Industry Standards of Pellet Mill Equipment Market
The fuel pellet mill equipment market now has several industry standards in the US and Europe, that pellet producers need to comply with. This does depend on the size of production, and where and if the pellets are sold on the open market. Before purchasing pellet mill equipment it is recommend researching any industry standards that may apply.
Below lines show terms of interpretation in pellet manufacturing industrial from Pellet Fuels Institute Standard Specification for Residential/Commercial Densified Fuel October 25, 2010
Bulk density – the fuel mass per cubic foot of the fuel sample
Diameter – the average diameter of the fuel pellets made by pellet mill equipment in the fuel sample.
Pellet Durability Index (PDI) – a standardized parameter for specifying the ability of the fuel pellets to resist degradation caused by shipping and handling.
Fines – the percentage of fuel material in the fuel sample passing through a 1/8 inch screen.
Inorganic ash – the percent inorganic material in the fuel sample.
Length – the weight percent of pellets made by pellet equipments exceeding 1.5 inches in length in the fuel sample.
Moisture – the moisture content of the as-received fuel sample.
Heating value – The higher heating value of the fuel sample.
LE 1 PFI Fuel Grade Requirements
| Residential/Commercial Densified Fuel Standards See Notes 1&2 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel Property | PFI Premium | Pfi Standard | PFI Utility |
| Normative Information-Mandatory | |||
| Bulk Density, lb./cubic foot | 40.0-46.0 | 38.0-46.0 | 38.0-46.0 |
| Diameter, inches | 0.230-0.285 | 0.230-0.285 | 0.230-0.285 |
| Diameter, mm | 5.84-7.25 | 5.84-7.25 | 5.84-7.25 |
| Pellet Durability Index | ≥96.5 | ≥95.0 | ≥95.0 |
| Fines,%(at the mill gate) | ≤0.50 | ≤1.0 | ≤1.0 |
| Inorganic Ash,% | ≤1.0 | ≤2.0 | ≤6.0 |
| Length,% greater than 1.50 inches | ≤1.0 | ≤1.0 | ≤1.0 |
| Moisture,% | ≤8.0 | ≤10.0 | ≤10.0 |
| Chloride, ppm | ≤300 | ≤300 | ≤300 |
| Informative Only-Not Mandatory | |||
| Ash Fusion | NA | NA | NA |
| Heating Value | NA | NA | NA |
The following applies to all limits in this table about pellet mill equipment industry: For purposes of determining the fuel grade, all properties must fall at or within the specified limits listed for a particular grade. Observed or calculated values obtained from analysis shall be rounded to the nearest unit in the last right- hand place of the figures used in expressing the limit in accordance with ASTM E 29 Standard Practice for Using Significant Digits in Test Data to Determine Conformance with Specifications.