Solar and air lumber drying during winter in Virginia

Journal Article · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1982 · For. Prod. J.; (United States)

OSTI ID:7034814

de S Oliveira, L C; Skaar, C; Wengert, E M

A greenhouse-type solar lumber dryer with a transparent south wall and transparent 45 degrees sloped roof was used to dry 4/4 oak lumber in the winter in Virginia. A pile of end-matched samples was also air-dried during the same time period. The solar-dried lumber reached 20 percent moisture content (MC) in 80 days and 6 percent MC in 125 days; the air-dried pile reached 20 percent MC in 105 days and 14 percent MC in 162 days. Solar-dried lumber at 6 percent MC was without end checks and free of casehardening stresses. In order to permit comparisons of this dryer with other dryers or after modification of the existing dryer, a method of calculating an efficiency factor using standard meteorological data is explained. (Refs. 17).

• Research Organization: Inst. de Pesquisas Tech. do Estado de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Dept. of Forest Products, Virginia Tech., Blacksburg, VA 24061
• OSTI ID: 7034814
• Journal Information: For. Prod. J.; (United States), Journal Name: For. Prod. J.; (United States) Vol. 32:1; ISSN FPJOA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

09 BIOMASS FUELS
14 SOLAR ENERGY
140504 -- Solar Energy Conversion-- Biomass Production & Conversion-- (-1989)
140905*
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DESIGN
DRYERS
DRYING
EQUIPMENT
MOISTURE
PERFORMANCE TESTING
SOLAR DRYERS
SOLAR DRYING
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
TESTING
WOOD