Simulation and validation of heat transfer during wood heat treatment process

Abstract

Heat treatment can substantially improve the quality of wood materials. Temperature is the most important factor during heat treatment affecting the properties of boards, so optimizing the treatment process should include careful investigation of thermal transfer phenomena. In this work, the transient heat transfer characteristics during the heat treatment of wood at 120 °C, 150 °C, and 180 °C were numerically studied per the temperature distribution and variation in sample boards. The heat transfer model was established by comparative analysis of the experimental data and simulation data. ANSYS software was used to simulate heat transfer during the process of wood heat treatment; simulation results were consistent with experimental results at average relative error within 5%. This accurate simulation of heat transfer within wood samples provides useful insight into the heat transfer mechanisms. Keywords: High temperature treatment, Thermal transfer, Wood, Temperature distribution, Simulation