FAQ
This is one of the most frequently asked question for timber drying.
Factors affecting heating requirements of a dryer :
1. Initial Moisture Content - If the initial moisture is very high more heat is required to heat up the wood.
2. Type of timber? Softwood - medium hasrdwood or hardwood. Is the timber chemically treated by impregnation? Softwood
3. Local Weather Conditions - The dryer heating load is affected by the local ambient temperature and the thermsl insulation of the dryer.
Typicslly we use the following heat load :
A. ) For dryers operating the tropics (chambers must have at least 50mm mineral wool insulation or equivalent)
- use 5kg/hr of steam or 2900 KCal/hr for 1 m3 of timber with initisl moisture conent of less than 60%, this is based on a drying plant with 3 dryers or less.
- if there are 4 to 8 dryers , use 4.5 kg/hr of steam or 2600 KCal/hr per m3 of timber.
- for more than 8 dryers, use 4 kg/hr of steam or 2300 KCal/hr per m3 of timber
- if timber has undergone chemical impregnation - add 20% to the above calculations.
B.) For dryers operating in countries with mild winter, chamber insulation should have at least 75mm thick mineral wool insulation or equivalent.
Heating requirement - add 20% to the heating requirements for the conditions in (A.).
C.) For dryers operating in countries with severe winter, chamber must have at, least 100mm thick mineral wool insulation or equivalent. A heat recovery system must be in place to recover the heat from the vented air.
Heating requirements - add 20% to the heating requirements for the conditions in (B.).
The above recommendations are based on our experience gained from 20 years of building dryers. Users may choose to differ. The above information should only be used as a guide only. Tritherm shall not be held responsible if the heating capacity is under valued or over valued due to quality of the chamber built.
Wood moisture measurement is based on electrical conductivity or resistance of the wood material , measured in Ohms. The drier the material the less conductive is the wood material. For moisture in the region of 15% and below, the electrical resistance is very very high , in the range of Giga Ohms ( I Giga ohm = 1,000.000,000 ohms).
The measuring cables must have very good insulation that will not absorb any moisture. Unfortunately, most ordinary PVC cable will absorb small amount of moisture, resulting in wrong moisture readings. The PVC material in a hot and wet kiln dryer environment will harden and crack after sometime, resulting in measurement errors.
For timber drying, only PTFE (Teflon) Cables , FEP (Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene) and Silicone Cable can be used. The cable's conductor size should be between AWG 20 to AWG 22.
It will be better to have an extra layer of jacket to protect the cables from any cut or mechanical damage. Any cut to the pair of cables will result in higher MC measurements when the dryer room is humid.
Woodtech Consultants Pty Ltd's distributorship was terminated since Year 2018. They are no longer authorized to use our TRITHERM brand name. However, they are still giving the impression that they still selling TRITHERM products.
Please do not be fooled. If you are a victim of their marketing desception and have suffered losses, kindly inform us and we will try to take up the matter together legally in India.
Woodtech Consultants Pty Ltd based in Bangalore is no longer our distributor inm India since 2018. However, they are still using the TRITHERM brand name for their dryers. If you have been fooled by them in believing that you are buying Tritherm dryers, you can inform us and we can take up the matter legally in India.
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem.
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem.
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem.