High Temperature Drying

Larry Culpepper, who was instrumental in developing today's computerized multi-zone dry kilns, has worked in the area of drying southern pine for ten years. Currently a Technical Specialist in Kiln Drying for Wellons, Inc., he previously owned a consulting business that supplied control systems, support, training, and troubleshooting for existing drying systems. A former Quality Supervisor for the Southern Pine Inspection Bureau, Culpepper spent three years with Union Camp Corporation in Franklin, Virginia as a Dry Kiln Specialist. He holds a B.S. in Forestry from Virginia Polytechnic Institute, where he specialized in Forest Products Utilization and Wood Technology. The author of various conference papers and articles on kiln drying, Culpepper's work has appeared in Forest Industries magazine.

Introduction	p. xi
Lumber Manufacture and Its Impact on Drying	p. 1
Why Worry About Lumber Manufacture?	p. 1
Log Storage	p. 1
Variations in Lumber Manufacture	p. 2
Chapter Guidelines for Reducing Variability in Drying	p. 15
Sorting and Green Lumber Handling	p. 16
Why Sort Your Lumber?	p. 16
How Should We Sort?	p. 18
Green Lumber Handling	p. 24
Chapter Guidelines for Reducing Variability in Drying	p. 33
Lumber Stacking and Sticklaying	p. 36
Stick Material	p. 37
Sticker Size	p. 42
Stack Width	p. 43
Sticklaying	p. 46
Care and Storage of Sticks	p. 56
Chapter Guidelines for Reducing Variability in Drying	p. 59
Kiln Setups and Loading Practices	p. 61
Selecting Lumber from Stacked Green Inventory	p. 61
Kiln Trucks	p. 63
Crossouts	p. 69
Important Loading Considerations	p. 78
Kiln Loading and Pulling Methods	p. 84
Chapter Guidelines for Reducing Variability in Drying	p. 93
Final Loading Considerations	p. 95
The Baffle System	p. 96
Kiln Doors	p. 114
Access Doors	p. 123
Chapter Guidelines for Reducing Variability in Drying	p. 123
Dry Lumber Handling	p. 124
Fan Systems and Airflow	p. 130
Direct-drive Fan Systems	p. 130
Shaft-driven Fans	p. 132
Motor Horsepower	p. 137
Variable-speed Motor Drives	p. 138
Fans	p. 140
Fan System Maintenance	p. 140
Fan Operation and Reversing Times	p. 145
Getting the Most from Your Fan System	p. 145
Procedure for Setting Fan Pitch	p. 146
Airflow Patterns for a Steam-heated Kiln	p. 151
Humidity Control	p. 156
Humidity Sensors	p. 157
Number and Locations of Wetbulbs	p. 157
Vent Systems	p. 160
Adjusting Vents	p. 162
Vent and Wetbulb Maintenance	p. 164
Venting Methods	p. 166
Using the Wetbulb to Determine Lumber Dryness	p. 170
Steam Sprays	p. 171
Spray Control and Scheduling Strategies	p. 172
Steam-heated Kilns	p. 177
Thermal Oil-heated Kilns	p. 178
Steam Coil	p. 178
Coil and Control Zone Design	p. 179
Multizoning	p. 185
Control Valves	p. 189
Control Valve Maintenance	p. 194
Steam Traps	p. 194
Checking Trap Operation	p. 198
Steam System Maintenance	p. 204
Direct-fired Drykilns	p. 206
Method of Operation	p. 206
Heat Distribution Systems	p. 208
Heat Balancing a Direct-fired Kiln	p. 210
Downcomer Balancing Procedure	p. 210
Balancing Return Air	p. 215
Handling Ash Deposits	p. 223
Direct-fired Control Systems	p. 226
High-temperature Drying Controls	p. 228
Computerized Controls	p. 229
Vapor-filled Pneumatic Recorder/Controllers	p. 236
Electronic/Pneumatic Controllers	p. 240
Electronic Digital Controllers	p. 242
Mounting Drybulbs	p. 243
The Drying Process	p. 246
About Southern Pine	p. 246
Water in Wood	p. 247
The High Temperature Drying Cycle	p. 250
Entering Air Heat Control	p. 251
Exiting Air Heat Control	p. 254
Determining When to Pull the Kiln	p. 255
High-temperature Drying Schedules	p. 262
Innovative High-temperature Schedule Ideas	p. 265
Quality Control	p. 267
The Problem	p. 267
Sample Moisture Distributions	p. 268
Our Goal	p. 273
Record Keeping	p. 276
Tracking Lumber Through the Kiln	p. 277
Collecting Moisture Information at the Kiln	p. 278
Acceptance Sampling	p. 282
Monitoring Moisture Content at the Planing Mill	p. 283
Applying Quality Information to the Kiln	p. 285
Kiln Maintenance and Design	p. 287
Preventive Maintenance	p. 287
Reading Kiln Charts	p. 287
Fire Prevention	p. 289
Design Tips for Easier Kiln Operation	p. 290
Preventive Maintenance for Steam Kilns	p. 293
Preventive Maintenance for Direct-fired Kilns	p. 295
Glossary	p. 297
Bibliography	p. 307
Index	p. 309
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.

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