Pellet Mill Selection and

Pelleting Technology
Li Lingfang

Basic types and classification of Muyang pellet mills

Laboratorysize type

MUZL180

Single
roller

MUZL350
MUZL420
V-belt singlestage
transmission

MUZL610
MUZL1210

Double
roller

MUZL1610

Muyang
pellet
mills

UMT timing
belt doublestage
transmission
Special
type for
shrimp
feed

MUZL600
MUZL1200
MUZL350X
MUZL420X
MUZL600X
MUZL1200X
MUZL350T

Series T
pellet mills

MUZL420T
MUZL610T

Triple
roller

Muyang MUZL180 laboratory-size pellet mill

Technical data and main characteristics of

MUZL180 pellet mill

Power of main machine: 7.5kW

Power of conditioner: 3kW
Power of feeder: 0.55kW
Ring die:18024
Roller : 10530single
Single-motor belt transmission
Mainly used for pelleting
experiment in scientific
research departments

Pellet mills
Model MUZL350, MUZL420 and MUZL610

Main characteristics of pellet mills

Model MUZL350, MUZL420 and MUZL610

Double-motor V-belt transmission,

featuring stable driving and low
noise;
Double-roller structure;
Configurated with Multiple types
of conditioners;
Mainly used for producing
livestock feed, fish feed and cattle
feed etc.

Main technical data of pellet mills

Model MUZL350, MUZL420 and MUZL610
Model

MUZL350

MUZL420

MUZL610

Power of main moter, kW

222302

372452552

552752

Power of conditioner, kW

5.5

7.5

15

Power of feeder, KW

0.75

1.5

1.5

2.0~12

2.0~12

2.0~12

1.2-5.5

2.0-11

3.5-15

350 100

420 136OR 112 (37

kW)

520 178

150 106

205 142.5

250 190

Steam consumption,t/h

0.3

0.55

0.75

Steam working pressureMpa

0.1~.4

0.1~.4

0.1~.4

Pyramidal or
anchor ear

Pyramidal or anchor
ear

Pyramidal or
anchor ear

Pellet size, mm
Capacity, t/h
Roller number,piece
Die's internal diameter
effective width,mm
Roller diam. effective
width,mm

Die installation mode

Pellet mills Model MUZL1210 and MUZL1610

Main characteristics of pellet mills

Model MUZL1210 and MUZL1610
The gap between die and rollers is
adjusted by means of a hydraulic
automatic adjusting mechanism, and the
gap can be easily set according to
different die hole diameters and formula
requirements;
The die is quickly dismounted by a
hydraulic mechanism, saving labor and
time;
Two type are available for selection:
automatic type and common type;
Mainly used for producing livestock feed,
poultry feed, fish feed and cattle feed etc.

Main technical data of pellet mill

Model MUZL1210MUZL1610
model
Power of main motor, kW

MUZL1210
90 x 2, 110 x2

MUZL1610
132 x2, 160 x2

Power of conditioner motor, kW

15

22

Power of feeder motor, kW

1.5

2.2

Pellet size, mm

2.0 12

2.0 12

Capacity, t/h

3.5 20

4.5 30

Roller number, piece

Dies internal diam. X effective width,

mm

630 x 197

800 x 222

Roller diam. X effective width, mm

310 x 210

395 x 235

1.0

1.5

Steam consumption, t/h

Steam working pressure, Mpa

0.1 0.4

0.1 0.4

Die installation mode

hydraulic or common

hydraulic or common

Roller adjusting method

automatic or manual

automatic or manual

Pellet mills Model MUZL600 and MUZL1200

Main characteristics of pellet mills Model

MUZL600 and MUZL1200

Staged timing- belt transmission

system, featuring uniform stress of
the bearings of the main shaft and
stable driving;

Triple-roller structure, good pellet

quality, uneasy breakage of the die;

Equipped with three cutters, it is

easy to control pellet length.

Main characteristics of pellet mills

Model MUZL600 and MUZL1200
Two die protection methods are
available: hydraulic method and
shear pin method;
The hydraulic model also has belt
self-tensioning function;
The function provided for belt
speed monitoring can avoid belt
creep and burning;
A semi-automatic hydraulic
lubricating system is adopted.

Main technical data of pellet mills

Model MUZL600MUZL1200
model

MUZL 600

MUZL 1200

55 x 2, 75 x 2

90 x 2, 110 x 2

Power of conditioner motor, kW

15

22

Power of feeder motor, kW

1.5

1.5

Power of main motor, kW

Pellet size, mm

2.012

2.012

Capacity, t/h

3.518

4.5 25

Roller number, piece

Dies internal diam. X effective width, mm

550 x 170

650 X 175

Roller diam. X effective width, mm

248 x 175

298 x 181

Steam consumption, t/h

Steam working pressure, Mpa

0.9

1.1

0.10.4

0.10.4

Die installation mode

pyramidal or anchor ear

Safety protection method

hydraulic or shear pin

hydraulic

automatic or manual

automatic

Belt tensioning method

pyramidal or anchor ear

Series MUZL350T,420T,610T Pellet mills

Main characteristics of
Series MUZL350T,420T,610T pellet mills
Adopting the timing-belt singlestage driving system, transmission
efficiency is 98~99.5%, with the
advantages of both belt
transmission and gear transmission;
The working area of the die is
increased by 1015% compared
with the original, which is beneficial
to the increase of capacity and the
improvement of quality;
The aim is to raise the production
efficiency of small and medium
sized pellet mills.

Main technical data of

Series MUZL350T, 420T and 610T pellet mills
model

MUZL350T

MUZL420T

MUZL610T

Power of main motor, kW

55

55 x 2

75 x 2

Power of conditioner motor, kW

5.5

7.5

15

0.75

1.5

1.5

2.0 12

2.0 12

2.0 12

2 6

2.5 12

4 17

Power of feeder motor, kW

Pellet size, mm
Capacity, t/h
Roller number, piece

3 or 2

Dies internal diam. X effective width, mm

350 x 118

460 x139

550 x190

Roller diam. X effective width, mm

150 x 124

Steam consumption, t/h

Steam working pressure, Mpa
Die installation mode

205 x 142.5 (3)

216 x 145 (2)

265 x 195

0.3

0.6

0.85

0.1 0.4

0.1 0.4

0.1 0.4

pyramidal or
anchor ear

pyramidal or
anchor ear

pyramidal or
anchor ear

Pellet mills Series MUZL350X-420X-420TX-600X1200X for shrimp feed

Cutter adjustment for shrimp feed

For shrimp feed, thin cutter blade of

0.5 mm thick must be used;
The blade edge should be nestled
against the outside surface of the die;
In case the blade edge does not
adapt to the angle of outside surface
of the die, the cutter carrier can be
replaced with a proper one;
Attention must be paid to the correct
positions of the three rollers, the
expansion ring at the rear should be
adjusted if necessary;
After each working shift, the jagged
blade edge must be sharpened
smooth with a grinding wheel.

Technical data of the pellet mills

Series MUZL350X-420X-420TX-600X-1200X for shrimp feed
roller
dimensions
(mm)

roller
no.
(piec.)

Die hole
Diameter
(mm)

Capacity

(kW)

die
dimensions
(mm)

MUZL350X

30x2

350x100

150x106

1.6 1.8

1.0 1.8

MUZL420X

45x2

420x136

205x142.5

1.6 1.8

1.8 2.5

MUZL420X

55x2

460x139

216x145

1.6 1.8

2.2 3.2

MUZL600X

55x2

550x170

248x175

1.6 1.8

2.5 3.5

MUZL1200X

90x2

650x175

298x181

1.6 1.8

4.0 5.5

model

power

(t/h)

Pelleting technology
Main factors affecting pellet quality;
Roller and ring die;
Causes for the abnormal appearance of pellets

and improving methods.

Pellet mill maintenance;
Crumbling equipment.

Main factors affecting pellet quality

1. Feed formulation
Formulation is the principal factor for ensuring

pellet quality, it including:

Moisture
Starch
Protein
Fat
Crude fiber
Minerals
Cohesive agent (pelleting aid) etc

2. Granulation
Grinding process is an important factor

for controlling pellet quality;

2. Granulation

Livestock and poultry feeds:

for 4~5 pelletsadopt2.5~3 mm screen holes;
for 3~3.5 pelletsadopt2~2.5 mm screen holes;
for 2~2.5 pelletsadopt1.2~1.5 mm screen holes;

Aquafeed: Normally all ground product is required to pass through

the 40 mesh standard screen, and the overtail particles on the 60
mesh standard screen not more than 20%; It is better to use the
screen with a hole diameter of 0.8mm,1.0mm,1.2mm and 1.5mm

Shrimp feed: For shrimp feed, all ground product is required to pass
through 60 mesh standard screen, 95% of the total should pass
through 80 mesh standard screen, so ultra-fine grinding is usually
adopted.

3. Conditioning result
Good conditioning can greatly increase capacity,

reduce energy consumption and improve pellet

quality;

3.1 Conditioning result steam system

High quality steam;
High pressure for conveying, low pressure for

conditioning;
Pipe connection;
Bleeder.

3.2 Conditioning result conditioning

equipment

Single-shaft paddle type barrel conditioner

Double-pass single-shaft paddle type barrel
conditioner
Triple-pass single-shaft paddle type barrel
conditioner
Steam-jacketed barrel conditioner
Double-shaft differential conditioner
Highly efficient conditioner

Barrel conditioner

Double-shaft differential conditioner DDC

Highly efficient conditioner

Conditioning principle
Materials

Steam & liquids

Agitating zone

Ripening zone

Conditioned
materials

4. Effects of rollers

Dimpled-face

Open-end corrugation
(grooved)

Helical corrugation

Closed-end corrugation
(grooved)

Herringbone corrugation

Different
patterns of
roller shells

Roller shell
The pattern design of roller shell has a certain effect on pelleting
performance.
The patterns of roller shells usually used are: dimpled face, openend corrugation (grooved), closed-end corrugation.
The roller shells with dimpled faces and open-end corrugations
are mainly used for livestock and poultry feeds.
The advantage of the roller shells with dimpled faces is uniform in
die wearing, but with poor traction.
The roller shells with open-end corrugations feature excellent
traction, commonly used by feed mills, die wearing is not so
uniform.
The roller shells with closed-end corrugations are mainly used for
pelleting aquafeed, capable of keeping stock from slipping
towards the two sides, also solving the wear-out at the edges of
the roller shell,

5. Ring die effects

Ring die material and heat treatment

Ring dies are made of high chrome alloy. The rollforged blanks are drilled by the gang drill imported
from Germany and heat treated in an imported
vacuum furnace. They feature excellent antiabrasive and anti-corrosion performance;

Ring die processing and heat treatment equipment

Gun drill
(Four woking positions)

Gun drill (MOLLART)

(Eight woking positions)

Vacuum quenching
furnace
(SECO/WARWICK)
Drill bit
processing bore equipment

Die hole structure

Guide inlet

Cylindrical
hole

Die hole with

relief step bore

Die hole with

compression step bore

Die hole with

outlet cone

Die hole with

inlet cone

Over travel
channel

Die hole arrangement

Pattern A

Pattern B

Ratio of die open area

Open area ratio of pattern ASuppose the diameter of the die hole
is d, the spacing between holes is a, and the die opening ration is ,
then 0.9d2/(d+a)2

Open area ratio of pattern B Suppose the diameter of the die hole
is d, the spacing between holes is a, and the die opening ration is ,
then 0.78d2/(d+a)2
Apparently,

Open area ratio of pattern A Opening ratio of pattern B

Compression ratio

Compression ratioCompression ratio is the proportion or

ratio between efficient length and the min. diameter of a die
hole. The bigger the compression ration, the firmer the
pellets produced;
common livestock and poultry feeds, 9.512.5fish feed
1416shrimp feed 2025heat sensitive feedstuffs
4.8 8.0.

Linear velocity of a ring die

In case the die rotates too fast, pellets will not be

produced continuously, fines will increase, and the
materials will be liable to slip when producing small
pellets;

If the die run too slow, the throughput will reduce, though
the quality of the pellets produced are better;

Suitable linear velocity of a die is normally between

5~9m/s.

Retention time of materials in die holes

For the same throughput, the higher the compression

ratio, the longer the retention time of materials in the
die holes;

For the same throughput, material retention time in a

triple-roller pellet mill is longer than that in a doubleroller pellet mill, hence better pellet quality.

Factors affecting pellet length

Pelleting capacity;
The linear velocity or rotating speed of the die;
Die hole diameter and ratio of dies open area;
Inside diameter and efficient of a ring die, and the
density of pellets;
Cutter (number, structure and adjustment);
Die hole structure;
Surface pattern of the rollers;
Sifting system after pelleting.

Relationship among PDIpellet durability index

and FPQFfeed pellet quality factor), capacity and power input

Question:
How to increase pellet durability index (PDI)?

Rational formulation
Good conditioning
Increasing die compression ratio
Reducing die linear velocity
Properly increasing the gap between roller and die
Reducing feeding rate, namely lowering pelleting
capacity
Adopting some pelleting aids.

Causes for Abnormal Appearance

of Pellets and Improvement

1. Bent pellets and many cracks

in one side of the pellets
This phenomenon usually occurs when pellets leave the die;
When the cutter is comparatively far from the die surface
and additionally the blade edge is dull, this phenomenon is
easy to occur, in such case the pellets are broken by
pushing.
Improvement Method:
Increasing the dies compression on stocks, that is to say to
increase the compression ratio;
Grinding the feedstuffs into finer mash. If molasses and fat have
been added, their dispersion homogeneity should be improved and the
addition amount controlled;
Adjusting the distance from the cutter to die surface or replace with
a sharper cutter blade;
Improving the internal binding capability of the pellets by means of
glutinous pelleting aids.

2.Horizontal cracks across the whole pellet

The cracks occur in the cross sections, and the pellet particle
does not bend;
This phenomena occurs in case more bulky fiber materials are
contained in the pelleted particles, and some of them are
longer than the die hole diameter;
When the pellet is extruded out, because of the expansion
action of the fiber materials cracks occur across the cross
sections.
Improvement methods:
Increasing the compacting force of the die onto feedstuffs, namely
increasing the compression ratio of the die;
Controlling the fineness of the ground fibrous particles, the max. length
can not exceed one third of the pellet diameter;
Reducing pelleting capacity so as to lower the speed of the mixed feed
passing through the die holes and increase the pellet firmness;
Prolong conditioning time by means of using multi-conditioner or
ripener conditioner;
When the mash feed contains too high moisture or urea, the levels of
water and urea to be added should be controlled.

3. Longitudinal cracking in pellets.

Some feed ingredients included in a feed formula are soft,

bulky and somewhat elastic, they will expand due to water
absorption in a conditioner
When being pelletized by a die, these ingredients will blow up
due to the action of water contained and the elasticity of the
ingredients themselves, resulting in longitudinal cracks.

Improvement methods
Changing the formula, however this will increase the cost of raw
materials;
Using comparatively saturated dry steam
Reducing throughput or increasing the efficient length of die holes so
as to make the retention time in die holes as long as possible;
Adding glutinous pelleting aids can also decrease the occurrence of
longitudinal cracks.

4. Cracks radiate from an initial point in a pellet

This appearance indicates that there are big ingredient

particles contained in a pellet
Such big ingredient particles are very difficult to absorb
the water and heat contained in steam, and they are not
easy to be softened
During cooling process, the different softening degrees
will bring about the difference in shrinkage, hence
resulting in the occurrence of radial cracks and
increased fines among pellets.
Improvement Methods
Control the fineness and uniformity of the materials so that all
ingredients can be fully softened during conditioning.

5. Uneven pellet surface

The occurrence of this phenomenon is because of that the

mashes to be pelleted contain big particls, and they have not
been fully softened during conditioning
Another situation may be that the conditioned materials
contain steam bobbles, in the wink when they are extruded out
of the die, these steam bobbles which will break due to
pressure change, resulting in uneven pellet surface
Such problem may occurs to any feedstuffs that contain fibers.

Improvement Methods:
Properly control the fineness of mash feed so that all ingredients can be
fully softened in conditioning;
for the raw materials which contain more fibers, because they are liable
to contain bobbles, so it is not proper to add in too much steam.

6. Branchial-cleft shaped pellets

This appearance indicates that too much steam is added,

the excessive steam will be stored in fiber and mash
feed
When pellets are extruded out of the die, the rapid change
in pressure will make the pellets to burst out so that the
fiber and particles project to the pellet surface, forming
branchial clefts which prick the hands.
Especially when producing the feeds with high starch and
high fiber contents, the more steam used the more serious
the problem is.

Improvement Methods:
Good conditioning;
When producing the feeds with high starch and high fiber contents,
low pressure steam (0.1-0.2Mpa) should be used
The distance from the pressure release valve to the conditioner
should be larger than 4.5 m, so that steam can release the moisture
and heat contained in it.

7. Un-uniform color of a pellet or between pellet

particles, which is called as flowered pellets

It is comparatively common in aqua feed production;

The composition of an aqua feed formula is complicated due to its many
ingredients, of which some are small in quantity, therefore the mixing
result will not be ideal;
The moisture contents of the materials to be pelletized are not identical,
or the mixing with water added is not homogeneous;
There are materials returning the pellet mill for re-pelleting;
The degree of finish of the inside die holes are not uniform;
The die or rolls are excessively worn, resulting in uneven out coming
from the die holes.

Pellet mill maintenance

Centralized lubrication and clamping expander ring

Handle and
distributor
housing

Distributor core

Oil pipe joint

Filter

Oil pipe

Rotary joint

Main shaft resetting

Timing belt adjustment

Hydraulic system
Oil tank:
Volume -- 33 L
The oil type recommended is
Shell Brand #T32 hydraulic oil ;
Check and inspect the oil level
everyday;
Oil renewal: Renew the oil after
the first run of 400 h, then renew
once every year;
The core of back oil strainer
should be checked once every6
months.

Crumbling equipment

Corrugation patterns of crumbling rollers

Corrugation patterns and combination of crumbling rollers

Thank you very much!