lumber manufacturing |
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wood drying With increased demand
for kiln dried wood products comes increased demand from FPInnovations
members for kiln evaluations and benchmarking, new drying technologies
and methods, as well as professional development of their kiln operators.
FPInnovations' Wood Drying Group, which is part of the Lumber Manufacturing
Program, aims at improving the quality of kiln-dried lumber while
reducing drying time and energy costs. Another key objective is
to contribute to the development of new controllers capable of integrating
drying conditions and specific wood parameters.
FPInnovations' Wood Drying research is developed around six complementary
topics:
- Process control
- Alternative drying technologies
- Material sorting strategies
- Operation improvement
- Product quality assurance and improvement
- Development and transfer of new technology
In November 2001, a new research initiative was launched in partnership
with the government of Québec. The three-year program, called ElectroBois,
brings together the expertise of Forintek and Hydro-Québec's
Laboratoire des Technologies et des Électrotechnologies (LTE).
A major part of this research is dedicated to the development of
innovative drying technologies.
For our members, details are
available in the 2008-2009 Lumber Manufacturing Program Summary and the description of
its current
wood drying research projects. A list of relevant publications
is offered within our sections Newsletter
(Publications Update) and Technotes.
Our members may
also be interested in the following key innovation and tools that
have emerged over the years from Forintek's Wood Drying research:
 An
évaluation of wood kiln control practices - a
report prepared with CETC Varennes (available for members and
non-members) on analyses of softwood practices in Canada.- OASiS
- a program designed to assess the economic impact of various
lumber sorting and drying strategies, and to optimise current
practices.
- Fir
Detector - a system to segregate balsam fir lumber from mixed
spruce-pine-fir mill production, to optimise drying strategies.
- Kiln
Monitoring System - a system to examine potential energy savings
in drying operation.
- Lumber
Drying correspondence Course theory and practices for kiln
operators and managers (available to non-members also).
If you have specific needs in the field of wood drying, we also
offer Contract services
with strict confidentiality guidelines.
30/11/10
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