The system of the Russian Pellet Union for an objective determination of pellet color is welcomed by the market with open arms.
More and more pellet manufacturers, traders and service providers have been using RPU’s Pellet Color Determination System. The color is determined directly at the producer, and since the delivery time to the port is often long, buyers have sufficient time to optimize where to distribute the pellets, for example to unload them to a separate warehouse, or to redirect them to another client.
This reduces the risks of mixing pellets of different colors and possible claims against the manufacturer by the recipient. The photo demonstrates a small bag with pellets of different color. The color indices of the pellets in this package were in the range from 671129 to 531227. The first two digits are lightness, the second two are redness and the last two are yellowness. In this case, the difference in chromaticity dE reaches a value of 14, while already at a value of 6 the difference in color is obvious for the human eye. The company bagging the pellets had been warned in advance about the color differences of these specific batches, but had not paid sufficient attention to the information. But due to the provided information the buyer understood it did not make sense to send a claim to the supplier.
Companies bagging pellets can be receiving pellets in bulk in containers or small vessels from several (certified) suppliers. It is normally of great important for them not to mix pellets of different colors, as clients appreciate the pellet brand (they are used to buying) to always have the same qualities.
RPU has now assisted suppliers with producing a few thousand test results and the system works well. The system determines the pellet color better than the human eye can, and it automatically gives the pellet color a logical code. The main issue of determining the color is that the color depends on the light and the type of camеra (and its settings) used. The RPU solved this persuasively.
Next to contributing to clear trade agreements and assistance to companies bagging pellets, RPU’s PCDS could be used for several other applications also: optimizing internal production processes, investigating the use of raw materials, production processes and machinery used, and fighting possible fraud (with enough sample points), etc.
In general, the ‘interesting’ times we are now living in, when producers and traders invent all kinds of names (for example: light coffee brownish pellets) could end soon.