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Energy consumption in a pellet plant: how to reduce it?

On average, electricity and thermal energy represent about 6% of the production cost of feed. Given the latest increases in electricity prices, this percentage has a huge impact on the cost of the final product.
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On average, electricity and thermal energy represent about 6% of the production cost of feed. Given the latest increases in electricity prices, this percentage has a huge impact on the cost of the final product. This is why feed mill managers are always looking for ways to keep energy consumption as low as possible.

The reference value for a feed plant with 100,000 tons/year (conventional production, i.e. 80% pelleted material) consumes between 6 and 8 million kWh. The energy consumption per tonne of feed produced is between 15 and 45 kWh/t

energy consumption pellet plant

The research reveals that in the pelleting process, 60% of the energy of a plant is consumed, followed by the other processes for the production of feed link conveying and milling. This is something to take into consideration when choosing the pellet press for your feed mill.

Imagine a pellet mill that requires 20-25% less energy than traditional presses, and at the same time is more durable and robust, less noisy and easier to use, with almost no vibration...

From the researches carried out, it was possible to ascertain that the cost related to the energy consumption of feed mills can be reduced from 5 to 25% by acting above all on the three factors:

  • Pellet Size: sometimes we dice some feeds just to make a difference in the market, producing super thin or extra hard pellets;
  • Grinding: the finer the grind, the better the feed efficiency, but the greater the electrical energy required to reduce the particle size;
  • Mixing Time: larger pellet size, coarser particle size, and faster mixing time are three simple ways to reduce electricity consumption in the feed mill.

 

Influences on energy consumption
Besides the structure of the components and formulation of the mixture, there are other aspects to take into consideration such as the flow pattern (plant diagram), size and capacity of the plant and its use and the technical state of the machinery and plants.
 

Saving energy costs by using steam

Thermal energy of steam is significantly cheaper than mechanical energy inputs (e. g. pellet mill, expander, extruder), unless the steam generation is achieved by transformation of electrical energy (using one kWh natural gas is approx. 60 % cheaper). By using thermal energy in the form of dry saturated steam, a part of the electrical energy input can be a part of the electrical energy input can be substituted which is necessary for the desired effects, so that at comparable total energy consumption costs can be saved significantly. A preferably high steam addition at preconditioning of the refinement processes therefore is aimed for.

Sources:  
FeedStrategy, article published by Ioannis Mavromichalis on September 2022
Research Institute of Feed Technology