Wood Pellet Mills-Cooling Tips

Hot pellets come out from wood pellet mills should not be left to cool and dry in a heaped pile, as the temperature in the middle and the bottom of the pile will stay hot for quite some time, stopping the pellets from properly cooling and hardening. The pellets made by wood pellet mills should be spread out, as this will increase air circulation around the pellets, cooling them quicker. Using fans to increase air circulation will also aid cooling.

Once the pellets are cooled, they should be hard, smooth and in some cases have a surface shine. One of the best ways to describe a quality pellet is like a colouring crayon. If the pellets made by your wood pellet mills are not like this, brittle for example, efforts must be made to adjust the necessary parameters.

Cooling Issues

Cooling pellets is a delicate process. If the pellets are cooled too quickly the rapid release of moisture cause stress fractures to occur. Rapid cooling also affects the lignin’s ability to properly solidify to form a hard dense pellet. Therefore rapid cooling after coming out of wood pellet mill can affect pellet quality and increase fines.