DESIGN OF A TECHNOLOGICAL FUEL PELLET PRODUCTION LINE

Abstract

In the conditions of the fuel crisis, an active search began for alternative energy sources in general, and alternative fuel in particular. Among the alternative sources, the use of biofuel for generating thermal and electric energy is currently the most relevant. Biological sources become the material for its production and, basically, these are wastes from agriculture, forestry and the woodworking industry. An important advantage of the use of bio-fuel is also an environmental factor, because its use significantly reduces environmental pollution, compared with the use of mineral fuels. According to their characteristics, fuel pellets compete with natural gas, but in environmental terms they are ahead of all other types of fuel to the same extent as in price terms. The relevance of the use of fuel pellets shows an increase in the use of wood and agricultural waste in industrial production of thermal energy in Europe, the Scandinavian countries and North America by 15% annually. Granules are a real alternative to coal and oil. Since, in terms of their heat transfer characteristics, they are not inferior to coal, and their environmental parameters are generally beyond competition. The heat of combustion of the granules is close to coal, but when they are burned, the CO2 emission is 10-50 times lower, and the ash formation is 15-20 times. So bio-fuel experts confidently claim that granules are a full substitute for coal. The manufacture of wood pellets occurs without chemical fixers under high pressure. It is worth noting that briquettes from agricultural waste are more ash-rich (for example, from sunflower husk - about 7%, from peat - from 2 to 15%) than wood pellets (0.3-3%) and their use for small briquettes boilers undesirable. The article substantiates the introduction of technologies for the processing of agricultural by-products into fuel granules. A developed technological line for the manufacture of granules and a design for chopping wood are proposed.