Impact of Cooling Air Temperature and Airflow on Wood Fuel Pellet Durability, Hardness, and Off-Gassing During Industrial Storage
The cooling of pellets is necessary because pellets reach 70 to 90 °C after the pellet press. The reduction in temperature solidifies the pellets, which increases the pellet quality and reduces the risk of self-heating during storage. Industrially, pellet plants use outdoor air in counterflow cooler...
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North Carolina State University
2025-03-01
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| Online Access: | https://ojs.bioresources.com/index.php/BRJ/article/view/24286 |
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| author | Magnus Ståhl Jonas Berghel |
| author_facet | Magnus Ståhl Jonas Berghel |
| author_sort | Magnus Ståhl |
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| description | The cooling of pellets is necessary because pellets reach 70 to 90 °C after the pellet press. The reduction in temperature solidifies the pellets, which increases the pellet quality and reduces the risk of self-heating during storage. Industrially, pellet plants use outdoor air in counterflow coolers and cooling ends when the pellet temperature is approximately 5 °C above ambient temperature. Cooling performed in the summer could result in high temperatures in the pellet stacks during storage, and cooling at low temperatures and high airflows in the winter could cause quality problems. Therefore, the aim was to determine how cooling air temperature, airflow, and storage time impact the durability, hardness, and off-gassing of the pellets. The results showed that the highest durability (97.7%) and hardness (310 N) were achieved when cooling with low-temperature air and low airflow. Additionally, durability and hardness stabilized at high values (98.9% and 640 N) after 30 to 40 days of storage, regardless of the airflow and cooling air temperature used. Furthermore, it was found that high airflows reduce off-gassing regardless of the cooling air temperature. It is recommended that the industry reduce airflow during the winter and increase it during the summer to produce high-quality pellets and minimize the risk of self-heating. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-10fbcc28a1574e19b70da8baffa30b21 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1930-2126 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | North Carolina State University |
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| spelling | doaj-art-10fbcc28a1574e19b70da8baffa30b212025-08-20T03:52:07ZengNorth Carolina State UniversityBioResources1930-21262025-03-01202328632982557Impact of Cooling Air Temperature and Airflow on Wood Fuel Pellet Durability, Hardness, and Off-Gassing During Industrial StorageMagnus Ståhl0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2528-4399Jonas Berghel1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9707-8896Environmental and Energy Systems, Department of Engineering and Chemical Sciences, Karlstad University, Karlstad SE-651 88, SwedenEnvironmental and Energy Systems, Department of Engineering and Chemical Sciences, Karlstad University, Karlstad SE-651 88, SwedenThe cooling of pellets is necessary because pellets reach 70 to 90 °C after the pellet press. The reduction in temperature solidifies the pellets, which increases the pellet quality and reduces the risk of self-heating during storage. Industrially, pellet plants use outdoor air in counterflow coolers and cooling ends when the pellet temperature is approximately 5 °C above ambient temperature. Cooling performed in the summer could result in high temperatures in the pellet stacks during storage, and cooling at low temperatures and high airflows in the winter could cause quality problems. Therefore, the aim was to determine how cooling air temperature, airflow, and storage time impact the durability, hardness, and off-gassing of the pellets. The results showed that the highest durability (97.7%) and hardness (310 N) were achieved when cooling with low-temperature air and low airflow. Additionally, durability and hardness stabilized at high values (98.9% and 640 N) after 30 to 40 days of storage, regardless of the airflow and cooling air temperature used. Furthermore, it was found that high airflows reduce off-gassing regardless of the cooling air temperature. It is recommended that the industry reduce airflow during the winter and increase it during the summer to produce high-quality pellets and minimize the risk of self-heating.https://ojs.bioresources.com/index.php/BRJ/article/view/24286industrial coolingwood pelletsairflowdurabilitystorageair temperatureoff-gassing |
| spellingShingle | Magnus Ståhl Jonas Berghel Impact of Cooling Air Temperature and Airflow on Wood Fuel Pellet Durability, Hardness, and Off-Gassing During Industrial Storage BioResources industrial cooling wood pellets airflow durability storage air temperature off-gassing |
| title | Impact of Cooling Air Temperature and Airflow on Wood Fuel Pellet Durability, Hardness, and Off-Gassing During Industrial Storage |
| title_full | Impact of Cooling Air Temperature and Airflow on Wood Fuel Pellet Durability, Hardness, and Off-Gassing During Industrial Storage |
| title_fullStr | Impact of Cooling Air Temperature and Airflow on Wood Fuel Pellet Durability, Hardness, and Off-Gassing During Industrial Storage |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of Cooling Air Temperature and Airflow on Wood Fuel Pellet Durability, Hardness, and Off-Gassing During Industrial Storage |
| title_short | Impact of Cooling Air Temperature and Airflow on Wood Fuel Pellet Durability, Hardness, and Off-Gassing During Industrial Storage |
| title_sort | impact of cooling air temperature and airflow on wood fuel pellet durability hardness and off gassing during industrial storage |
| topic | industrial cooling wood pellets airflow durability storage air temperature off-gassing |
| url | https://ojs.bioresources.com/index.php/BRJ/article/view/24286 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT magnusstahl impactofcoolingairtemperatureandairflowonwoodfuelpelletdurabilityhardnessandoffgassingduringindustrialstorage AT jonasberghel impactofcoolingairtemperatureandairflowonwoodfuelpelletdurabilityhardnessandoffgassingduringindustrialstorage |