Drvna industrija, Vol. 67 No. 1, 2016.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.5552/drind.2016.1515
Analysis of Drying Kiln Aerodynamics Based on a Full Three-Dimensional Turbulent Numerical Computation
Bogdan Bedelean
; Faculty of Wood Engineering, Transilvania University of Brasov, Brasov, Romania
Sebastian Muntean
; Centre of Advanced Research in Engineering Sciences, Romanian Academy – Timisoara Branch, Timisoara, Romania
Mihaela Campean
; Faculty of Wood Engineering, Transilvania University of Brasov, Brasov, Romania
Abstract
This paper introduces a numerical methodology based on a 3D turbulent flow computation developed to assess the aerodynamic performances of lumber drying kilns. The numerical results are validated against experimental data obtained by applying five different fan speeds and reversible air flow. The distributions of the energy loss coefficient and of the non-uniformity flow coefficient were plotted along the flow path in both normal and reverse directions and the regions with larger air loss values were identified. The numerical computation revealed that three quarters of the airfl ow delivered by the fans bypasses the wood stacks through different gaps, consequently leading to a low aerodynamic effi ciency (of 24-25 %) of the kiln.
Keywords
drying kiln; air flow; Computational Fluid Dynamics; validation; aerodynamic efficiency
Hrčak ID:
154663
URI
Publication date:
28.3.2016.
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