WOOD PELLET QUALITY
The ENPlus Certificate is a European-wide quality standard for wood pellets. This standard guarantees that the pellet meets certain minimum performance parameters such as calorific value (CV) and ash content.
Puffin have proudly been accredited to the Enplus A1 standard for several years now. The relevant parameters included in the specification are detailed below. Further information can also be found at the UK Pellet Council website.
| ENplus A1 requirements | Typical PP results | |
| Length | 3.15mm<L<40mm | 3.15mm<L<40mm |
| Ash Content | >=0.7% | 0.4% |
| Durability | >98% | >98% |
| Fines | <1% | 0.8% |
| Net CV | 4.6 kWh/kg | 4.8 kWh/kg |
| Ash Deformation Temp | >=1200 degrees C | 1300 degrees C |
Length - ENplus allows for 1% of your delivered load of pellets to be between 40mm and 45mm but there should be no pellets longer than 45mm. For some boilers longer pellets will work through the system with no issues, but for others these long pellets will get stuck and cause blockages. We have a number of number of procedures in place to prevent long pellets from leaving our factory. however if you are experiencing problems with long pellets please contact us.
Ash Content - This is the amount of ash that will be produced from burning our pellets. So, for example, at our typical standard of 0.4% ash content, you would have 4kg of ash for every tonne of pellets you use.
Durability - This describes how well the pellets break up, or rather how well they DON'T break up. The 98% parameter refers to the percentage of pellets that are still intact after going through the test for durability, which basically involves rattling the pellets around in a sort of drum for a designated amount of time. This replicates the delivery process of when the pellets are being blown into a store so determines if the pellets are going to be good enough to withstand that.
Fines - This is one that everyone wants to know about, more commonly referred to as DUST! The percentage of fines is the amount of particles in the load below 3.15mm in size when loaded on the lorry before it leaves the factory. The allowance for bags before they leave the factory is 0.5%. Click here for more information on fines.
Net CV - Net CV (Calorific Value) is the amount of energy you get from every kg of pellets. ENplus A1 accredited pellets guarantee you a minimum of 4.6kWh for every kg of pellets, however our Puffin Pellets are often in excess of 4.8kWh/kg, giving you more energy and therefore more heat, for your money.
Ash Deformation Temperature - This is the temperature that the ash from the pellets will melt and turn into what is commonly known as clinker. Ash is produced at 815 degrees Celsius, when temperatures exceed 1200 degrees the ash will then melt and will resemble something like molten metal or melted plastic. Most boilers operate around 1000 degrees so by keeping the ash deformation temperature at or above 1200 in Enplus A1 pellets this is prevented from happening.