Pellet Fuel

Pellets can be used for various different purposes and uses. For example for the last century the main use of pellets has been to produce feed pellets for the animal foods industry. However in recent years due to the effects of global warming, using the principle of pellets for a renewable energy and alternative energy source has grown and grown. There are several reasons why pellet fuel is seen as an ideal way to utilize energy resources such as wood and other biomass resources.

Uniform Shape and Size

As pellet fuel is produced through a die, the size and shape of the pellets fuel can be chosen depending on the end use. The die in the pellet mill will have holes at a certain diameter, which for fuel pellets is generally either 6-8mm, however you can produce larger pellets fuel even 10 or 12mm in diameter. The most popular size of fuel pellet is 6mm in diameter. This size of pellet fuel is what most pellet stoves are designed to handle. The hopper and auger feed mechanism on the stove is designed to work with a pellet fuel with a 6mm diameter, and no larger. However some larger pellet stoves and most pellet boilers can also work with 8mm pellet fuel. The uniform shape and size of the pellets fuel means they work well in stoves and boilers, and it is much easier to feed into the fire the correct amount of fuel to regulate the temperature to the desired level.

Wood Pellet Fuel

More than likely the form of pellet fuel you are most familiar with is wood pellets. Although many different types of other biomass raw materials can be made into pellet fuel which includes straw and grass pellets to name a few. Wood pellet fuel however produces the lowest ash content, the highest heat value and does not have possible issues with corrosion, clinker and slag formations that comes with grass or straw pellets fuel.

There are various different grades of pellet fuel and also wood pellet fuel. Some wood pellet fuel includes the bark from the wood, however this can increase the ash content of the fuel. To produce a premium grade pellet fuel the bark must be removed and species such as pine, spruce or oak are used to produce the highest grade pellet fuel, but also the most expensive.

At PelHeat we see the interest in pellet fuel growing month after month, and a greater interest in not only how it is used, but how it is produced. At PelHeat we develop small mobile pellet mill solutions to produce pellet fuel, to find out more please visit our website at www.pelheat.com. We also receive many requests for information on the pellets fuel production process, so we developed this easy to understand, step by step guide on the equipment required and raw material required to produce pellet fuel.

PelHeat Wood Pellet Production Guide

At PelHeat we have many years of experience in pellet production, and we provide a pellet production consultation service. The PelHeat guide download will show you how to make wood and other fuel pellets.