Determination of the chicken manure pelletizing line performance

At the present time, chicken manure that is handled by suitable technologies, is used as source of heat energy and organic fertilizer in agricultural production with pellet form. However, the difficulties comes forward on the pelletizing process because of the changes on the physical and chemical properties of the chicken manure continiously. So that, this situation effects on the quality of pellets and production efficiency negatively for the chicken manure pellet plants. Especially, during the pellet production, the investigation on production efficiency of pelletizing unit and find out factors that effects on it, is so important and comes forward so prominently. In this study, during the production of two pellets types for the aim of agricultural fertilizer and gain heat energy as a solid fuel, manure of laying hen pellet plant pelletizing line was examined on production of 8 mm and 10 mm pellet diameter sizes through by the following properties; power and energy consumption behaviours, the operating capacity and physical quaility of pellet products. For this aim, the management and operating situations of dried chicken manure handling plant was revealed in the first chapter. Besides, the plant flow chart, some technical properties of pellet production line was revealed and the plant installed capacity was determined as 722,79 kW. Pellet production line installed power was determined as 93 % percent inside the whole plant. Pellet production line contains three pelletizing units that called as PU-1, PU-2 and PU-3. Moreover, installed power of machines pelletizing units was determined as 200 kW, 220 kW and 200 kW respectively. Next chapter, the energy analysis system was set up for pelletizing units and the analysis were done in different dried chicken manure moisture content conditions. According to the analysis results, the actual capacity (t/h) and specific energy consumption (kWh/t) of pelletizing units (PU) were calculated. Pellet plant existing production conditions wasn't changed during the analysis. 8 mm product results were found as actual capacity and specific energy consumption respectively for PU-1: 2,82 t/h, 24,87 kWh/t, PU-2: 2,30 t/h, 12,32 kWh/t, PU-3: 2,96 t/h, 13,72 kWh/t. 10 mm product results were found as actual capacity and specific energy consumption respectively for PU-1: 4,88 t/h, 5,96 kWh/t, PU-2; 3,22 t/h, 6,47 kWh/t, PU-3; 6,90 t/h, 6,48 kWh/t. The moisture content of dried chicken manure that was used as a raw material was different from each other. Generally, when the moisture content of dried chicken manure increased to higher than 35% value, the working capacity of pellet machines decreased. The results were different for the 8 mm and 10 mm diameter size when the moisture content of raw material was decreased to under 25% value. Finally, the mechanical durability test was made for pellets that were produced during the energy analysis. For both pellet diameter sizes, the test results have shown that if the moisture content of pellets increase, the value of pellets mechanical durability decrease.