Types of drying chambers for wood: vacuum, convector, aerodynamic and additional equipment for them. Do-it-yourself drying chambers for lumber How to make a drying chamber for wood

The problem of maintaining optimal moisture content in lumber is relevant both among builders and among those who like to make something in their own carpentry workshop. Drying wood at home allows you to save a lot on its purchase, because dry raw materials always cost more than wet ones.

By the way, if you don’t have time for construction work at all, then you can dry the wood at home or in the country even under atmospheric conditions.

Some owners adapt ready-made haylofts, sheds or other suitable buildings for these purposes. Here is a way out of the situation found by one of our members of the forum.

Timakval member of FORUMHOUSE

I used for drying the attic of the yard (former hayloft) the size of 10 * 5 m. I laid it out, as it should, through the linings of each row. Total 3.5 cube boards of different categories. The advantages of this drying place are always shade, finished roof and it ventilates well. Last May I took boards of various sizes, bars and timber - a blank for small construction. The boards were heavy from moisture. During the time of lying in the hayloft (1.5-2 months) they dried up to fluff, they were not twisted or arched.

Drying under atmospheric conditions is a rather lengthy process, and since we have decided to take a comprehensive approach to this issue, let's look at the sequence of building a home dryer with our own hands, which allows us to more effectively achieve the required humidity levels. As a suitable room, we suggest you choose a building required size and then you can get to work. The room can have dimensions of 2 * 3 m or 4 * 3 m (more possible). It all depends on your needs and scope of activities. But, when choosing a building, you should remember that there should not be much free space left in the dryer. After all, drafts and chaotic air movement adversely affect the quality of wood.

DIY wood dryer

The room chosen for arranging a homemade dryer should be heated by a stove or a specially installed fireplace. It is good if a heater is pre-mounted in the room. If there is none, then do not forget to leave a place for it.

Here is a project for making a home dryer offered by a member of our forum.

Nikolai Valen FORUMHOUSE member

There is a capital garage with water heating, a stove for wood and mining is installed as a boiler. There is a pipe with a diameter of 800 mm and a length of 2.2 meters (a former ventilation duct with industrial enterprise). The idea is as follows: install sealed covers at both ends of the pipe, leave fittings with a diameter of 150-200 mm for supplying and discharging hot air. The air is heated by a radiator (it can be car stove). Air supply - table fan. 0.3-0.5 cubic meters of lumber is loaded into the pipe, the furnace is melted (the temperature of the coolant reaches 90 degrees, I think that the supplied air can really be heated up to 50-60 degrees).

If you have chosen a room too large sizes, then the space planned to be used for homemade dryer should be insulated and sealed. For these purposes, wooden partitions, you can use insulation, brick and other materials that allow you to create your own microclimate in the dryer. Do not forget that it is necessary to leave a window for ventilation and an entrance door in the cell. After all, we should not get a hut without windows and doors.

Fans installed in the drying room will help create a forced air flow and make the drying process more efficient.

mfcn FORUMHOUSE Member,
Moscow.

It is advisable to place the fans on the floor to the side of the stack so that the blow is parallel to the spacers. Remember that when drying wood, it is necessary to evaporate about several hundred liters of water from each cubic meter of wood.

To place lumber in the dryer, special shelves or flooring should be installed. These products can be made of metal - so that the structure can withstand relatively large loads. Dry wood should be up to indicators corresponding to 8-12% moisture. Its measurements are carried out using a special moisture meter.

It is necessary to dry the tree, observing certain rules. Otherwise, the material will be hopelessly damaged and cannot be used in construction. To do this, the wood must be stacked. And between each new layer, gaskets from boards of the same thickness should be placed. Wood of any species, stacked in neat piles, will never suffer from fungal infections, retain its integrity and excellent consumer qualities.

Lao Czy FORUMHOUSE Member

Gaskets need to be made higher so that air ventilation between the boards is better. They dry better. You can put your sliced \u200b\u200bsticks 25 * 30 or 25 * 40 on the edge. The reason for limiting the height of the stack is to prevent the boards from being led by a "helicopter blade", fix the uppermost layers of the boards in the stack with self-tapping screws. For the 3rd year I have been storing my boards using this method at a dacha in the Moscow region. They are in excellent condition!

Between the boards located in the same row, gaps should also be left. This will ensure unhindered air movement inside the stack and improve the drying quality.

Wood kiln project

Wood can be dried quickly and efficiently in well-equipped and free-standing kilns. The construction of such a chamber on the scale of a dacha or suburban area is not always appropriate. After all, this type of building will be very expensive, and its construction will take a lot of time.

The construction of such a room can be quite called the implementation of a full-scale construction project. You cannot avoid the laborious operations associated with pouring the foundation, with the erection of walls and the installation of complex equipment.

How to make drying for a tree can be understood from the diagram.

Do-it-yourself chamber drying

Such a mini wood dryer requires the placement of not only the main equipment (heating and ventilation), but also additional systems automatic control.

Drying chamber operating modes

The chamber dryer does not imply strong heating during normal operation. And the full cycle of work related to the drying of one batch of wood can be divided into several stages.

The first stage lasts from 15 to 20 hours. During this period, the air in the chamber warms up to 45Co. The ventilation does not turn on, and condensation forms on the walls of the room.

The second stage lasts about 48 hours. It involves connecting ventilation and heating the air in the chamber dryer up to 50 Co.

The third stage lasts until the required final moisture level in the internal structure of the wood (8...12%) is reached. At this time, the air temperature rises to 55 C, the exhaust dampers are fully opened, and the fans operate at full capacity.

After the humidity reaches the required values, the heat supply should be stopped. The fans must remain on for another 24 hours. As a result of this heat treatment, you will get dry wood, completely ready for use during carpentry or construction work.

You can get acquainted with the practical developments of our members of the forum regarding the correct construction of a stack in the "" section. Those who wish to learn more about the lumber drying technology can visit the "" section. For those who want to see a master class on wood aging technology, we recommend watching the corresponding video.

The drying process is the initial moment in the entire preparation of the semi-finished product (wood) before processing.

Drying chamber for lumber and wood – perfect solution task, you can do it yourself. In order to avoid deformation of logs, drying is carried out in specialized conditions, which are carried out exclusively in a dryer.

What is drying for?

From time immemorial, when performing any wood crafts, timber cut down a few years earlier was used. Products from wet or under-dried boards will warp or become covered with numerous cracks.

When the tree dries, it shrinks, the raw wood material will “behave” over time, huge wide gaps will form in the log house. In under-dried semi-finished products, a fungus is likely to start. But it is also not advisable to overdry the tree, because it will begin to absorb water, which will lead to swelling.

What are the modes of drying chambers?

There is a whole list of drying modes for wood materials. In built with my own hands machines, the mode from the lowest to the highest changes gradually, removing all excess water from the semi-finished product. The drying process is carried out based on the following characteristics material:

tree species;
overall dimensions of the semi-finished product;
finishing and entry level humidity;
unit specifics;
lumber quality indicators.

The drying operation can be characterized by high temperature or low temperature. The second case is notable for the fact that the primary drying is carried out at a regime that does not reach 100ºС.

Low temperature conditions can be as follows:

soft - after drying, semi-finished products have their original properties, without changing strength and color;
moderate - the color changes slightly, strength characteristics decrease slightly;
accelerated - in the process of subsequent processing (fracture, sawing, cutting), increased fragility is possible, the color fades.

Changing the temperature regime during low-temperature processing is carried out in three stages.

Processing in high temperature mode is carried out in two stages. The second stage begins when the moisture level of the semi-finished product drops to 15%. Such technological process used if necessary, further design of secondary structures.

The main types of drying chambers

Drying of wood semi-finished products in industrial volumes is carried out in specialized dryers. Moisture is removed from the wood due to heated air, which subsequently goes into the atmosphere. The device provides the passage of a full cycle of lumber drying. The machine body can be:

solid / prefabricated metal;
performed using building materials.

The latter are mounted directly in carpentry workshops in the form of a structure, or as freestanding. The walls are made using reinforcement and concrete mortar. Alternatively, bricks can be used. large factories make a system of cameras, combining them into whole modules with centralized control and communications. Air moves inside the dryer in a horizontal plane or vertically transverse.

Heat sources in the dryer:

radiant source from specialized units;
hot shelves;
electric current that passes through raw semi-finished products;
high frequency electromagnetic field.

The cameras are equipped with the main and auxiliary equipment. Main systems:

supply and exhaust equipment;
heat sources;
humidifiers.

According to the principle of operation, dryers are divided into:

convection equipment;
condensing equipment.

In convective machines, semi-finished products are "washed" with hot air waves, heat is directed by the convection method. The time for completing a full cycle varies from 5 to 13 hours. Similar units are mounted on large-scale sawmills.

Chamber-type dryers are more compact; a constant temperature and the environment as a whole are maintained throughout the volume. This type of dryer will allow you to dry any type of wood material to the required condition, which is why many entrepreneurs who are associated with the need to dry lumber choose chamber dryers.

Based on the technology of the drying process, the moisture that is released from the wood settles on the cooling elements, is sent to containers and then drained. The efficiency of such a unit is quite impressive, but time-consuming, leads to large heat losses. The pricing policy of machines and the profitability of condensation drying are lower than those of convective drying.

Drawing

Drying chamber for lumber: step by step instructions

To build a dryer with your own hands, you can not use technical documentation. It is only necessary to provide:

the area where the camera will be installed;
insulating materials;
source and communications to create high temperature;
blowing.

The area of a machine built personally, as a rule, is not more than 10 square meters. room square section more suitable for moving warm air currents. It is preferable that at least one of the walls of the equipment be concrete, the others can be made of wood. Inside the chamber without fail gives in to warming. An excellent insulating material is wood shavings. If there is no foil at hand, then it can be replaced with penofol.

A separate extension for the dryer can be constructed from aluminum sheets, such a design will last a very long time. The base is made on the basis of profiles, it is covered with sheets of metal, which is further insulated. The thickness of the insulation must be at least 150 mm. The floor is covered with roofing material, poured on top thick layer chips, which will be excellent in heat-saving quality.

The heat source can be supplied as a heating pipe system. The temperature of the liquid in the pipes should be at the level of 60 ... 90ºС. For an oversized chamber, a two-burner stove will be quite acceptable. If the source is right in the room, it must be overlaid with a brick. The brick is able to perfectly collect heat in itself and send it to the lumber drying machine.

The continuous circulation of the liquid is important, which is provided by the compressor or the whole station. The room must be equipped with wet and dry thermometers.

For more convenient loading of semi-finished products into the chamber cavity, you can use a rail trolley.

Video: do-it-yourself drying chamber for lumber.

Freshly cut wood is not used in production and construction, as it contains a large number of moisture. Such a tree is called wet. To improve its mechanical and physical indicators, a drying chamber for lumber is used. In the process, biological stability increases, the strength index increases, and other qualities of wood improve.

The concept of wood moisture

The percentage ratio of the weight of the contained liquid to the mass of completely dry wood of a certain volume is called absolute humidity. The percentage of the mass of water removed (determined by two weighings) to the original weight of the wood is called relative humidity.

The degree of suitability for use is determined taking into account the relative humidity index. The value indicates the readiness of the material for gluing, shrinkage, with a value of more than 30%, there is a danger of developing a fungal infection.

Depending on the indicator, wood is divided into categories:

wet - at a relative humidity of more than 23%;
semi-dry - within the range from 18 to 23%;
dry - with a humidity value of 6 to 18%.

Drying wood in natural conditions

With this method of removing moisture, a drying chamber for lumber is not used, the liquid evaporates under the action of atmospheric air. Dry the material under a canopy located in a draft. The sun's rays unevenly heat the outer and inner layer of the tree, which leads to the appearance of deformations and cracks.

If a drying chamber for lumber is not equipped on the site, an attic room, a ventilated shed, and an equipped shed are well suited for drying. The material is stored in a pile, the first layer must be placed on stands with a height of at least 50 cm from any durable material. Rows of lumber are shifted with dried slats, all subsequent boards and logs are placed above the previous blanks so that vertical air wells appear.

Logs sawn along and finished boards are laid inside up to reduce the size of the warp. For the same purpose, a stack of wood is pressed from above with a heavy load. Due to the formation of cracking at the ends of the workpiece during drying of the material, the length of the workpiece is selected 20-25 cm longer than the intended part.

The ends of the lumber are carefully treated with oil-based paint, drying oil or hot bitumen to prevent cracks. Before stacking, the trunks of logs are cleaned of bark to reduce the likelihood of reproduction of wood bugs. Removing moisture from wood naturally referred to as economical methods.

Solar Wood Dryer

The second way, the costs of which quickly pay off, are drying kilns for lumber. The drawings for manufacturing are quite simple, you just need to understand the principle of operation of such a device. The chamber is an assembled plywood or metal container, the roof of which is made of transparent materials.

The calculation of the size of the glazed surface of the roof is done depending on the total horizontal area of \u200b\u200ball the lumber laid for drying. The area of the transparent coating should be one tenth of the total surface of the boards. The roof of the building is made pitched, the amount of slope depends on the geographical location of the area. In the northern cold regions, where the sun does not rise high above the horizon, the slope of the roof is made steep. The southern sun heats gently sloping surfaces well.

How to make a drying chamber for lumber?

The frame of the building is made of metal or timber treated with an antiseptic under pressure. The lining of the walls and floor of the chamber is made of moisture-resistant materials, the fences are insulated with mineral wool or hard foam slabs. The inner surfaces of the walls are treated with water-repellent compounds, aluminum powder is applied to them, then painted black.

As part of blowers fresh air there should be no blades made of ductile fusible materials. If the lumber drying chamber is not constantly used, then the room is used for drying herbs, vegetables, berries or a seasonal greenhouse. After laying all the wooden blanks for drying, a distance of about 30-40 cm should remain between the stack and the wall on all sides.

Drying wood in artificially created conditions

When moisture is removed natural way obtain indicators of relative humidity of about 18%. To improve the value, drying of lumber in drying chambers is used, where the temperature, speed of forced air supply and its humidity are controlled.

Basic equipment for dryers

Whatever type of wood forced drying chamber is used, standard equipment groups are allocated for all.

The transport equipment is designed for loading and unloading logs or boards into the drying room. Includes machines and mechanical devices for storing blanks in a stack or package, raising and lowering lumber.

The thermal equipment of the chamber serves to raise the temperature of the internal air in the chamber and consists of many systems that determine the interconnected work on the production and transfer of heat. These include heat exchange tanks, heaters, pipes for the passage of steam or hot water, condensate removers, stopcocks and control devices.

The fuel is gas, liquid fuel. For small volumes of work, a drying chamber for wood-fired lumber is equipped. The heat carrier is saturated steam, water, gas obtained from the combustion of the furnace, organic fillers of the system with a high boiling point. Electric heaters are widely used, where the current energy is converted into a thermal component.

Circulation equipment is designed for the organized movement of air masses in the drying chamber. The elements of the system are fans, injectors and joint installations of these elements. To increase the efficiency of wood drying, automation of drying chambers for lumber is used.

Drying chamber guard

To isolate wood from action environment install the enclosure of the chamber, which consists of the floor, ceiling, walls and intermediate partitions. Partition requirements:

should not skip steam;
fences should have low thermal conductivity;
must have long term operation.

Fences are made separately from various building materials or are prefabricated with a set of standard metal elements.

The first type of cameras has a longer life, but differs more long time commissioning, which is not always justified. prefabricated metal frames are mounted quickly, they are equipped with control and thermal devices, but the steel is subjected to the destructive action of wet and thermal conditions.

Working principle of vacuum drying

After stacking the wood in a stack, the door of the chamber is hermetically closed and the drying process begins. Via automatic devices part of the air is removed from the chamber until a pressure of 8-10 bar is created inside. Thanks to this scientific approach the moisture released from the wood moves faster from the center to the outer enclosures of the chamber, thereby ensuring uniform and high-quality drying. This is how vacuum kilns for lumber work.

Making a drying chamber yourself

Private developers dry the wood in the courtyard; for this, a do-it-yourself drying chamber for lumber is equipped. Its device will require a large room, a heat source and a device for distributing air between drying packages of wooden blanks.

You can, of course, purchase used drying chambers for lumber, but the degree of wear is not always possible to determine correctly, it is much more profitable to arrange the room for drying wood yourself. This is an opportunity to get excellent results with low cost Money.

Construction stages

You will need material for the frame, usually these are metal racks from a corner or channel, used wooden beam after careful treatment with an antiseptic. Used as wall covering metal sheets, moisture-resistant plywood panels, profiled steel. Thermal insulation is carried out using mineral moisture-resistant wool, polystyrene foam.

Before construction begins, the location of one or more dryers is determined, which serves as a plan for the concrete foundation. The base is made for the stability of the structure and uniform distribution of the load on the ground. If a ready-made railway container is taken for the chamber, then four columnar foundations are made under the corners of the car.

The metal frame is assembled by welding or bolting. When the device is checked for vertical and horizontal building level trying to strictly observe the geometric dimensions. After fixing the frame in the installation position, they begin to sheath the outer walls, simultaneously inserting doors and ventilation windows.

The heat-insulating layer of the floor, walls and ceiling must be at least 12-15 cm, the base is insulated from moisture with rolled material. After that, the camera is checked for tightness. For laying the first layer, stationary supports made of metal or wood are installed. A heat source is installed, usually a powerful fan heater, positioned so that the direction of hot air is parallel to the lying boards.

Drying wood is necessary condition to obtain quality raw materials. Building a house or making fillings for openings from wet lumber is fraught with distortions and a violation of integrity. In order to perform wood work without problems, you need to take removal seriously. excess moisture from the material.

Any woodworking enterprise cannot do without such a procedure as wood drying. And so that no defects appear in the process, a special drying chamber for lumber should be used. Such a dryer will also be useful for those who are engaged in the production of wood products at home, in such cases it can be done by yourself.

Importance of drying for wood

Wood for the manufacture of various products must first be dried so that it is suitable for subsequent use. So, if your furniture is made on the basis of too wet wood, then it will quickly dry out and become unusable. And if the tree is too dry, then, for example, the door will quickly swell and will not close.

Also, drying a tree is useful for the following reasons:

the material is protected from fungal attack;
change in size and shape is prevented;
improved mechanical and physical properties material.

Drying is a lengthy process, the wood is heated with hot air or superheated steam. After drying, the tree can be stored and transported longer, it will not be deformed.

Drying chamber for lumber

Kiln drying is a key way to dry wood. With the help of dryers, deciduous and conifers before different types quality. The most common and economical drying technique is as follows. Free and bound moisture is removed from the tree by means of supply to wet wood heat with hot air. Further, the removal of excess evaporated moisture occurs with the help of humidified and partially cooled air.

The drying chamber is the whole ready installation equipped with all necessary equipment for work. By their design, such chambers are prefabricated metal or assembled from building materials. The latter are made directly in the workshops or as free-standing buildings based on industrial materials.

The camera can be entirely based on monolithic reinforced concrete, the walls can be laid out of solid red bricks, and the ceiling can be reinforced concrete.

If several chambers are used in production, they can be combined into one block, which has a corridor with heat supply wiring and an automatic control system. Depending on the volume of loaded wood, the air circulation can be horizontal-transverse or vertical-transverse.

Lumber can be loaded into the chamber on trolleys along the rail track or as packages using a forklift. Heat is transferred to wood in the following ways:

through the air;
through the products of combustion;
using superheated steam;
radiant warmth;
solid body;
through current;
through an electromagnetic field.

Equipment for this device is primary and secondary. The main includes the following:

fan system;
heating system;
humidification and supply and exhaust ventilation.

Additional equipment includes:

blocks (door, psychrometric and insulated);
fan drive electric motor;
stacked carts.

The drying control process can be automated, which helps to maintain the temperature and humidity inside the chamber at a certain level. The temperature is regulated by supplying the coolant to the heaters or by turning the electric heater on or off.

Humidity can be adjusted using a remote moisture meter, which allows you to check the condition of the material remotely at several points at once. If there are no external sources of heat supply, then autonomous heating means powered by electricity, coal, gas, lumber or diesel fuel can be used.

Structure classification

In convection-type chambers, energy enters the wood through the air cycle, and heat transfer occurs through convection. Such structures are tunnel or chamber.

Tunnel dryers have a greater depth, they push stacks of stacks from one end (wetter) to dry. They are obligatory filled from one end, and emptied from the other. Stacks are pushed one at a time every 4-12 hours. These dryers are used for large sawmills and help carry out transport drying.

Chamber dryers are shorter; during the drying process, the same parameters are maintained throughout the chamber. If the blowing depth is from 2 meters, then in order to equalize the drying conditions, the method of reversing the ventilation direction is used. The chamber is filled and emptied from one side if there is only one door. Lumber can be dried any to different indicators of humidity. It is these designs that are most often used in our country.

The condensation type of dryer is different in that the moisture that has arisen in the air begins to condense on special coolers, and then the liquid is removed. The efficiency here is high, but the cycle is long, since devices with a high temperature do not work and large heat losses are observed. These types of equipment are more suitable for processing small volumes of materials or drying wood of dense species - ash, beech or oak. But condensation chambers also have a number of advantages:

no need for a boiler room;
the cost of the camera and the cost of operation are low.

Drying chambers also differ in the way of circulation and the nature of the drying agent, the principle of operation and the type of fence.

For example, circulation can be natural or forced. The designs of the first type are outdated and inefficient, it is almost impossible to control the modes, and the uniformity of the drying of the material leaves much to be desired. With modern requirements, it is better not to use such dryers.

By the nature of the drying agent, the chambers are:

air;
gas;
high temperature.

Drying modes

Depending on the quality requirements, lumber drying in a special apparatus is carried out in different modes, which differ from each other in temperature. If it is a mini chamber, then in the process the temperature slowly rises and the relative humidity of the agent decreases.

One or another mode is selected taking into account the following factors:

There are modes of high-temperature and low-temperature process. In low-temperature applications, moist air is used as an agent, the initial temperature is less than 100 degrees. There are three categories of these types of modes:

soft - drying is carried out without defects, the mechanical and physical properties of the wood are preserved, including its color and strength;
normal - drying is also carried out without defects, strength is retained almost completely, color may vary slightly;
forced - the strength for static bending, tension and compression is maintained, but the strength for chipping and splitting with darkening may decrease.

In high temperature conditions there is a two-stage change in the agent's indicators, it is possible to switch to the second stage from the first only when the wood reaches a transitional moisture content of 20 percent.

Such modes are assigned depending on the species and thickness of the wood, and are assigned for drying materials used in the production of load-bearing structures of buildings and those products where dark wood with reduced strength can be used.

Before starting work on a particular mode, the lumber must be heated with steam supplied through humidifying pipes with fans running, closed exhaust ducts and heating devices.

Be sure to calculate the chamber for lumber. The temperature of the drying agent at the beginning of heating should be 5 degrees higher than the first stage of the mode, but not higher than 100 degrees. The saturation level of the environment for a material with an initial moisture content of 25% is 0.98−1, and if the humidity is below this indicator, then 0.9−0.92, respectively.

The duration of the initial period depends on the type of tree. For conifers, it is up to 1.5 hours per centimeter of thickness. For soft hardwoods it will be 25 percent more, and for hard hardwoods it will be half as much compared to softwoods.

After preheating, it is necessary to bring the indicators of the drying agent to the first stage of the operating mode. Then drying is switched on directly in compliance with the selected mode. Humidity and temperature can be controlled using valves on the steam lines or dampers on the supply and exhaust ducts.

During the operation of the infrared dryer, residual stresses appear in the materials, which can be removed by intermediate and final moisture and heat treatment in the medium high humidity and temperature. It is necessary to process those lumber that are dried to operational performance and then need to be machined.

Intermediate moisture heat treatment must be carried out during the transition from the second stage to the third, or from 1 to 2 when using a high temperature. Coniferous species 60 mm in thickness or hardwood with a thickness of 30 mm or more are subjected to such processing. The temperature of the medium should be 8 degrees higher compared to the second stage, but not more than 100 degrees, provided the saturation is 0.95-0.97.

When the final average moisture content of the material is reached, the final moisture heat treatment can be performed. It is carried out at a temperature of 8 degrees above the previous stage, but not higher than 100 degrees. Further, the tree must be kept in the chamber for another 2-3 hours at the parameters of the last stage of the mode and only then stop the operation.

Drying chamber manufacturing

If you are engaged in the manufacture of wood products at home, then you will need to dry the material yourself. You can also make your own dryer., but you must follow all the rules of work. For manufacturing you will need:

camera;
heating device;
fan;
insulation.

One wall and ceiling of the chamber should be made of concrete, and the remaining walls will be made of wood, they will need to be insulated. There will be several layers:

Styrofoam;
boards wrapped in foil.

Now you need to install a heating element, it can be in the form of batteries. Water can be supplied to them from the stove in a heated form at a temperature of 60 to 95 degrees. It is best to ensure a continuous process circulation of water by means of water pumps in the heating element. You will also need to install a fan in the chamber, with the help of which warm air will be distributed throughout the room.

It is imperative to provide a method for loading wood into the chamber. For example, it can be a rail cart. To regulate the temperature and humidity in working area Install wet and dry thermometers. And also inside the dryer You need to put shelves to expand the workspace.

During processing, a sharp change in temperature should not be allowed, otherwise the wood may crack or warp.

The work on the construction of the chamber must be carried out subject to fire safety requirements so be sure to install fire extinguishers.

And instead of heating element you can use an electric stove with two burners. The walls of the chamber can be insulated with wood shavings, and instead of foil, you can take penofol, which can reflect heat well from the surface of the walls. Drying in such a chamber is carried out within 1-2 weeks.

Thus, there are a large number of different modifications of wood drying chambers. One or another option should be chosen depending on the material itself and the expected results. And when it comes to the production of various wooden products at home, then the camera is easy to do with your own hands.

For the quality of any type of building, it is important that the materials used are also of high quality and durable. And when it comes to wood, it must be dry, durable and resistant to decay.

To endow a tree with such properties, it must be dried. But buying equipment to exercise heat treatment wood is very expensive, so many craftsmen try to assemble their own.

A do-it-yourself lumber kiln can be good value for money, but it's far from perfect. Indicators such as 6% humidity in a couple of days with less than 1% of the marriage in it are clearly unattainable, since the assembly is usually carried out from improvised means without the use of sensors and various smart systems control of various tree parameters, and most importantly, with virtually no experience in creating drying chambers.

Features of do-it-yourself drying chambers

A self-made drying chamber is a room in which a heater is installed. And now it’s worth considering if for drying 1 cu. m will require at least 16 kW of energy, then how much will be needed within 3-4 weeks (this is usually the standard drying time in such chambers. Costs can be many times higher than the prices of the materials themselves. Plus, if not observed temperature conditions, poor-quality heating along the length and not exercising control over the percentage of humidity, the boards are deformed in almost 100% of cases, which makes it very difficult to work with them.

The design of such chambers must be realized with the help of detailed miscalculations. If technologies are not followed, various accidents happen. For example, the camera body under the action of vacuum can shrink like an aluminum can and other moments that are often life-threatening for workers.

It is also necessary to take into account the source of energy. Electricity is expensive. It is more efficient to implement the operation of a wood-burning drying chamber using a solid fuel boiler.

The undeniable advantage is the possibility significant savings funds. As a quality camera, acquisition is often costly. But the expected savings can actually turn into significant losses.

pros

There are many reasons.

For example:

a task self-manufacturing drying chamber is very complex. To solve it, you will need to purchase raw materials, necessary equipment. And, most importantly, the presence of specialists in the staff who are able to perform all the necessary calculations and build this object;
the slightest inaccuracies in the calculations and construction technology of the object can lead to a significant increase in the volume of defects. And these are direct losses, violation of delivery dates, falling business reputation and company image. Moreover, these errors can lead to the destruction of the chamber itself (for example, the vacuum chamber will “fold” like a tin can);
significantly higher power consumption.

Example.

For drying a cubic meter of lumber in a homemade chamber, an average of at least 16 kW is required. Calculate the monthly expense (even with an 8-hour working day and a 5-day working week).

the parameters of finished lumber, which are provided by vacuum chambers manufactured by a specialized company (for example, a degree of humidity of 6%, achieved in two days of work, or a rejection rate not exceeding 1%), are practically unattainable in home-made devices.

Possible design options

If an objective analysis has shown that the company is able to solve all the upcoming difficulties associated with manufacturing, commissioning and subsequent operation, you can do a detailed study of this issue.

To do this, you have to answer several questions:

what drying mode will be implemented in it (the required temperature in the chamber depends on this): low-temperature or high-temperature;
its future device (prefabricated metal, or built from existing building materials (concrete, brick, blocks, etc.);
installation site (detached building, site of the workshop). Since the miscalculation of subsequent work (foundation, laying engineering communications, delivery of raw materials, etc.);
loading option (forklift, rail trolley);
heat supply option (hot air, radiant energy, superheated steam, electric current, other options);
determine the required equipment for the future furnace (main and auxiliary).

The first group necessarily includes a humidification and ventilation system (supply and exhaust), heat supply. Secondly, psychrometric and insulated door blocks, fan drive electric motors, pallet trucks, etc.

a variant of the organization of process control (manual mode, semi-automatic, automatic mode). Ideally, you can provide remote control processes.

All of the above issues are resolved in the context of the chosen type of drying chamber. Today, there are chamber and tunnel options (convective heat transfer is implemented in them).

The first ones are shorter than the second ones and, most often, for loading raw materials and unloading finished products one door is used. As a rule, choose this option.

Tunnel systems provide for the movement of materials in the process of work along the entire length of the chamber. Loading, on the one hand. Unloading, with the opposite. These cameras are used in large enterprises.

There are drying chambers of condensation type. They have significant efficiency, but the drying process is very long in time (the equipment is not able to operate at high temperatures). This leads to significant heat losses and increases electricity consumption.

There are many more criteria that must be taken into account when calculating:

method of circulation of the agent used for drying;
its characteristics;
type of fencing being performed;
operating principle;
circulation method.

Each of these issues directly affects the drying speed, the possible volumes of lumber loaded at a time, and the characteristics of the finished product.

In addition, it is necessary to take into account the type of wood, its initial moisture content, and the geometric dimensions of the lumber.

Careful analysis and detailed calculation, with a high degree of probability, will prove economic feasibility purchase and installation of a finished drying chamber. Although, in some cases, making it on your own can also be cost-effective.

How can we help

Falcon has been manufacturing vacuum kilns for wood drying for almost two decades. Cooperation with us is beneficial both for those who are going to make their own drying chamber, and for those who want to purchase ready product to have guaranteed quality products in commercial volumes.

We are ready to offer our partners from the first group the equipment and units that are necessary for the operation of cameras in the range. An example, heating panels, in which the coolant is water.

They can be installed in structures of any volume, are designed for operation in a vacuum environment, and are capable of operating at high temperatures.

Panels can be selected according to a number of characteristics:

according to the volume of the chamber for which they are purchased (we offer 4 versions - for volumes up to 3 cubic meters, up to 8, up to 15, up to 21);
they can be equipped with automation in a standard, maximum or optimal, for the customer, design;
by size: 2000*3000 or 1500*3000.

In addition, we offer thermal nodes fully equipped, pyrolysis boilers, liquid NP, vacuum units and automation completely ready for installation.

We produce automatics for chambers of each type: Convective, aerodynamic, vacuum, etc.

Significant benefits of purchasing ready solution are:

significant time savings (at least 14 months are required for independent development of the project and its completion);
savings on unplanned expenses. Practice shows that bringing the performance of a homemade camera to the required parameters takes an amount comparable to (or exceeding) the price of a finished camera;
guaranteed release of only high-quality products;
net profit the company begins to receive immediately after the completion of the NDP. Time to fine-tune the equipment and characteristics of the finished product (downtime) is not required.

If you need to design a vacuum dryer, it is better to seek the help of professionals. We are manufacturing:

mobile,
stationary,
high efficiency,
low power consumption.

It is possible to design not only drying, but we can also supply new equipment at an affordable cost. Working both on electricity and on production waste: slab, firewood, etc.

For those who know how to count money, save their own time and prioritize quality, a wide range of vacuum chambers of our production is available, the main characteristics of which can be found on the website, in the company's catalog or by personal contact at the nearest office.

We also implement more budget options from heating plates. You can learn more from the manager by phone or email on the main page.

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