This week’s photo is a disc pelletizer from FEECO’s lab testing center.
Disc pelletizers, also known as pan pelletizers or pan granulators, are a common piece of equipment used to agglomerate material fines. They utilize a “tumble growth” agglomeration method to create pellets, and are used in a variety of applications, including pelletizing limestone, gypsum, compost, and more.
Here’s how pelletizing on a disc pelletizer works:
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- Raw material is fed onto the pan and a liquid spray system adds a binding agent.
- The binding agent, or binder, causes the fines to be tacky. This allows them to pick up more fines as they tumble against themselves while the disc rotates.
- As the rotation continues, the particles grow in size in a process known as coalescence (similar to rolling a snowball).
- When the pellets reach the desired size, they are discharged from the pan and conveyed to a rotary dryer. The rotary dryer reduces the moisture content down to the desired level for the end product. The result is uniform, round pellets.
The disc pelletizer is a popular tool for agglomerating material fines into a more easily handled, dust-free product. The disc pelletizer is a continuous machine, and is often combined with a pre-conditioning stage that is carried out in a pin or paddle mixer. The pre-conditioning stage prepares material fines for optimal agglomeration when they reach the disc.
Disc pelletizers also allow for several variables to be adjusted during processing in order to fine-tune the end product to exact specifications, making them an ideal solution when a premium product is desired.
Is a disc pelletizer right for you? To find out, contact us today!