Wood pelleter production system

• US 20070089805A1
• Filed: 10/26/2005
• Published: 04/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Pinacle Pellet, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Pinacle Pellet, Inc.
• Inventors: Martin, Donald, Berkholtz, Harold, Swaan, Robert, Swaan, Dewey, Enns, Donald
• Application Number:
  US11/258,026
• Publication Number:
  US 20070089805A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 144/1.100
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 17/102 with material recirculation, classifying or disintegrating means F26B17/103 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 2210/16 Wood, e.g. lumber, timber
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 23/028 using solid fuel; burning the dried product

Abstract

A wood pelleter production system for wood chips and the like, having a wood chip infeed deck with integrated dryer deck with an array of inverted louvers that allow air or heated air and flue gas mix to flow up through the chip flow. The chips flow from the infeed dryer deck to a hammer mill to refine the wood chips, the wood chips are transferred within a re-circulatory airflow system, to a refined wood chip dispenser, for consistent delivery and monitoring of the refined wood chips to a chip pelleter. Below the pelleter is a pellet cooling means that cools the pellets as the pellets collect and are drop through a cycling grate onto a pellet transfer means with airflow screens for separating wood fines into a re-circulation airflow system which includes a means for separation of wood particles, wood fines and dust from being released into the atmosphere.

Claims

1. A wood pelleter production system, comprising:

a) a wood chip receiving area;

b) a wood chip infeed dryer deck;

c) means to refine said wood chips;

d) a combined airflow wood chip transfer means;

e) a wood chip dispenser for consistent delivery of said refined wood chips;

f) a wood chip pelleter;

g) a pellet cooling bin;

h) combined pellet transfer means with means for separating wood fines;

i) a means for separation of said wood fines and wood particles from air to be released into the atmosphere; and

j) a means for re-circulation of said wood fines, said wood particles and said airflow.

2. A wood pelleter production system of claim 1, where said infeed dryer deck has at least one endless bar chain drawing wood chips from under a wood chip pile.

3. A wood pelleter production system of claim 2, where said infeed dryer deck has a permeable floor outside of said receiving area, where said permeable floor allows air or heated air to flow up through said permeable floor, for drying said wood chips as said wood chips flow along said infeed dryer deck.

4. A wood pelleter production system of claim 3, where said permeable floor has an array of elongated inverted louvers, substantially perpendicular to said wood chip flow, for passage of said air or heated air, for drying of said wood chips as said wood chips are moving along said infeed dryer deck.

5. A wood pelleter production system of claim 2, where said infeed dryer deck has an adjustable shear gate directly adjacent to said wood chip receiving area.

6. A wood pelleter production system of claim 1, where said means to refine said wood chips is a hammer mill connected to said re-circulatory airflow.

7. A wood pelleter production system of claim 1, where said wood chip dispenser consists of a plurality of counter-rotating augers.

8. A wood pelleter production system of claim 7, where said wood chip dispenser has a means for visual monitoring of said wood chips above said counter-rotating augers.

9. A wood pelleter production system of claim 7, where said counter-rotating augers have separating elongating troughs that meet one another to create an elongated point.

10. A wood pelleter production system of claim 1, where said pellet cooling bin is connected to said re-circulatory airflow and where said pellet cooling bin consists of a hopper with a fractional rotating grated floor capable of allowing airflow through pellets when closed as well as open.

11. A wood pelleter production system of claim 10, where said rotating floor grates are a plurality of elongated L-shaped bars pivoting at one end.

12. A wood pelleter production system of claim 1, where said pellet transfer means is a vibratory conveyor with at least one screened floor section, where said screened floor section is connected to said re-circulatory airflow.

13. A wood pelleter production system of claim 1, where said means for separation of wood fines from air released into the atmosphere, is a bag house connected to said re-circulatory airflow for re-circulation of chip particles, fines and airflow.

14. A wood pelleter production system of claim 1, wherein the pelleter motor has a field temperature sensor for monitoring the field temperature for increasing amperage efficiency.

15. A combined wood chip conveyance and wood chip drying means, comprising:

a wood chip receiving area and a wood chip infeed deck having a connecting wood chip dryer deck;

said wood chip infeed deck and said wood chip dryer deck having at least one endless chain pair with spaced bars therebetween;

said infeed deck is positioned on a floor of said wood chip receiving area, with a partition above said infeed deck and separating said dryer deck;

an adjustable wood chip shear gate mounted on said partition, substantially centered over top of said wood chip infeed deck and said dryer deck, where said wood chip dryer deck is outside of said wood chip receiving area;

where said wood chip drying deck has an array of elongated inverted louvers to allow air flow in one direction and chip transfer in a second direction, where said elongated inverted louvers are substantially perpendicular to said second direction; and

a plenum for delivery of air or heated air directly under said wood chip dryer deck.

17. A combined wood chip conveyance and wood chip drying means of claim 15 where said mix of heated air and flue gas is done in a mixing chamber above a pellet burner, where said mixing chamber has adjustable doors to allow atmospheric air in to said mixing chamber.

19. A combined wood chip conveyance and wood chip drying means of claim 15 where said heated air and flue gas includes a spark detector with a spark diverter located before said plenum for delivery of a mix of heated air and flue gas to said infeed dryer deck.

16. A combined wood chip conveyance and wood chip drying means, comprising:

a wood chip receiving area and a wood chip infeed deck having a connecting wood chip dryer deck;

said wood chip infeed deck and said wood chip dryer deck having at least one endless chain pair with spaced bars therebetween;

said infeed deck is positioned on a floor of said wood chip receiving area, with a partition above said infeed deck and separating said dryer deck;

an adjustable wood chip shear gate mounted on said partition, substantially centered over top of said wood chip infeed deck and said dryer deck, where said wood chip dryer deck is outside of said wood chip receiving area;

where said wood chip drying deck has an array of elongated inverted louvers to allow air flow in one direction and chip transfer in a second direction, where said elongated inverted louvers are substantially perpendicular to said second direction;

a plenum for delivery of a mix of heated air and flue gas directly under said wood chip dryer deck and through said louvers; and

a plenum for above said wood chip dryer deck for controlled exit of said a mix of heated air and flue gas.

18. A combined wood chip conveyance and wood chip drying means of claim 16 where said mixing chamber has a plurality of levels where said levels are separated by shelves.