Drying of oak wood lamellas: Part 1. Analysis of the process in a dehumidification kiln

Abstract

The subject of this paper is to analyse the drying process of oak lamellas, which are the solid wood top layer of engineered wood flooring. The focus of the first part of the paper is on dehumidification kilns. Drying in a dehumidification kiln is an interesting alternative to conventional drying of thin solid oak wood with the aim of reaching high drying quality in a reasonable time. Drying tests were done in an industrial dehumidification kiln, and drying parameters were compared with the drying in the conventional kiln. Simultaneously, a drying test at a higher temperature was done in the programmable climate chamber. It was demonstrated that thin oak lamellas (approx. 5 mm thick) could be successfully dried in a dehumidification kiln in a relatively short time and with high drying quality. With the applied drying schedule (initial temperature of 36°C, final temperature of 46°C), the drying cycle will last 2 to 5 days, depending on the amount of wood and the initial MC. Due to the high rate of water evaporation and the inability of the kilns to remove it fast enough, the drying of lamellas in both dehumidification and conventional kilns takes place at a higher equilibrium moisture content than the set values.

Keywords

• oak lamella
• engineered wood flooring
• drying
• dehumidification kiln