Continuous drying technology CDK
The revolution of continuous drying
The goal of industrial drying is to bring wood to the moisture of use in the shortest possible time, reducing energy and management costs and obtaining material of excellent quality.
To combine these requirements in view of major productions, Termolegno has developed an innovative patented technology with Windsor Engineering, a New Zealand-based company: the Continuos Drying Technology CDK.
The automatic continuous drying systems are ideal plants for processing coniferous wood and softwood in general, designed for non-stop flows of sawn wood for companies with production capacities from 30.000/50.000 m3 per year. They are fed with constant energy loads, thus avoiding the thermal peaks of batch processes, typical of conventional drying, that result in higher energy consumption, as can be seen from comparing the graphs.
To combine these requirements in view of major productions, Termolegno has developed an innovative patented technology with Windsor Engineering, a New Zealand-based company: the Continuos Drying Technology CDK.
The automatic continuous drying systems are ideal plants for processing coniferous wood and softwood in general, designed for non-stop flows of sawn wood for companies with production capacities from 30.000/50.000 m3 per year. They are fed with constant energy loads, thus avoiding the thermal peaks of batch processes, typical of conventional drying, that result in higher energy consumption, as can be seen from comparing the graphs.
The continuous drying systems are equipped with fans to circulate air along the entire length of the kiln. They are doorless and divided into three compartments, where the air is conveyed by sophisticated baffle systems. In the first compartment, preheating brings the wood to operating temperature.
In the second, the drying process takes place.
In the third, the wood undergoes conditioning and equalization: in fact, the water vapor extracted in the second phase is recovered to rebalance and harmonize the wood’s moisture content, thus relieving drying stress.
The loading and unloading operations and the internal handling of the wood in these facilities are fully automated and take place through pushers, with the choice to opt for single or dual direction systems, both of which can be configured with single or multiple tracks, depending on production and logistic needs.
Material movement and air flows are adjusted according to the different moisture targets required. For this purpose, the plants are equipped with an automatic kiln moisture measurement system: a multi-track solution that provides maximum flexibility for customers, even while operating simultaneously on several tracks with different woods.
In the second, the drying process takes place.
In the third, the wood undergoes conditioning and equalization: in fact, the water vapor extracted in the second phase is recovered to rebalance and harmonize the wood’s moisture content, thus relieving drying stress.
The loading and unloading operations and the internal handling of the wood in these facilities are fully automated and take place through pushers, with the choice to opt for single or dual direction systems, both of which can be configured with single or multiple tracks, depending on production and logistic needs.
Material movement and air flows are adjusted according to the different moisture targets required. For this purpose, the plants are equipped with an automatic kiln moisture measurement system: a multi-track solution that provides maximum flexibility for customers, even while operating simultaneously on several tracks with different woods.
Due to these and other features, compared with conventional drying the Continuos Drying Technology CDK offers numerous advantages among which:
- A thermal efficiency of more than 30%;
- An electrical efficiency of more than 16%;
- An overall saving of energy;
- A drastic reduction in labor, equipment and general operating costs due to the automatic material handling;
- A reduction in drying time;
- A higher final quality of the dried product also thanks to the equalization process;
- A guaranteed rate of production (m3/year).
