Book Description
Interest in solar drying of lumber has increased in recent years because previous results had indicated that: Drying times are shorter and final moisture contents are lower in solar drying than in air drying; much less lumber degrade occurs in solar drying when compared to air drying; and the cost of energy is less in solar drying than in kiln drying. Work in the field of solar drying has reached the point at which dryer designs are being modified or need to be modified to provide more efficient dryers. In order that these modifications can be made intelligently, it is necessary to identify the weak areas (such as excessive solar reflectance from the walls) in the present dryer designs. The objective of this study was to identify the major energy losses in the solar dryer at Colorado State University, and then to suggest various design changes, based on theoretical considerations, to reduce these losses to leave more energy for the primary task of drying wood.
