GAS-L: Drying beech wood using superheated steam.

["Cornel Ticarat" <ticu@rdsor.ro>]

Dear gasifiers,

I'm intending to build a wood dryer using superheated steam. I know this drying method is a good one. The wood I want to dry is beech wood. It is cutted into small pieces of about 20 - 25 cm long and 4 - 10 cm thick. It's moisture content: 45 - 50 % (very fresh cutted wood ! ). I intend one batch of wood for drying to be of 6 cubic meter.
As far as I know, what is necesary for that is a boiler for generating steam and a drying room. The output steam's temperature have to be of no less than 200 Celsius degrees and it's pressure no less than 4 bar durind all the drying process.
I read in a Russian old documentation paper that they used this drying method and have had very good results. They dried beams beech wood, having the following dimensions:
120 x 200 mm and 4 - 6.5 long. The initial moisture content: 40 %
After 7 (seven ! ) hours the moisture content decreased to 16 % !!!
The above mentioned steam parameters I have from that Russian documentation.
Does anyone have some practical experience with this drying method?
I would be very grateful to anyone of you who would accept to discuss about this.

Regards,

Cornel (Romania)

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