Non-volatile Facility for Vacuum Drying of Thermolabile Materials

Drying of timber is one of the major processes influencing such indicators as quality, product cost and duration of the production cycle. It is possible to achieve an increase in the efficiency of these indicators by improving the known ways of drying of wood and by searching the new ones. One of the possible solutions is the development of a complex for drying wood with the use of q thermal pump which works from the internal combustion engine using as fuel an alternative energy source the waste of woodworking which is formed at the woodworking enterprises. In this regard, the created pilot complex where the drying device consists of two vacuum chambers is described in the article. The feature of the technology used in the suggested complex is the use of an oscillating vacuum and conductive way of drying of wood, at which thermal energy is transmitted from one camera, which is at degassing stage, to the other camera realizing a material heating stage. Transfer of thermal energy is carried out by means of the thermal pump. The results of the research of influence of torrefaction of wood granules, used as fuel, on the operation of the heat pump and increase in energy efficiency of the developed drying complex are given. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.