Experimental Evaluation of Solar Kiln for Drying Wood

Abstract

Semi-greenhouse solar dryer was designed and constructed in the Solar Energy Department, National Research Center, Cairo, Egypt. It consists of steel frame structure and all the sides were insulated and covered by galvanized iron sheet. The roof faces south with a tilt angle of 30° and covered by glass sheets. Corrugated iron sheets, painted black on the top, were fixed beneath the glass roof as an absorber. The humidity inside the solar kiln is controlled by inlet vent at south wall and two outlet vents at north wall. Data Capture System was designed to ease the measurements and to capture the measured data automatically and continuously for 24 h a day. The selected local wood type is Casuarina, which is common in Egypt, and it is commonly used in many simple industries. The experimental results with this type of wood show considerable agreements with the simulated ones. A comparison was made between experimental results of solar wood drying and traditional air-drying. The results show that timber boards were dried inside solar kiln to moisture content of 12% within 17 days, where air dying moisture content was limited to 20% for the same period.