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Closed Loop Drying
Swedish Valutec, the world leader in continuous wood drying, introduces ”Closed Loop Drying” a patent-pending solution that can achieve energy savings up to 50%.
“Lumber drying is one of the most energy-intensive processes at the sawmills. Given the global rise in energy costs, this significantly enhances the economic attractiveness of the system”, says patent inventor Robert Larsson, Business Developer at Valutec.
Innovation and continuous improvement have always been a crucial part of Valutec’s business strategy. Over the past decades the company has successfully developed and registered over 20 patents, that today are improving drying performance at sawmills all over the world.
The new “Closed Loop Drying” patent-pending solution is a further development of a patent registered in 2013 “Drying arrangement for high energy recovery”, Enabling drying at two different temperature levels in the two drying zones of the continuous kiln, there is no longer any air exchange with the atmosphere. Instead, each zone maintains a sealed and precisely controlled microclimate. The air drawn in at the kiln’s outlet remains within the system, flows counter to the material direction through the kiln, and is released again in the heating zone at the beginning of the kiln near ambient conditions. Fresh air is used solely for cooling in the heat exchanger and does not come into contact with the drying zones. The heat exchanger is used exclusively to dry the air, which is then reintroduced into the drying process. This way the energy is utilized three times.
Up to 50% less energy consumption
The result is a significantly reduced energy requirement.
“The energy savings are substantial — up to 50% is achievable. Additionally, we mitigate seasonal fluctuations and ensure a consistent energy demand throughout the year,” Larsson says.
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