Study on the Estimation of Drying Time of Biomass : 1. Larch Wood Chip

Abstract

This study aims at modeling the rotary drying of wood chips in co-current mode and estimating the drying time of larch (Larix kaemferi) wood chip. Drying data were obtained in a lab. scale fixed bed dryer operating with an air velocity of 1 m/sec. and at hot air inlet temperatures of 100℃, 200℃, and 300℃. The lab. scale fixed-bed drying rates for small, medium and large size larch wood chips that had been dried from 40% wet-based moisture content (MC) to 10% MC at 200℃ drying temperature were 17.3 %/min., 10.2 %/min. and 5.5 %/min., respectively. It was predicted that larch large size wood chips could be dried from 40% MC to 10% MC in about 23.0, 34.6, and 44.7 minutes at 300℃, 200℃ and 150℃, respectively. Expected drying times for medium size chips were about 8.6, 11.2 and 13.2 minutes and those for small size chips were 4.3, 5.5 and 6.4 minutes, respectively.

Forest chip drying in self-heating piles during storage as affected by temperature and relative humidity conditions

“…The rationale of the simulation model was to identify how the changing environmental conditions and pile characteristics, such as density, porosity, and pile dimensions affect the chip drying, facilitating improvement of the storage protocols. This versatile approach provides new insights into biomass storage, because previous studies have generally concentrated separately either on field experiments [9,12,23,27,50,51], laboratory works [37,38,52] or simulations [29,53].…”

Utilizing the Heat Waste from Biomass Power Generation to Reduce the Moisture Content of Woodchips

“…Currently, various biomass-based power generation technologies are not only used for direct combustion in boilers, either in Biomass Power Plants or co-firing at Coal Fired Power Plant but are also used for gasification [11,12]. Biomass is a very promising source of RE in the future, most sustainable [13], and can be used as a base load in a grid. In general, the use of biomass as a source of power generation has its problems [14], where the character of biomass, especially Moisture Content (MC) and Calorific Value (CV), affects the combustion conditions in the boiler [15,16].…”

“…The most common dryer types are rotary dryers [22][23][24][25], flash dryers [26], fluidized-bed dryers [26][27][28][29], and belt dryers [30,20]. Lee [13] in his experiment utilizing an electrical air heater found out that for reducing the MC of woodchip from 40 % to 10 % MC needed 23.0 min. With another type, the speed of screw rotation is an important parameter in screw conveyor dryers [17].…”