LARGE BRUKS DRUM CHIPPER HEADS TO US PELLET PLANT

21 May 2021

Bruks Siwertell is completing the delivery of one of its largest Bruks drum chippers to an undisclosed US owner. It is the third of its kind to head to this operator and has been ordered to serve a new pellet plant under construction, making a significant contribution towards a power shift away from fossil fuels to renewable biomass. This delivery is part of a suite of equipment from Bruks Siwertell including an automated woodyard, bark hog, various disc screens and conveyors, which are also destined to serve the plant.

“Essentially, this order was about proven technology combined with the support that we can offer as a global company,” says Stefanie Müller, Area Sales Manager, Bruks Klöckner GmbH, part of Bruks Siwertell. “The customer already knows the capabilities of our equipment and has good experience with it at other pellet mills. Drum chippers are a core component of plants like these. They form part of the ‘wet side’ of the facility and basically reduce the log to chips. 

“At around 2.4m in diameter, this was one of the biggest drum chippers that we have ever manufactured,” Müller continues. “Logistically, large deliveries such as these, require significant planning and expertise, especially for individual pieces of equipment that are over 100 metric tons and have to make a transatlantic journey.”

At its new location, the type DH 1050 (800) x 1450 K-14W(T) is able to produce up to around one and half a million tons of wood chips per year at a homogenous chip size of between 8 and 11mm. It offers a capacity of 272 metric tons per hour and delivers 855m³/h loose chips, handling tree-length logs between 3.1m and 15.2m, short wood, and forest clean-up. For this particular facility, the chipper will predominantly process softwood tree species.

“For pellet plants to compete for sustainable fuel production, they need consistent performance, reliability, and efficiency from their wood-processing equipment; this is exactly what our systems ensure,” Müller concludes.

Bruks Siwertell manufactures drum chippers at its Bruks Klöckner company in Hirtscheid, Germany. More than 11,000 chippers, of various sizes, have been delivered worldwide and are key to many processed wood industries.