Equipment Spotlight Regularly check pellet temperature, PDI (Pellet Durability Index), and mois-ture leaving the cooler. Is something off? The sooner you catch these variances, the sooner you can resolve them. Oftentimes a reduction in capacity or PDI will be the first signs that it’s time to change your die. A new die can quickly pay for itself in the lost capacity that it regains. You can use your lost capacity to quickly estimate how many hours it will take to pay for the new die. (New Die Price) / (Pellet Price per Ton x Lost TPH) = # Hours to Pay for New Die For example, if your normal capacity is 5 TPH, and you are losing five per cent, or 0.25 TPH due to wear, and a new die costs $5,000, while the pellets sell for $200 per ton: $5,000 / ($200 x 0.25 TPH) = 100 Hours This formula only takes into account lost production and does not consider that la-bour and electricity costs are still the same at the lower throughput. The new die will pay for itself quickly. It has been proven time and again that following your manufacturer’s recom -mended maintenance plans will lead to the most profitable pelleting operation. There will be plenty of factors that cannot be con-trolled in a pellet mill, but you can control the effective practice of daily inspections, routine maintenance, and material testing. We wish you the best in your operations. Kyle Hoffman is a biomass sales and ap-plications manager for CPM. Reach him at [email protected], 765-730-6651 For more equipment spotlight articles and wood pellet features, find us online at: www.canadianbiomassmagazine.ca of pellet mill and pellet mill amperage. When the recommended adjustment can no longer be made to the wipers or de-flectors they should be replaced. Wipers and deflector adjustment can often be overlooked, but are critical to maintain consistent process operating conditions. A strong preventative maintenance pro-gram will lead to the lowest total cost of ownership. MATERIAL TESTING Regular testing of material before and after pelleting is key to optimize your process and equipment. Check incoming moisture, it should typically be 10 per cent when wood pelleting, and you’ll want to keep it as consistent and in as tight of a range as possible. Feed must be sized properly to meet capacity and quality tar-gets. As the hammers and screens wear on your hammermills they will discharge a larger product, which will negatively af-fect pellet mill performance. biomassenergylab.com Leading the way in Biomass Testing Cardinal, your partner for all biomass valorization projects! cardinalsaw.com [email protected] INVENTHOR 6 IN STOCK Contact our team to schedule a demo! Certifications for the Biomass Export Industry EN plus Testing, Auditing & Consulting Rent or buy! Authorized Distributor Providing the Knowledge and Solutions you need! 1641 Sigman Road Conyers, GA 30012 770-922-8000 371, Boulevard des Chutes Oce #102 Québec, QC, G1E 3G1 1-800-463-4862 551, Ferdinand Blvd. Unit 4 Dieppe, NB, E1A 7G1 [email protected] 1-800-931-9611 SUMMER 2023 22 Canadian BIOMASS 2023-07-27 CB_Cardinal_Summer23_CSA.indd 12:11 PM 1 CB_Summer_Biomass Energy Lab_GWJ.indd 1 2023-07-14 10:19 AM
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