木材微波干燥的应用与研究动态

分析了木材微波干燥的机理和优点，介绍了国内外木材微波干燥的研究与应用情况，指出木材微波干燥是一项具有广阔发展前景的新技术。建议今后加强木材微波干燥理论、干燥设备、干燥工艺、微波联合干燥技术等的研究工作。     

热泵干燥木材的技术现状与发展趋势

热泵与常规热风干燥的区别在于前者的干燥系统中空气为闭式循环，依靠制冷原理对空气降湿；后者为开式循环，依靠换气使空气降湿。对热泵干燥木材进行了节能分析，其节能率在40％～70％之间。文中介绍了热泵在木材干燥工业中的国内外应用概况，分析了热泵干燥的优点、局限性与适用范围，指出了今后热泵干燥木材的发展趋向是与常规能源联合干燥或作为二段干燥中的预干燥。同时还指出，热泵也宜推广用于干燥种子、水产品及热敏类化工原料等适于低温干燥的物料。     

提高热带硬木干燥产率的高温干燥系统

目前，商业化干燥高温干燥（HTD^TM）橡木和，或其他本土硬木未见报道。至目前为止，95％以上马来西亚木材干燥工厂采用传统低温蒸汽加热干燥系统。由马来西亚林业科学研究所（FRIM）开发的HTDTM系统，特别对于橡胶木家具行业提供了一个独特解决方案。这种技术无需采用标准贝塞尔化学处理，只需一级干燥操作即将生橡木锯材转化为可供下游制造加工过程使用的干木材。木材处理周期时间比现有过程减少75％以上。此外，经HTDTM处理过的木材质量好，与传统方法生产的木材相比，具有更好的外形稳定性。与行业伙伴合作，FRIM高温干燥橡木产品已经成功地用于试生产胶合板台面和其他的实木家具及组件。     

2006年《干燥技术与设备》第4卷分类总目次

国外技术介绍日本干燥技术的最新进展李占勇,小林敬幸(1)专题综述木材干燥的国内外现状与发展趋势张璧光,谢拥群(1)我国木材干燥学术交流活动纪实朱政贤(2)第十四届国际干燥学术会议(IDS2004)简介曹崇文(3)中国干燥技术现状及发展趋势史勇春,柴本银(3)真空干燥设备的国内外发展动态徐成海,张世伟,赵雨霞,王喜鹏(4)固体干燥的物理解释和建模综述王维,陈国华(4)实用技术木材纤维板管道气流干燥系统的流体力学分析王旭(1)缓控释复合肥的包衣技术与设备邹龙贵(1)市场分析我国轻质碳酸钙应用的市场前景张春月,陈英军,韩恒朝(1)试验与研究真空油…     

我国木材干燥技术与研究动态

阐述了我国木材干燥技术应用状况及面临的问题,介绍了我国木材干燥学术活动的情况和理论研究动态。指出以蒸汽为热源的常规干燥仍将占木材干燥的主导地位,约在80％以上;真空干燥、热泵除湿干燥、微波与高频干燥、高温干燥、加压干燥等其它干燥方法都在各自适用的范围内有一定的发展。木材的渗透性、木材干燥过程的水分迁移机理等有关木材干燥的传热传质方面的基础理论研究正在加强;高效节能的木材干燥技术是目前研究的重点课题。我国木材干燥技术正由经验型转向以干燥理论为基础的科学型方向发展。     

太阳能与热泵联合干燥木材特性的实验研究

介绍了国内外利用太阳能干燥木材的概况、太阳能与热泵联合干燥系统的组成与工作原理、太阳能与热泵联合干燥木材的特性和干燥木材的工艺实验。实验结果显示。太阳能与热泵联合供热可以弥补太阳能或热泵单独供热的缺点。太阳能比联合干燥节能3．8％,而联合干燥比热泵干燥节能11．8％;联合干燥比太阳能干燥时间缩短了14．9％。从能耗及生产效率综合考虑。太阳能与热泵联合干燥是值得推荐的一种干燥方法。     

ZKY-01型箱式木材真空干燥机及干燥工艺的试验研究

介绍了ZKY-01型箱式木材真空干燥机的结构，采用浮压手段对榆木和酸枝木进行真空干燥试验。试验结果表明，ZKY-01型箱式木材真空干燥机的干燥效果与常规干燥相比，干燥速度大大提高，其干燥时间仅为常规干燥时间的15％左右；干燥质量好，没有发生端裂、表裂与变形等干燥缺陷；被干锯材的应力试片其齿条基本通直，应力指标为0．42％-0．76％。箱式木材真空干燥机具有一定的发展潜力。     

会讯

由中国林学会木材工业分会木材干燥研究会及中国林产工业协会木材干燥专业委员会共同主办的第十次全国木材干燥会议，在北京林业大学的精心筹备下，定于2005年10月17～19日在北京林业大学召开。此次会议主要赞助单位为清华大学热能工程系、北京林业大学材料科学与技术学院。     

热泵干燥过程中低温热泵补热的应用分析

针对木材干燥中的不利工况,提高干燥系统的可靠性,根据两级压缩制冷循环原理,提出了低温热泵和干燥热泵的耦合应用方案。使用能量的（火用）损失模型,分别对干燥系统进行热量、干燥介质的质扩散和除湿过程的（火用）损失进行分析。在低温热泵20、22、24、26、28、30℃以及关闭低温热泵的供热情况下分别测试计算了干燥热泵压缩机的排气温度与能耗、热泵性能系数（COP）以及热力完善度,同时测得木材含水率下降1%,系统的干燥用时和能耗。结果表明：相比于关闭低温热泵,开启低温热泵后干燥热泵的排气温度最多减少了16℃,COP皆有所提高。由于主机室温度升高后,系统循环的不可逆程度增加,热力完善度随着供热温度增加逐渐降低。开启低温热泵后干燥热泵的供热量和用时比关闭低温热泵最大分别增加44%,减少46%。     

《实用木材干燥技术》出版发行

《实用木材干燥技术》由我国木材干燥技术专家、北京林业大学张璧光教授主编，高建民、伊松林、周永东副主编。     

A Simulation of Wet Pocket Lumber Drying

In general, wood containing wet pockets is difficult to dry and to ensure uniformity of moisture content at the end of the drying process. Large variations of final moisture content and severe case hardening are common problems associated with the drying of wet wood. In order to devise optimal strategies for drying wood containing wet pockets, it is necessary to understand its complex moisture movement mechanisms and therefore predict drying times and final moisture content. Sub-alpine fir dimension lumber was used in this research because of its inherent issues related to wet pockets.

A two-dimensional mathematical drying model for wood containing wet pockets was developed. An effective diffusion coefficient (D_eff) was utilized in the model and heat and mass transfer equations were solved using a control volume approach. The difficulties involved in the simulation of the drying process of wet pocket lumber are due to the differences in moisture content and physical properties between wet and normal wood. Thus, an adjustable D_eff based on the moisture content (for both below and above fiber saturation point) was used during the simulation.

Four drying runs involving green unsorted sub-alpine fir lumber were carried out in a 3-ft laboratory kiln and in an 8-ft pilot kiln. The results of the simulations were in agreement with the results obtained through the drying experiments.     

Variation in Drying Behavior and Final Moisture Content of Wood during Conventional Low Temperature Drying and Vacuum Drying of Betula pendula Timber

Conventional and vacuum drying experiments were conducted on Betula pendula timber, which was sawn from trees felled during three different seasons. The influence of the wood procurement season on drying behavior differed, on the one hand, between the drying phases above and below 30% moisture content in the conventional drying, and, on the other hand, between the conventional and vacuum drying methods. During the first steps of the conventional drying process, relative humidity in the kiln, as well as drying time and drying rate, varied according to the felling season. Variations in environmental conditions outside the kiln and the seasonal variation in the physical properties of the wood were presumed to be the reasons for differences in drying behavior. The difference in moisture content gradient, i.e., the difference in final moisture content between the inner wood and the surface layer of boards, was greater in conventionally dried timber than in vacuum-dried timber. In conventionally dried timber there was a clear seasonal variation in the gradient of final moisture content, which was greatest for winter-felled wood. The premature drying of the surface layer during the first steps of the conventional drying process of winter-felled wood was the reason for the higher gradient of moisture content. Storage of wood as logs decreased the standard deviation of the final moisture content.     

MODELLING OF STRESS DEVELOPMENT DURING DRYING AND RELIEF DURING STEAMING IN PINUS RADIATA LUMBER

A one-dimensional stress model was proposed for drying of radiata pine lumber, which has considered wood moisture shrinkage, instantaneous stress-strain relationships, mechano-sorptive creep, time-induced creep and temperature effects. In addition, wood hardening behaviour in the plastic region and differences between stress increase and decrease have been taken into account. The proposed Stress model can predict stress development and relief in a drying cycle once the required wood mechanical and Theological properties have been quantified.

Drying experiments were performed to dry Pinus radiata sap wood boards of 100×40×590 mm in a tunnel dryer. In the experiment, wood temperature, moisture content gradient and residual stress through board thickness were measured. The drying cycle included HT drying, cooling and final steam conditioning. The measured stress patterns were in agreement with the model predictions. However, more accurate calculations will be made once the detailed experimental data for radiata pine wood mechanical and rheological properties are available.     

STEAM DRYING OF WOOD CHIPS IN PNEUMATIC CONVEYING DRYERS

A model for a pneumatic conveying dryer is presented. Although the main emphasis is put on superheated steam drying of wood chips, it can be used for other porous materials as well

The model includes a comprehensive two-dimensional model for the drying of single wood chips which accounts for the main physical mechanisms occurring in wood during drying. The external drying conditions in a pneumatic conveying dryer were calculated by applying the mass, heat and momentum equations for each incremental step in dryer length. A plug flow assumption was made for the dryer model and the single particle and dryer models were solved in an iterative manner. The non-spherical nature of wood chips were accounted for by measuring the drag and heat transfer coefficients

Model calculations illustrate the complex interactions between steam, particles and walls which occur in a flash dryer. The drying rate varies in a very complex manner through the dryer. The internal resistance to mass transfer becomes very important in The drying of less permeable wood species such as spruce. Two effects were observed as the particle size was increased: firstly the heat transfer rate decreased, and secondly the residence time increased. To some extent, these effects compensate for each other, however, the net result is that larger chips have a higher final moisture content.     

Semi-conductor metal oxide gas sensors for online monitoring of oak wood VOC emissions during drying

This study presents a semi-conductor metal oxide gas sensor system for the online flue gas monitoring during oak wood drying. Oak wood flakes and solid oak wood were heated on laboratory scale. The emissions were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and monitored by a semi-conductor metal oxide gas sensor setup. The calibrated sensor system was able to detect different drying and degradation stages of the oak wood flakes by online monitoring acetic acid and furans/methoxyphenols at 25–240?°C. The system also allowed a monitoring of acetic acid emission from solid wood at 75?°C. This sensor application has the potential to online monitor the flue gas of oak lumber drying and optimize the drying process.     

HEAT PUMP DRYING OF AGRICULTURAL MATERIALS

Heat pump-assisted drying is an energy-efficient process because the heat is recoverable. However, the economic feasibility of the heat pump dryer (HPD) is debatable because high grade energy (electricity) is used. In this study, sawn rubber wood and bananas were dried in an experimental HPD. The moisture extraction rates (MER) and the specific moisture extraction rates (SMER) of wood drying and banana drying decreased rapidly with the drying time but the compressor power was relatively constant. If the final moisture content of wood is less than 10%, the maximum average MER and SMER were 2.854 kg/h and 0.572 kg/kWh, respectively. Banana drying yielded the highest average MER of 2.710 kg/h when the drying load was highest. The corresponding SMER was 0.540 kg/kWh. Economic analyses among the HPD, an electrically-heated hot air dryer and a direct-fired dryer revealed that the HPD had the lowest operating cost.     

Drying kinetics of poplar lumber during periodic hot-press drying

The drying kinetics of poplar lumber was experimentally investigated as a function of drying temperature (115, 135, 160, 185 and 205°C) during a periodic hot-press-drying process. Poplar lumber was dried under contact (compression ratio of 10%) and high-press states (compression ratio of 44%). Compared with the contact-state, the high-press-state showed higher drying rate and higher efficiency of removing free water than bound water in wood. Eight mathematical models from the literature were established to analyze the drying behavior. The Weibull model, with an average determination coefficient R² of 0.9958, fitted well for all applied drying conditions. The scale parameter decreased with increasing drying temperature and was lower for high-press-state drying compared with that for contact-state drying. Moisture diffusivity and activation energy were calculated according to the Weibull model. Diffusivity increased with increasing drying temperature, with the average value of 1.734?×?10^?6 and 3.313?×?10^?6?m²/s and activation energy of 34.79 and 32.85?kJ/mol for contact-state drying and high-press-state drying, respectively. Hot-press drying created an M-shaped curve of density distribution, with high density at the two surface regions gradually decreasing toward the core region. The contact state-dried wood showed increased density near the wood surface. Both average density and peak density improved in the case of high-press-state-dried wood. Furthermore, the hydrophilic index of wood for high-press-state drying was lower than that of the contact-state drying, and the opposite was true regarding crystallinity index. The hygroscopicity of high-press-dried poplar decreased with lower equilibrium moisture content and higher moisture excluding efficiency, compared with contact-state-dried poplar. The rapid, high-quality drying of poplar lumber through periodic hot-press was more potentially achieved by the high-press-state compared with contact-state drying.     

Drying Stress and Strain in Tension Wood: A Conventional Kiln Schedule to Efficiently Dry Mixed Tension/Normal Wood Boards in Poplar

Orthotropic drying stresses of tension and normal wood in poplar were evaluated. The degree of residual stresses was interpreted by prong and slice cutting tests. A strain gauge was employed to determine longitudinal drying stresses. Mixed tension/normal wood boards were also dried using three different schedules, T₈ F₄, T₈ F₅, and T₉ F₄ to find the best schedule. Results revealed more intense drying stress in the longitudinal and radial directions of tension wood. Despite a high susceptibility of the mixed tension/normal wood boards to drying defects, the quality of the boards dried by the schedule of T₉ F₄ was satisfactory.     

Comparative study of moisture absorption and dimensional stability of Chinese cedar wood with conventional drying and superheated steam drying

The effects of drying methods on equilibrated moisture content (MC) and swelling efficiency of Chinese cedar (Cryptomeria fortunei) wood were studied in this paper. Drying experiments were conducted with conventional (CON) drying and superheated steam (SHS) drying under atmospheric pressure. Specimens were equilibrated at two environment conditions to measure moisture and dimensional changes, and then the moisture excluding efficiency (MEE) and antiswelling efficiency (ASE) were determined. Results showed that the equilibrated MC of artificial-dried wood was lower than control samples (air drying), and the equilibrated MC of wood with SHS drying was lower than that with CON drying, which indicated that MEE was enhanced in SHS drying process. Similar results were found in swelling efficiency and ASE of artificial-dried wood and the control. The mechanism was studied by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). The DMA results showed that both of relative storage modulus and relative loss modulus were the highest for SHS-dried wood and the lowest for the control samples. As for the crystalline structure assessed by changes of XRD, the results showed that the cellulose crystallinity and crystallite size of Chinese cedar wood with SHS drying were the highest, and control specimens were the lowest. All the analyses showed that Chinese cedar wood with low hygroscopic and high dimensional stability could be gotten through SHS drying process.     

An optimal operational strategy for wood in batch drying system

A complete model based on the wood drying mechanism and incorporating a multi-period operation was established for wood in batch drying systems. Both energy savings and improvement of wood quality were obtained by an optimal strategy proposed in this study. Energy saving was indicated by the numerical results to be roughly 22.5% for drying of soft wood under the conditions of a given drying time and final moisture content. The gradient of moisture content within the dried wood could be minimized for the sake of enhancing the quality of wood by applying the proposed operational model.