Pilot-scale drying of southern pine (Pinus spp.) lumber in a heated tube dryer

doi:10.3832/ifor4583-017

Drying is essential for preserving the strength and durability of wood and wood products. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of a pilot-scale tube-type lumber dryer. Solid sawn rough green southern yellow pine (Pinus spp.) specimens, approximately 2 inches thick by 6 inches wide, and 12 feet long (≈ 5 cm × 15 cm × 3.66 m), were inserted into heated tubes for drying. The pilot scale dryer had four sealed (but open at each end) steel heated tubes, and each tube was sized to hold four specimens. Each tube was 36 ft (≈11 m) long. The temperature of the tube was controlled by rapidly circulating hot air about the tubes’ exterior. Each tube had 3 temperature zones, and each temperature zone was controlled individually. Each lumber specimen was inserted into zone 1 and dried for a specified amount of time, and then advanced to zone 2 and zone 3. The delta moisture content of dried specimen was calculated based on the initial and final weight and final moisture content. The results showed that the delta moisture content was greatest at 425-425-400 °F (≈218-218-204 °C) and lowest at 400-400-350 °F (≈204-204-177 °C). Greater weight-loss rates were observed in the dried lumbers within the temperature range of 375-375-375°F (≈191-191-191 °C). In summary, this device rapidly dried the lumber, and moisture content standard deviations were relatively high.

Keywords

Delta Moisture Content, Varying Temperature Zones, Southern Yellow Pine, Heated Tube Dryer, Wood Drying

Authors’ address

(1)

0000-0002-6849-9237

Department of Sustainable Bioproducts, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS (USA)

Corresponding author

Fatemeh Rezaei
fr280@msstate.edu

Citation

Shmulsky R, Khademibami L, Rezaei F (2025). Pilot-scale drying of southern pine (Pinus spp.) lumber in a heated tube dryer. iForest 18: 10-15. - doi: 10.3832/ifor4583-017

Academic Editor

Luigi Todaro

Paper history

Received: Feb 07, 2024
Accepted: Oct 28, 2024

First online: Feb 02, 2025
Publication Date: Feb 28, 2025
Publication Time: 3.23 months

Open Access

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.

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