belts. Most small pellet mills are driven through a gear box. In fact most small pellet mills that come from China are driven through the rear differential from a mass produced Chinese car. So what are the benefits of gears? Well according to some research gears provide a more efficient transition of power from the motor to the pellet mill, essential meaning less power is lost through the transition of power. Gears do however have their issues, one of which is temperature. After using the pellet mill for a while the gear box can get quite hot, if poor quality oil/grease is uses this can damage the gears. Secondly particularly on the small Chinese pellet mills the gearbox leaks, therefore you need to frequently check and refill the gearbox with oil. Also if the pellet mill did abruptly stop for some reason due to blockage from a foreign object, this can shatter the gears as the build up of energy has to dispersed somewhere. Belts on the other hand offers a cheaper method. Please click below for our biomass pellet mill videos.

The Wood Pellet Production Guide © PelHeat Ltd - Are Gears Or Belts Better For Pellet Mill Power?