Pellets appeared on our market relatively recently. They came to us from America and European countries, where they have been used for a long time. However, this type of fuel is becoming increasingly popular in our country. Using pellets, you can organize heating in a private home as efficiently as possible.

To understand exactly what the benefits of pellets are, you need to understand what exactly they are. High-quality pellets consist of pure wood, they do not contain chemical additives or other impurities. The wood used to create them is granulated after pre-treatment. Raw material first crushed to obtain a homogeneous mass consisting of elements of a certain fraction. Then the prepared wood is dried to ten percent moisture content and crushed again. Ready heating material obtained after packaging the formed granules.

The color of the pellets can be different, since much depends on the quality of pre-cleaning. Light pellets are more preferable because the wood has been thoroughly cleaned before pressing and forming pellets. If the fuel has dark color, there were particles of bark left in it. In a private house, the boiler will have to be cleaned frequently, as these particles will create carbon deposits. Dark pellets are usually used in industrial boilers. Their diameter, as a rule, is significantly larger. They are supplied in large quantities of two to three tons and are used to generate heat for settlements And industrial facilities.

There are several options for using this type of fuel. Initially, the production of pellets is carried out for burning them in pellet boilers and special fireplaces. This application is the most effective, because pellets were created precisely as a heating material. When burning them, the boiler heats up very quickly if additional oxygen is supplied. Compared to other types of fuel, pellets are considered one of the most economical options. In addition, they provide a stable heat exchange process. Many convenient features are usually found in modern pellet boilers. During operation, granules can be supplied automatically. They can have a built-in temperature controller, oxygen supply controllers and much more. When burning pellets, the efficiency is ninety percent or more.

In ordinary fireplaces and boilers, it is also possible to use heating pellets, but you will need to constantly add fuel manually. You will also need to carefully monitor the consumption of pellets, control the oxygen supply and heating temperature. When using pellets in equipment not intended for them, you must not forget that this type of fuel burns much faster than, for example, firewood, and therefore the fireplace or boiler will heat up faster. One of the advantages of heating with pellets is the lack of need for a large amount of storage space. They can be carefully placed in bags or containers in front of the heating equipment. You can even store pellets in residential premises, since they do not contain chemical components or harmful impurities. This is very environmentally friendly fuel, the safety of which is comparable to natural wood.

You can also take pellets on a hike if there is no easy access to firewood. Starting a fire in camping conditions using pellets is quite simple. It's easy to move on and keep the fire burning. Pellets today are often used for other purposes than their intended purpose. For example, they fill toilets for animals. The harmlessness and safety of wood makes it possible not to worry about the health of your pets. This heating material is very versatile. You can also find it in automotive services, where pellets are used as an effective absorbent.

What raw materials are used

In our country, coniferous species are most often used to make pellets, but higher quality fuel is obtained from the wood of deciduous plants. Prevalence coniferous species This is explained by the fact that the equipment required for their processing is less expensive and complex. In addition, they are pressed hardwoods quite bad, so you have to spend money and time to select pressing, moistening and processing modes for them. More powerful equipment is also required. At the same time, in the domestic market the cost of pellets depends very little on the material.

When burning birch pellets, more heat is released than when burning coniferous pellets, however, the difference is small. But at the same time, birch wood does not contain resins that settle in the chimney. When using pine pellets, the chimney must be cleaned periodically.

In order for a home to be as comfortable and habitable as possible, it must contain high-quality and efficient heating. Here you need to take into account that not every building has the ability to connect to a central gas supply, and electric heating devices can lead to too much expense. Special pellets are an excellent heating alternative.

What it is?

Today pellets are called special wood pellets. To put it simply, these products are ordinary wood processing waste. They are pressed into small granules. As a rule, such products are produced from environmentally friendly raw materials, which do not contain hazardous chemical compounds. Pellet heating belongs to the category of modern heating systems.

What are pellets made of?

Many owners of private houses wonder what pellets are made from. It is worth noting that people often make such products on their own. To do this, it is enough to stock up on a crusher, a sieve, a dryer designed specifically for sawdust, as well as a granulator. The optimal raw materials for the manufacture of such products are waste from the wood processing industry:

• sawdust;
• trimmings;
• shavings;
• croaker;
• wood flour from deciduous and coniferous trees;
• other waste generated during wood processing.

The granules, which are made from wood waste, are light, gray and black.

For example, during the production of granules gray wood waste is often combined with bark. Pellets of this type are usually placed in large bags. They are very often used in European boiler houses, which have impressive power. Wood fillers for pet trays are also produced using a similar method. Pellets are also made from agricultural waste. The components in this case can be straw or dried hay. Today, many farmers create pellets for heating from raw materials such as:

• reed;
• sunflower husk;
• hay;
• rice husk;
• other agricultural waste.

If you take all the waste, then with the exception of rice husks, there are no difficulties in recycling them. To do this, it is enough to use simple equipment equipped with a ring-type matrix. Processing these components takes a minimum of free time, and large investments are not required.

If pellets are made from more capricious rice husks, then more reliable and wear-resistant equipment made from stainless steel is used.

Pellets are also made from raw materials such as peat. Such products are characterized by an impressive calorific value and high ash content. To manufacture such options, specialized equipment is required and good resources, because the procurement of peat raw materials is a seasonal procedure that requires certain costs.

Advantages and disadvantages

Today, pellet heating is chosen by many owners of private houses that cannot be connected to the gas mains for a number of reasons. People prefer this method of heating their home because it has significant advantages.

• Pellets are made from safe and environmentally friendly pure materials that are not harmful to health.
• Pellet heating has good safety characteristics. Granulated fuel from natural raw materials is not explosive, unlike, for example, gas.
• In most cases, pellet heating is characterized by low ash content (there are exceptions, for example, in the case of peat granules).
• In the case of using pellets, it is possible to use the ash in the future.
• Heating a private or suburban building with granulated pellets does not require approval for connection (unlike options running on gas).
• To store pellets, there is no need to separate a separate structure - you just need to choose a dry room.

• Pellets are made quite simply if we're talking about about ordinary pellets from wood waste. Moreover, they can be produced at home if you have the appropriate equipment.
• Particles from sawdust and agricultural waste can be stored without problems in a place convenient for the homeowner. In addition, they are easily transported.
• Pellet boilers boast a high efficiency.
• In most cases, pellets do not emit any pungent odors when burned. In addition, they emit almost imperceptible smoke that has no color.
• Pellets have a high calorific value. For example, during the combustion of 1 ton of wood elements, the amount of energy generated is the same as when burning 1.6 tons of wood or 500 liters of diesel.
• Boilers running on such biofuel are very convenient to use - a person has to participate in their operation no more than once a week, since all processes are carried out automatically.

In the age of high technology, environmental safety of fuel has become a priority - this is why many homeowners choose pellet heating. However, even such a relatively new development has its weaknesses.

• Boilers that run on pellets are quite expensive (the cost is several times higher than that of classical gas options). Of course, you can also purchase simple burners that can be installed in an existing solid fuel unit.
• Such equipment requires constant care. Every week the heat exchanger in the pellet boiler must be cleaned using a special brush. This is especially true for older units. In more modern boilers There is often a special self-cleaning system.
• Pellet fuel itself can cost homeowners more than regular firewood.
• Servicing pellet heating units often costs owners a pretty penny.
• The production of some types of pellet fuel is quite expensive (as is the case with peat types).
• Many models of pellet boilers are not suitable for use in the Russian climate.

Consumption

It is necessary to take into account that granulated pellets are a packaging product that is sold in bags of a specific volume. That is why calculate what the consumption of granules will be for 1 kW and 1 sq. m. will not be difficult. There is no need to convert weight into volume, because manufacturers of such a product always register their products in kilograms, and the unit that measures heat is kW.

The correct calculation of granule consumption is carried out in several steps. The result will be the monthly fuel consumption of the boiler during the entire heating season, as well as its average cost. Below is detailed information on how to do everything. necessary calculations using the example of an area of ​​100 sq. m.

First, it is important to understand how much heat actually penetrates the heating system when burning 1 kg of pellets. This stage must be taken into account, since boilers operating from solid fuel, are not ideal in order to direct absolutely all the heat energy received to warm up the private or country house- part of it is still redirected to the chimney pipe. For this purpose, the heat of combustion of particles is multiplied by the efficiency of the heat generator, divided by 100:

5 kW/kg x 80% / 100 = 4 kW/kg.

To make calculations easier, you should use the reverse action to find out how many pellets you need to burn to generate 1 kW of heat under the current circumstances:

1 kW / 4 kW/kg = 0.25 kg.

Since during heating season the weather outside usually remains unchanged, and temperature regime varies from +10 to -30 degrees, then the specific heat consumption per season in a house with an area of ​​100 square meters. m will not be 10 kW, but half as much, that is, 5 kW. If we take into account that all power units refer to a time of 1 hour, then the heat consumption per day will be:

5 kW/h x 24 hours = 120 kW.

The same, but for a month:

120 W x 30 days = 3600 kW.

3600 kW x 0.25 kg/kW = 900 kg.

If you need to know the approximate consumption of pellets from wood waste per day, then the following calculation should be made:

120 kW x 0.25 kg/kW = 30 kg.

Features of pellet boilers

As mentioned earlier, pellet boilers They are characterized by high efficiency, but are quite expensive. Such units have the following components in their design:

• compartment intended for pellet granules;
• mechanism responsible for feeding pellets;
• auto ignition module;
• burner;
• control module with sensors responsible for temperature conditions.

These heating units can be equipped with different types of burners.

• Flare. Fuel combustion in a burner of this type is carried out in air flow, which comes from the supercharger, forming a kind of torch consisting of hot coals. The temperature when using such a burner can reach up to 1200 degrees.
• Fireplace. Otherwise, such a part is called a grate. In this case, the granules themselves are poured into the burner bowl from the compartment with the dispenser. The air in this design comes from the side air duct or holes in the bowl itself.
• Volumetric combustion. Such burners are called rotary. They are a bowl made of cast iron or steel into which the granules fall through central part retorts - from below, and combustion occurs over the entire surface.

The fuel storage bunker in such a unit can be built-in, that is, inseparable from the device itself, or external. In the second case, any design can be used - a plastic barrel, a container with plywood walls and other similar devices.

As for the fuel supply mechanism, it can be:

• screw;
• pneumatic.

Automatic systems in pellet heating units are also different. For example, like this:

• lambda probes;
• local line control systems;
• GSM control systems;
• control via the Internet.

It is in well-thought-out automation that the main distinguishing characteristic pellet boilers. Thanks to this feature, these units are extremely convenient to use, since they do not have to be constantly monitored.

However, we must not forget that today very often pellet granules are found that are not the most High Quality. Low-grade fuel can negatively affect the operation of the boiler. It is also worth considering that in most cases such equipment is dependent on electrical energy. If the house is built in an area where frequent power outages are common, then heating the home may be at risk.

The main disadvantage of such units is the high cost of the pellet-type burners themselves. On the modern market, most models are produced in Germany, Italy and Spain. The cost of some products from well-known and established brands reaches 3,000-6,000 thousand euros. Of course, in stores you can also find domestically made burners, which in many respects are similar to foreign versions, but are much cheaper.

IN Lately In all countries of the world, interest in alternative sources heating, environmentally friendly and affordable. These are the in-demand resources that include the new kind fuels – pellets, small-sized wood pellets cylindrical, obtained by pressing wood waste or processing various raw materials.

Making pellets

The pellet production process occurs without the use of glue and chemical additives, which ensures the fuel is absolutely safe and environmentally friendly. The production of biofuel includes several stages:

High-quality biofuel is produced only on high-tech equipment that meets all current standards and parameters. Therefore, it is so important to carefully select a reliable and responsible supplier. Deliveries of any volumes of certified, high-quality pellets are offered by the Russian Forest company, which is located in Vladivostok and Khabarovsk.

Main advantages of pellets

Using original pellets, consumers receive a range of obvious advantages:

Features of using pellets

Today, pellets are used to heat residential, commercial and industrial buildings. The main thing is to correctly select a heating boiler yourself or with the help of professional specialists, taking into account the individual operating conditions and parameters of the facility. Domestic and foreign manufacturers solid fuel boilers offer a wide range heating equipment With various indicators power, performance and cost. Among the most famous brands, it is worth noting the brands UNGARO, KLOVER, OkoFEN and BENEKOV.

Specialized and multifunctional boilers of the Kupper series, which are characterized by the following advantages, are very popular among modern Russian consumers:

• Automated loading and control system. After technological adjustment, the boiler ensures that the set temperature is maintained. Fuel is supplied from the bunker as needed without human intervention in automatic mode.
• High efficiency up to 95%.
• Large power range. In the Kupper boiler line, you can select equipment with a power of up to 500 kW or more.
• Long term intensive use. All Kupper boilers are manufactured in accordance with technological standards and European technical standards, guaranteeing a service life of 20 years or more.
• Easy to use, with high level fire and explosion hazards.

The demand for pellets in our country is growing exponentially. It is caused by the affordable price of fuel, excellent performance and technical characteristics boilers, as well as the constant growth of energy resources and the rapid development of the suburban real estate market.