An approach for computing the thermal balance and energy consumption of concrete pits during boiling of frozed logs for veneer production.

An approach for computing the thermal balance and energy consumption of pits during boiling of frozed logs intended for veneer production has been presented. With the help of our own non-stationary model, the boiling times of beech logs with a diameter of 0.4 m, initial temperature of −10°C, and moisture content of 0.6 kg·kg⁻¹ were determined at water temperatures in the pit equal to 70°C, 80°C and 90°C. Using the determined logs' boiling durations and the mentioned approach, the change in energy required for the entire boiling process and that for each of the components of the thermal balance was calculated. Computer simulations were performed for concrete pit with a volume of 20 m³ and a degree of filling with logs 45%, 60%, and 75%. It was found that the total energy consumption of the pit increases from 169 to 205 kWh·m⁻³ when the temperature of the boiling water increases from 70°C to 90°C at a pit filling level of 75%. The approach can be applied to compute thermal balances of concrete pits during boiling of frozed and non-frozed logs to any desired final average mass temperature required for the mechanical processing of the plasticized logs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]