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Factors affecting pelleting and energy consumption

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 Energy consumption Feature Feature Energy consumption

Table 1: Effects due to different feed processing measures

The original (primary) particle size is While formula- Short-term

Long-term
Effect conditioning Expanding Extruding
changed. tion and preparation conditioning

Factors affecting pelleting

and pelleting
This additional operating expense has to are beyond the press
be set in relation to less energy input during operator’s control, he Structure changes low no high very high

and energy consumption

milling. Commonly, the breakdown of energy is left with a number
Hygienisation low very high very high very high
consumption of compound feed production is of other parameters
Matrix changes low low high very high
60 percent for pelleting and about 16 percent to exercise influence
for milling (see Figure 3). on the pellet mill
by Rainer Löwe, Research Institute of Feed Technology Although these figures are not statistically operation and hence on the product quality. is reached when using small bore-hole diam-
of IFF, Braunschweig-Thune, Germany affirmed and based on feed producer survey It is evident from the large number of influ- eters.
in Germany, frequently asked coarser mixtures encing factors that there can be no standard for Normally, the energy consumption will rise
may cause a different ranking. the plant setting. linearly, while the pellet stability tends towards
The pelleting system has to be adapted to a final value the longer the die holes are.
Factors affecting pellet stability actual requirements by means of adjustment A considerable influence on pellet stability

T
he prosperity of industrial feed reduces microorganisms, the overall hygiene ments at same time, especially regarding the Feed ingredients influence pellet stability in and it has to cover a very wide spectrum. takes the press throughput.
compounding is based on the state is improved and storage periods may be fact that almost 80 percent of the total costs different ways. Manipulation is possible through die and For fixed die dimensions and a given
refining effect of mixed and extended - up to storage conditions, decay is are related to raw material input and a mere of While – depending on moisture content roller selection, rotary speed, gap width and number of die holes, the load of each hole
processed raw materials, especial- deferred. 20 percent is on hand with respect to technical and temperature – starch and protein may consequently pressure conditions, but also by increases with higher throughput: the power
ly since the introduction of the Benefits are not only given with respect to exercise of influence. cause more stable pellets, fat as a lubricant throughput and steam regulation, always tak- intake rises while the pellet-stability decreases.
pelleting process in the 1920s. transport and handling but also to livestock The production of firm and stable pellets reduces friction in the die holes and leads to ing due account of the motor load or current This can be explained by the minor compac-
management. Feed composition is guaranteed requires high pressure implying high energy weaker pellets. intake. tion of the thicker layer pressed into the holes
Compound feed complies with different even in small units, all components of the mix- consumption and/or reduced throughput. Increasing the fat contents leads to partial Longer die channels increase the prob- at a time [Reference 2].
quality attributes like hygienic and nutritional ture are incorporated homogeneously in the Fewer throughputs stand for extended reten- coating of the feed particles, which prevents the ability that binding will take place between
physiological aspects, technical characteristics, pellet, ensuring an even supply of ingredients tion time under pressure and thus produce penetration of the steam and thus the develop- the feed particles so that – supported by Double-stage pelleting
and environmental compatibility. Despite rais- and nutrients, selective feeding is impossible. better compaction. ment of binding agents – moisture bridges as enhanced frictional forces – the pellet durabil- Another important factor is the precom-
ing additional costs for equipment as well as Due to market conditions, the composition The specific energy demand rises anyway. well as the gelatinisation of starch [Reference 1]. ity is adequately improved. The same effect paction of the feedstuff before entering the die
for electrical and thermal energy consumption, or components may be changed without the But of course, pelleting is not just a matter
currently up to 70 percent of the compound risk of the feed being refused by the animals. of pressure and energy input.
feed produced in Europe and in the USA, are Palatability is also improved. The integrated The pelleting process can be divided in
pelleted. thermal process modifies starch and creates a three main procedures:
The requirements with respect to pellet certain taste and smell which, by the way, may - conditioning the pre-processed com-
quality, especially durability, differ according be covered by special additives in order make plete feed meal (complete except
to the animals to be fed, to the kind of live- the feedstuff distinctive. for sensitive micro components to We pride ourselves in implementing > Turnkey installations
stock breeding and in some cases to the be added on top or end of line) the latest technological
demand of the farmers too. - compacting and consolidat- improvements > Cleaning equipment
Pellets should be hard and resistant ing the mash into pellets
We strive for the highest quality > Milling equipment
to all demands placed on them from the - cooling the moist and hot pellets
& confidence in our products & > Transfer equipment
various stages in the production process to a storable and conveyable product services
to the feeding trough, be as dust-free Besides technological items material > Extraction Control
as possible and be of good appearance properties are of important impact. Next Our goal is complete customer > Packaging
in colour, texture and surface without to density, the particle size distribution is satisfaction in the production of
our flour milling machines > Complementary machines
fractured areas which may cause abrasion. of special interest because it affects the
pelleting process significantly: from both
Advantages of pelleting theoretical and practical experience it is
Pelleting compound feed offers sev- well known that fine structured material
eral advantages compared to just ground, Figure 1 illustrates a typical but simplified flow almost allows trouble-free production
mixed mealy feedstuff. diagram of a feed production plant of firm pellets, but causes high energy
The hectolitre weight (tap density) of the consumption for milling.
bulk material is raised to some extent, so lower Digestibility is increased, thus the nutrient Coarsely grounding feed, at the recent
transportation and storage volume is required. utilisation is enhanced and there is less feed request of nutritionists, tends to produce less Konya Organize Sanayi Bölgesi 7 Sokak
Generally, pellets are free-flowing; arching in wastage. stable pellets, because bigger particles pre-
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Emptying and dosing is quite easy with no measured by a large production throughput creating more cross sectional areas within the T: +90 332 239 1016 (pbx)
segregation arising within the product. at low power requirement and an output of pellet and thus more abrasion. F: +90 332 239 1348
Contamination risk from bins and hoppers pellets with low abrasion index, fulfilling high Depending on material’s properties (hard- E: unormak@unormak.com.tr
or even conveying equipment is of minor inter- quality aspects and resulting in almost low ness, brittleness or even flexibility) those par-
est because of the very small amount of resi- specific energy consumption (kWh/t). ticles are crushed between rollers and die
dues that arise when transporting stable pellets. These are conflicting objectives of high consuming more energy and causing probably
Heat treatment during the pelleting process demands and it is difficult to meet the require- more wear.
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Unormak.indd 1 24/11/2009 15:56
14 | July - august 2010 Grain &feed millinG technoloGy Grain &feed millinG technoloGy PREVIOUS PAGE NEXT PAGE July - august 2010 | 15

hole – caused by double-stage pelleting, the
gap width between roller and die (automatic
gap control) or the roller speed. The higher the
speed (or the number of rollers), the smaller
the material plug being pushed through the
bore, the better the compaction inside the
plug.
Figure 2: compiles compacting
affecting factors
Figure 3: Breakdown of energy consumption
The addition of pelleting aids can bind,
for example fatty contents, by increasing the
surface area; this may reduce pellet abrasion.
But the effect of auxiliary agents depends to a
high extend on feed mixture recipes. Friction
reducing tensides or surface active agents may
improve pelleting behaviour, too.
By facilitating the easier transfer of heat
(vapour) through the meal, which is con-
ditioned more intensively, surfactants may
reduce pellet press energy consumption.
Another effect is the possible reduction of
undesired moisture loss (shrink) which under
certain conditions may give support to raise the
production rate [Reference 3].
Finer grinding of the compound-feed com-
ponents leads to larger specific surfaces and
thus to more favourable conditions for the
absorption of liquids and the effectiveness of
the saturated steam and results in more firm
pellets.
Application of the saturated steam
creates more favourable conditions for
16 | July - august 2010
Energy consumption
establishing bonds between feed parti-
cles improving pellet stability. However
increasing the amount of steam is limited
because of crossing admissible moisture
levels reducing the friction in front of and
within the die channels.
Factors affecting energy
consumption
Considering potential energy savings, specific
conditions of industrial compound feed produc-
tion need to be taken into account. Increasing
customer focused production of small batches
as well as intensified use of hydrothermal-
mechanical treatment (in consequence of highly
demanded hygiene safety) ran up costs for
energy consumption (Reference 4).
To assess the energy efficiency of a proc-
ess, its specific electrical energy requirement
(kWh/t) should be related to effect-specific
energy consumption, for example with respect
to the refinement process, refinement targets
and capacity utilisation.
This would allow general conclusions
regarding specific processability.
When comparing different sites within
one company, the balance sheets should be
checked as to whether initial conditions are in
fact comparable. An assessment always needs
to consider not only energy consumption, but
also investments and amortisation, mainte-
nance, wear and tear and the cost of spare
parts [Reference 4].
Influences on energy consumption are
manifold: plant diagram, processing capacity
and its utilisation are essential to realise aspired
processing aims.
Handling hundreds of formulations and
producing batch sizes between 1.5 tonne
and 50 tonne is economically challenging.
Besides structure of components and mixture
formulations technical condition of machinery
and equipment as well as maintenance affect
energy consumption.
Last but not least technological disci-
pline and education of the staff take effect
(Reference 4).
Besides material, machine and process
parameters, the processing aims determine the
energy input: hygienisation efforts, reduction
of antinutritive substances, decomposition of
certain ingredients, pellet stability.
It is essential to understand that the higher
the targeted processing level, the higher the
energy input. Qualitative effects of refinement
processes are shown in Table 1.
In refinement processes, part of the electri-
cal energy inputs can be provided by cost-effi-
cient thermal energy in the form of saturated
Feature
steam. Adding as much steam as possible dur-
ing pre-conditioning is thus desirable.
Depending on absorbability and other fluids
within the mixture, and taking into account that
0.6 percent of saturated steam will increase
process temperature by approximately ΔT =
10 K (Figure 4), minimum content should be
approximately three percent (pelleting) to five
percent (expanding).
However, steam input is limited due to
pressureless operation of the pre-conditioner
by the maximum possible feed temperature
and moisture with respect to pelleting (lubricat-
ing effect) and storage stability (moulding).
To ensure thermal energy is used efficiently,
loss minimisation and the maximum levels of
steam that can be added need to be consid-
ered. Measures for saving thermal energy are,
for example, sufficient boiler pressure to allow
a drying phase by pressure reduction directly
in front of the conditioner, accompanied by an
adequate number of steam traps, insulation of
all steam pipes, conditioners etc and of course
stringent avoidance of leakages.
The grinding process
With respect to grinding processes, the
specific energy requirement is determined by
material properties, the required particle size
reduction, the comminution equipment and
the process and plant layout.
Generally, particles should be only as fine as
Figure 4: Increase of temperature when
conditioning compound feed by means of
saturated steam
necessary and as coarse as possible, since the
energy requirement rises exponentially with
increasing fineness [Reference 5].
Measures to discharge the mill-motor
load, such as the preliminary separating of
fines, closed-circuit processes or multi-level
size reduction, can achieve energy savings of
between five and 25 percent.
Frequency controlled drives allow selec-
tive circumferential speed to realise roughly
aspired structures and particle size distributions.
Grain &feed millinG technoloGy
Feature Energy consumption
Development trends include larger designs
for hammer mills, and the increased use of
hammer mills with vertical rotors and roller
mills with two or more assembly levels (roller
pairs with different gaps), either instead or
combined.
Both machines are preferable in terms of
energy use, but with roller mills material-specific
processing restrictions need to be taken into
account.
Figure 5: Influence of saturated steam
addition on energy requirement, pellet
durability and process temperatures
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Heat recovery
Additionally possibilities for heat recovery
from production processes for heating circuit
water for social rooms or offices should be
reviewed.
Because of low enthalpy and possibly
hygienic contamination direct use of thermal
energy from cooling or drying air for raw or
feeder water is not recommended. A benefit
from this energy recovery would rather be a
reduction of odour emissions. Checking the
possibilities of combined heat and power cycle
may be useful.
The total energy requirement of a feedmill
is decisively determined by plant layout, for-
mulation texture, type and technical state of
the equipment, plant capacity, load factor and
technological discipline among the staff.
In addition to the measures mentioned,
the prevention of energy losses (next to
steam accommodation pressure-air supply)
and the use of low-cost electricity rates
basically re-present further optimisation
potentials; in view of energy costs
developments, these should certainly be
taken into account.
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References
[1] Heidenreich, E. - Löwe, R. -
Pelleting technology: looking to
the future - International Milling
Directory 2000, pp. 55-60
[2] Löwe, R. - Judging pellet stability
as part of pellet quality - Feed
Tech 9 (2005), pp. 15-19
[3] Birchmore, J. - Surfactant’s benefits to
feed manufacturers - Feed Magazine/
Kraftfutter 3-4 (2010),pp. 17-21
[4] Feil, A - Is it possible to cut energy
costs for the production process?
- IFF colloquium Braunschweig
May 2005 International Research
Institute of Feed Technology
[5] Löwe, R. - Vermahlungstechniken
für Futtermittel - Tierernährung
für Tierärzte, TiHo Hannover
April 2007, Proceedings pp. 33-34;
Editor J. Kamphues and P. Wolf
More information:
Website: www.iff-braunschweig.de
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July - august 2010 | 17
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