Review of die design and process parameters in the biomass pelleting process

Key factors associated with the production of biomass pellets are pellet durability and operational cost of the pellet mill. This paper reviews parameters
of the pellet die configuration and operational variables that influence the
performance of the pellet mill and the quality of the produced pellets. A
die is specified by design parameters such as surface area and distribution
pattern of press channels in the die, and correspondingly the press channel
parameters are defined by length/diameter ratio and inlet angle and depth.
In this paper, physical mechanisms are reviewed with respect to each of the
design parameters, as well as the operational conditions of the pellet mill.
The review of the literature has highlighted gaps in several areas that need
further research. Specifically, the design of the conical press channel inlet and
the surface area which appear to be key parameters in optimizing the process