Method for determining liquid water flow in wood during drying using a fluorescent dye tracer

A novel procedure for the evaluation of liquid water flow during the drying of wood is described. The method is based on the movement of a fluorescent dye solution in liquid water. The addition of the dye solution produced a clear trace inside the wood, the length and direction of which were directly related to the flow of liquid water. A comparison of the results obtained with image analysis using UV illumination and measurement of the reflectance spectrum of wood showed that image analysis is appropriate and accurate enough for the determination of the trace of the dye solution. The trace of the dye solution can be determined from the images of the cross sectional samples of wood in all three main directions.