Kiln dried firewood using bio digester waste heat!!

[Touchwood]

Just after some info!!!

 

the farm where my yard is is getting a bio digester fitted shortly and the farmer has offered to let me use the waste heat generated by the digester to dry my logs. Just wondering if anybody has done this and if so how they did it?

 

I was thinking loading m3 bags into 40ft containers with some sort of fan system blowing air but not really sure. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[ash_smith123]

Don't get a 40ft container! Get a 20ft and fully insulate it. You will get much better results.

[Touchwood]

Makes sense have you done something similar?

[briquette_seller]

Why not install a false drying floor?

That way you can dry logs, wood chip, etc.

[Alycidon]

How are the bags going to react to the heat applied?.

 

A

[Duffryn]

Just after some info!!!

 

the farm where my yard is is getting a bio digester fitted shortly and the farmer has offered to let me use the waste heat generated by the digester to dry my logs. Just wondering if anybody has done this and if so how they did it?

 

I was thinking loading m3 bags into 40ft containers with some sort of fan system blowing air but not really sure. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Bags wont work , you need IBC crates or stillages. The bio digester is essentially the same as a boiler. Check whether he is claiming RHI on the heat that you use because the setup will need to be slightly different if he is. You need to check the heat output that the BD will generate and then size your kiln accordingly. As Ash said insulation is key.

 

All you need are 2-4 heat exchanger's ( circa £1k each) cut into one end and vents on the other end of the container of the right size to let the air out. The set up is no different to any other container kiln. The hot water flow and return pipes from the DG are connected in the same way as it would be from the boiler.

 

£4-8K including a "once used" container would do it

 

I can send you some pics of the setup if you want ?

[briquette_seller]

Bags wont work , you need IBC crates or stillages. The bio digester is essentially the same as a boiler. Check whether he is claiming RHI on the heat that you use because the setup will need to be slightly different if he is. You need to check the heat output that the BD will generate and then size your kiln accordingly. As Ash said insulation is key.

 

All you need are 2-4 heat exchanger's ( circa £1k each) cut into one end and vents on the other end of the container of the right size to let the air out. The set up is no different to any other container kiln. The hot water flow and return pipes from the DG are connected in the same way as it would be from the boiler.

 

£4-8K including a "once used" container would do it

 

I can send you some pics of the setup if you want ?

 

I'd like to see some pictures, thank you please

[Lancer]

Have you got any further with this project? I am looking to do something similar with a friend who has an a d plant. I think this is fairly simple to do and great thing is there is a constant flow of heat virtually 24/7. I think there is enough heat to run two 40 foot containers.

Is there anyone else on here who has managed to do this? Be good to chat if there is.

[SbTVF]

Wasting your time and energy blasting air through containers like that. The air has no time to pick up any decent amount of moisture. You need to cycle the air once every minute until it is saturated, exhaust it then start again with fresh air.

 

You'll need about 50-60kw worth of heaters to do a 40ft container and it needs to be insulated.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Lancer]

Yes we do already have a kiln on the farm, 40 foot shipping container and it does take a bit of running to get logs properly dry.

We may look at the tip and hook trailers that have a drying floor and push hot air up from beneath.

The engine has 160 kW of heat available in theory. So 2 trailers should be achievable.