Do-it-yourself drying chamber based on infrared film

Infrared drying of wood UKLS - development. A set of equipment for drying soft and hard wood (pine, spruce, cedar, fir, linden, alder, aspen, larch, oak, birch, beech, ash, etc.). Drying to wood moisture content of 6–8%.

The dryer is designed for lumber up to 150 mm thick: edged and unedged boards, timber, beams. The minimum drying configuration is 2.5 cubic meters. m, maximum – 100 cubic meters. m of lumber.

Due to the large area of ​​the heaters and the automatic drying process, uniform heating of the wood is ensured. The final moisture content of the material will be the same anywhere in the stack.

Drying kits do not require a special chamber. Almost any room is suitable for installation (garage, carpentry shop, hangar, railway container, etc.).

Description of the configuration and characteristics of UKLS wood drying

The wood dryer uses a special film electric heater, which has a two-way heat flow (it heats in both directions). The specific power of the heater is 360-380 W per 1 sq. m, operates on a voltage of 380 V. The maximum heating temperature of the heater surface is +75 °C during operation.

According to the instructions, wooden frames measuring 2.3 x 3.0 m are assembled from bars with a cross-section of 25 x 50 mm (the bars are not included in the package). 4 pieces are attached to each frame. heater (heater dimensions 0.5 x 3.0 m).

The height of the assembled frame is 75 mm (three bars of 25 mm each). The heater is mounted on the second block and is located in the middle of the finished frame, without experiencing mechanical influences from the lumber.

By agreement with the client, we can produce individual frames for the UKLS dryer. The width and length of the frame may vary depending on the number and length of heaters. Pictured below is a 1.76m x 4.2m frame with 3 heaters (custom special order).

In the photo below the stack is assembled (individual special order for the width and length of the frames).

Finished frames with heaters in a stack are located one behind the other in length or width. This allows you to dry lumber 2, 3, 4, 6 meters . When assembling wood into a stack, the following condition is observed: a layer of wood with a thickness of no more than 150 mm is allowed above each frame, excluding spacers.

Example: a layer of lumber 50 mm thick is laid on the first frame, then 2 more rows of wood 50 mm thick are laid through spacers. The following frames are stacked in a similar way. The frames in the stack act as spacers.

Each frame has its own cable outlet with a connector for connecting to power equipment - electrical power panel .

The kit includes a control and automation panel (PUA) . PUA allows you to control the operation of UKLS wood drying, automatically maintaining the specified heating temperature of lumber, and also controls ventilation, removing moisture-saturated air from the room. The remote control allows you to select the appropriate drying temperature, which depends on the type of wood.

Two sensors are connected to the PUA:

Temperature sensor for monitoring the heating of the wood body.

humidity sensor in the drying room.

Wood drying chamber project

Wood can be dried quickly and efficiently in well-equipped and free-standing drying chambers. Construction of such a chamber on the scale of a dacha or suburban area is not always practical. After all, this type of construction will be very expensive, and its construction will take a lot of time.

The construction of such a premises can well be called the implementation of a full-scale construction project. You cannot avoid labor-intensive operations associated with pouring the foundation, erecting walls and installing complex equipment.

How to make drying for wood can be understood from the diagram.

DIY chamber drying

Such a mini-wood dryer requires the placement of not only basic equipment (heating and ventilation devices), but also additional automatic control systems.

Electrical characteristics of UKLS kits

* Heaters in UKLS 2.5 cubic meters. m upon special order we can supply 220 volts.

Electricity consumption and drying cycle

Infrared drying for wood UKLS allows you to dry soft and hard wood with a difference in setting the temperature parameters for heating the wood body. For soft rocks the temperature setting is 42–44 °C , for hard rocks – 33–35 °C . The warm-up temperature settings are set independently in the control unit.

Electricity consumption will depend on:

• wood species, hardness (soft or hard);
• initial humidity;
• final humidity.

To dry 5 cu. m of softwood lumber (pine) to a wood moisture content of 6–8%, you need to spend: 5 cubic meters. m x 300 kWh = 1500 kWh. Drying cycle – 7 days.

Requirements for installation of UKLS kits

The UKLS infrared wood drying method has several important requirements that must be met.

1. The internal volume of the room must necessarily exceed the volume of lumber in the stack by at least 5–7 times. For example, you stacked wood (length x width x height): 3 x 2.3 x 2 m (5 cubic meters of wood). In this case, the room must have internal dimensions of at least 4 x 3 x 3 m (36 cubic meters). This is necessary to maintain the temperature difference between the wood inside the stack and the air around it. The difference should be at least 7–10 °C, which ensures effective evaporation of moisture from warm wood into colder air. If the temperature setpoint of the wood body is set to +42 °C, then the air temperature in the room should not be higher than +35 °C.
2. The room in which wood is dried in winter must have good thermal insulation or be heated to plus 10–12 °C. For example, it could be a prefabricated modular box, insulated all around with insulation 50–100 mm thick. With reliable thermal insulation, the heating power of the UKLS is sufficient to ensure optimal drying conditions.
3. An exhaust fan (not included) must be installed to remove moist air from the room during the drying process. The performance of the exhaust fan is selected depending on the internal volume of the room. Example: room volume 60 cubic meters. m, fan capacity – 180 cubic meters. m/hour. The fan is installed closer to the ceiling of the room.

DIY wood dryer

The room chosen for arranging a homemade dryer must be heated by a stove or a specially installed fireplace. It is good if a heater is pre-installed in the room. If there is none, then be sure to leave room for it.

This is the project for making a home dryer suggested by a member of our forum.

Nikolay Valen member of FORUMHOUSE

There is a large garage with water heating; a potbelly stove using wood and waste is installed as a boiler. There is a pipe with a diameter of 800 mm and a length of 2.2 meters (a former ventilation duct from an industrial plant). The idea is as follows: install sealed covers on both ends of the pipe, leave fittings with a diameter of 150-200 mm for the supply and removal of hot air. The air is heated by a radiator (this can be a car heater). Air supply - table fan. 0.3-0.5 cubic meters of lumber are loaded into the pipe, the stove is heated (the coolant temperature reaches 90 degrees, I think that the supplied air can actually be heated to 50-60 degrees).

If you have chosen a room that is too large, then the space you plan to use for a homemade dryer should be made insulated and sealed. For these purposes, wooden partitions are made; insulation, brick and other materials can be used to create your own microclimate in the dryer. Do not forget that you must leave a window for ventilation and an entrance door in the cell. After all, we shouldn’t end up with a hut without windows and doors.

Fans installed in the drying chamber will help create forced air flow and make the drying process more efficient.

mfcn participant FORUMHOUSE, Moscow.

It is advisable to place fans on the floor to the side of the stack so that the blowing is parallel to the spacers. Remember that when drying wood, you need to evaporate about several hundred liters of water from each cubic meter of wood.

To place lumber in the dryer, special shelves or flooring should be installed. These products can be made of metal so that the structure can withstand relatively large loads. Wood should be dried to levels corresponding to 8–12% humidity. Its measurements are carried out using a special moisture meter.

Drying wood is necessary following certain rules. Otherwise, the material will be hopelessly damaged and cannot be used in construction. To do this, the wood must be stacked. And between each new layer, spacers made of boards of the same thickness should be placed. Wood of any species, stacked in neat stacks, will never suffer from fungal infections and will retain its integrity and excellent consumer qualities.

Lao Czy member of FORUMHOUSE

The spacers need to be made higher for better air ventilation between the boards. They will dry out better. You can place your cut 25*30 or 25*40 cubes on edge. The reason for limiting the height of the stack is to prevent the boards from being driven by a “helicopter blade”, secure the topmost layers of boards in the stack with self-tapping screws. I have been storing my boards using this method for the 3rd year at my dacha in the Moscow region. They are in excellent condition!

Gaps should also be left between boards located in the same row. This will ensure unhindered air movement inside the stack and improve drying quality.

Advantages of using UKLS infrared drying

• Mobile drying of wood for different types of hardness (soft and hard wood).
• The dimensions of the set allow you to dry lumber 2, 3, 4, 6 m long and up to 150 mm thick.
• Drying wood to wood moisture content of 6–8%.
• Automatic operating mode.
• Uniform heating of wood throughout the entire volume of the stack.
• Minimal warping and cracking of lumber.
• Does not require a special chamber (a workshop, hangar, box, garage, container, etc. will do).
• Energy saving - to obtain pine moisture content at a level of 16–20%, three times less energy is required (200 kWh/cubic m) than with convective drying.
• Possible increase in drying volumes if there is sufficient electrical power in the network.

Advantages and disadvantages

Let's look at the main advantages of using infrared drying:

1. Uniform heating of wood in soft, gentle conditions without sudden temperature changes allows you to relieve internal tension in the wood, avoid warping and cracking, and obtain more high-quality material.
2. Since infrared rays act directly on the water, drying is faster than with conventional methods. The duration can be 3-7 days, depending on the moisture content of the source material and the type of wood. The efficiency of infrared drying is 1.8 times higher compared to convective drying.
3. The moisture content of dried wood can be up to 8%, which characterizes it as high-quality
4. In infrared dryers there is no need to maintain heating of the coolant (air or water), which is typical for other types of dryers
5. To carry out the process, highly qualified specialists are not needed, since process management is quite simple.
6. The design and installation of such a camera takes little time. It is easy to disassemble and transport.
7. It should be noted the low cost of the equipment. One infrared cassette costs about 3 thousand rubles.
8. Low energy costs are also an advantage. Drying 1 m3 of wood requires 200-400 kW/h per drying cycle.
9. IR drying allows you to dry various volumes of wood from one board to several cubes of lumber.
10. Thermal energy

The disadvantages of such drying include a fire hazard. If the camera is handled incorrectly, it may contain a concentration of flammable vapors and, as a result, a fire or even an explosion.

What is included in the UKLS kit

• Film electric heaters by quantity depending on the configuration.
• Control and automation panel (CAP).
• Power electrical panel.
• Electric wires.
• Power portable connectors (sockets and plugs).
• OV-1 connectors.
• Relative humidity sensor.
• Wood body temperature sensor.
• Technical documentation for assembly and configuration of UKLS.
• Warranty card for a set of equipment (1 year).

Organization of IR drying

Infrared drying can be carried out in tubeless dryers. To implement it, you do not need a specially organized camera. Drying is possible directly in the production room or outdoors under a canopy for protection from atmospheric agents.

This dryer is equipped with cassettes 12.5 cm long and 6.5 cm wide. The thickness of such cassettes is 1.5 mm. The wood is stacked, although this drying method allows you to dry smaller volumes of wood. Then thermoactive cassettes are placed in a certain way and the stack is covered with a foil cover so that condensation collects behind the stack for better drying of the wood. The temperature regulator allows you to maintain it at the required level. The control cassette regulates the mode and sets the temperature in each of the stacks. Most of the moisture evaporates in the first two days. The total duration can be 3-7 days depending on the initial moisture content of the dried wood and its type.

IR drying can also be carried out in stationary or mobile chambers. Let us now consider the design of a camera with infrared heaters.

What is not included in the UKLS kit

• Wooden blocks 25 x 50 mm.
• Cable channels 25 x 25 x 2000 mm (1 cable channel per 1 frame with heaters).
• Exhaust fan.
• Self-tapping screws for wood.

Free delivery of UKLS throughout Russia TC "Business Lines"

When ordering any UKLS kit from 2.5 to 100 cubic meters. m delivery within Russia is free . Delivery is carried out by TC "Business Lines" to the terminal in your city. You can find a list of cities on the transport company’s website.

Cost of UKLS kits

How to buy a UKLS wood dryer?

We work with individuals and legal entities. To complete the application, provide the following information: full name, phone number, delivery city, organization details if the payer is an individual entrepreneur or LLC.

We accept orders:

1. Via the form on the website: “Accepting an application.”
2. In the online store.
3. By email
4. By phone or (toll-free within the Russian Federation).
5. In person at the company’s office at the address: Ekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk tract 25 km, 1, office 306.