CHIPPER - Adjustable chip?

[andythesquirel]

I am looking for a small chipper with an adjustable chip size. I am looking for one which can be adjusted when required without a huge amount of time and effort, to produce the smallest chip size possible (ie down to practically dust) for potential wood pellet production. What is the best out there at the moment?

[Mr Ed]

Andy, to get pelletable material, you will need to grind the chips to break / shred the fibres. very small chips wont work well enough. You need a small hammermill with auger feed to deposit all your chips into, then you will get a consistant 6-8mm shredded product . You will also need to get you material down to a moisture content of 12%...

[Arran Woodfuels]

I have heard of a chipper with a built-in screen that produces chips that can be directly used in pellet appliances. Screened chips, are recycled in the machine until the product is a fine, consistent small chip. With a supply of dry timber, one could produce fuel for pellet boilers and stoves without the trouble of grinding & pelletising.

 

There are currently tests ongoing in Denmark (so I'm told).

 

Does anyone have information on this machine/technology?

[Mr Ed]

  Arran Woodfuels said:

I have heard of a chipper with a built-in screen that produces chips that can be directly used in pellet appliances. Screened chips, are recycled in the machine until the product is a fine, consistent small chip. With a supply of dry timber, one could produce fuel for pellet boilers and stoves without the trouble of grinding & pelletising.

 

There are currently tests ongoing in Denmark (so I'm told).

 

Does anyone have information on this machine/technology?

 

 

What you say is true, any of the large drum chippers with screens will do this. I even saw a disk chipper with screens at the show.

Trouble is, its hard work on your knives and drum. A hammer mill will by its action produce a better product for pelletising.

 

The biggest advantage of pellets is it density and calorific value. in small heating systems, pellets flow easily by gravity, without needing large augers and 3 phase motors.

Chip heating systems usually come into their own once you get over 100kw.

[Steve Bullman]

im no engineer, and know sod all about mechanics...but i do know this....

1 tool for 1 job

[andythesquirel]

If i can clarify. I am looking for the most suitable chipper re the adjustable control to reduce chip size. I would intend using a hammer mill to finally reduce chips to dust for pellet manufacture, but would require a chipper to produce small chip size to reduce strain etc of the hammer mill. Therefore i suppose my question is what is the best adjustable small chipper which can produce reasonably small sized chips?

[Mesterh]

Try a Greenmech, we used one years ago and they seemed to produce saw dust no matter what type of brash went into it. It was a totally crap machine to use but produce very fine chip.

[PeteB]

Chip size can be altered by slowing down the rollers. Do this by reducing the oil flow at the valve (if fitted).

 

Once saw a GreenMech which the operators had on the back of a tractor which the ran at 1000 speed at max engine revs and throttled back the rollers to get dust. (be warned tho, that rotor was going at close to 4k rpm, when it should've been close to 2k).

[Mike]

All the smaller Schliesing chippers have adjustable chip size from 5 - 20 mm (depending on the material being fed of course). The machines have an adjustable speed control on the feed rollers. Slow the rollers and the chip gets smaller. You have to accept your throughput will be slower tho.

[Mr Ed]

Andy, 99% of hammermills are designed to reduce g100 chips (100mm square) to 6-8mm particles.

Trying to save your hammermill work by using your chipper for size reduction is a back to front way of doing it.

If you need any info on Pelleting equipment and methodolgy, give me a call, as I'm currently specing a full turnkey pellet mill operation for arb chips.