An irreversible thermodynamics model for unsteady-state nonisothermal moisture diffusion in wood

Summary A model that predicts heat and moisture transfer through wood in the hygroscopic range and which is based on the principles of irreversible thermodynamics, was evaluated with unsteady-state nonisothermal moisture desorption experimental data. The model predicted the phenomenon of thermal diffusion during the initial stages of desorption and results in a very good simulation of the desorption curve and the center's temperature change with time.Symbols C_p specific heat of air (= 0.24 cal/g K @ 70 °C) - C_T specific heat of wood, cal/g K - D transverse diffusion coefficient, cm²/s - E_b activation energy, cal/mol - E_o heat of vaporization, cal/mol - E_L differential heat of sorption, cal/mol - G specific gravity of wood - H relative humidity, % - h_T convective heat transfer coefficient, cal/cm² s K - h_c convective mass transfer coefficient based on the concentration of moisture in wood, cm/s - h_v convective mass transfer coefficient based on the concentration of moisture in the air in equilibrium with the wood surface, cm/s - K_M coefficient for diffusion due to moisture gradient, g/cm s % - K_T transverse thermal conductivity coefficient, cal/cm K s - M moisture content, % - P_o saturated vapor pressure, atm - R universal gas constant, cal/mol K (= 82.056 cm³ atm/mol K) - t time, s - T temperature, K - x distance, cm Greek Letters evaporation or condensation criterion - wood density, g/cm³ - _W water density (=1), g/cm³ - _a air density, g/cm³ Department of Wood Science and Forest Products Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blackburg, Virginia 24061-0503     

Test of an equation for nonisothermal moisture transport in wood

Summary Reported moisture and temperature distributions in wood exposed to a temperature gradient under conditions of zero flow were used to compute changes in moisture content per change in Kelvin temperature, dm/dT. Corresponding theoretical values were calculated from a model based on nonequilibrium thermodynamics. Comparison of the measured and theoretical values supports the notion that moisture transport in wood can be modeled successfully with thermodynamic methods.     

An investigation of the external and internal resistance to moisture diffusion in wood

Summary An attempt was made to resolve the resistance to moisture diffusion in wood into its components, namely, the external and internal resistances by using Newmann's solution of Fick's second law. The effect of specimen thickness, moisture content, and temperature on the coefficients were also investigated.This research was supported by the National Science Foundation     

Research on the effect of microwave pretreatment on moisture diffusion coefficient of wood

Based on the pathway of moisture diffusion in wood below FSP, an improved moisture diffusion model has been proposed. The theoretical solution of the mathematic model shows that the diffusion coefficient for microwave pretreated wood was increased no more than 3% compared with that of wood without being treated even under extreme condition. Experiments indicate that the pit membrane structure can be effectively destroyed during microwave pretreatment, but the moisture diffusion coefficient can not be significantly improved. In practice, the effect of microwave pretreatment on moisture diffusion coefficient can be ignored. The drying rate of wood during the sequent conventional drying can not be significantly improved by microwave pretreatment.     

Nonisothermal moisture diffusion experiments analyzed by four alternative equations

Summary Five steady-state nonisothermal diffusion experiments were performed with one surface maintained at approximately 70°C and the other at 35°C, with the latter at a relative humidity of 65%. Relative humidities on the warm side varied from 11% to 65% resulting in equilibrium moisture contents from 2.1% to 8.9%. A reversal of flux direction was observed as the relative humidity of the warm side was decreased below that on the cool side indicating a strong influence of the temperature gradient. This reversal was predicted by two nonisothermal equations: one based on a gradient of activated moisture content and the other on a gradient of chemical potential. The flux reversal was not accounted for by the isothermal forms of Fick's law based on gradients of moisture content and partial water-vapor pressure.The author is grateful to Dr. R. V. Jelinek of S. U. N. Y. College of Environmental Science and Forestry for his programming of the computer to solve the differential equations for calculation of the fluxes and moisture-content profiles     

Nondestructive testing method of wood moisture content based on a planar capacitance sensor model

For our research, a new hybrid experimental-computational method is presented. We applied a least squares fitting     

Theory to estimate the stress due to moisture in wood using a transmission-type microwave moisture meter

 In recent years a microwave transmission-type moisture meter has been developed in Japan. Its purpose is to measure the average moisture content of thick woods. Since its development I have realized that there is a negative correlation between the moisture content of wood and the power voltage of the meter. This realization suggests that an invisible stress has an effect on the attenuation constant of the wood. The presence of such a stress in the wood could easily be proven by the slicing technique. In this article a theory is presented to explain further the effect of this stress on the attenuation constant. The theory was applied to softwood specimens in various states of moisture. It was concluded that the calculated strain distributions of the various specimens approximated those of the experimental results. Thus, the proposed theory presented herein has validity or adaptability with regard to qualitatively understanding the stress. Future research efforts would also be expected to detect the stress in wood due to moisture. Received: November 30, 2001 / Accepted: March 18, 2002 Acknowledgments The author thanks Mr. K. Hayashida and Mr. T. Taniguchi (former students of Fukui University of Technology) for their assistance in the experiment. The author also thanks Dr. Okada of the Kawasaki Kiko Co. and Prof. Dr. Sobue of Shizuoka University for their valuable discussions and suggestions. Part of this report was presented at the Annual Meeting of the Central District of the Japan Wood Research Society, Gifu, September 2000 Correspondence to:T. Takemura     

Nonisothermal moisture movement in wood

In order to analyze the effect of temperature gradient on moisture movement during highly intensive drying, such as microwave-vacuum drying, the profile of the temperature and moisture content in sealed wood whose opposite faces were subjected to temperature gradient for a short time was measured. The ratio of the moisture content (MC) gradient to the temperature gradient (dM/dT) was calculated and the factors influencing moisture movement under nonisothermal conditions were discussed. The results indicate that moisture moved in wood from the warm surface to the cold one even if opposite faces of the sealed wood assembly were exposed continuously to different but constant temperatures for a short period. The moisture content on the cold surface was higher than that on the warm surface. The moisture content gradient opposite to the temperature gradient was established, and the dM/dT was below 0.9%/°C. The temperature in the sample and the distance from the hot surface of the sample was strongly linearly correlated. With an increase in temperature, initial moisture content and experimental time, the dM/dT was significantly increased. __________ Translated from Journal of Beijing Forestry University, 2005, 27(2): 96–100 [译自: 北京林业大学学报, 2005, 27(2): 96–100]     

Transient moisture effects on wood creep

To gain insight into the physical nature of the coupling between mechanical stress and humidity variations, the behaviour of thin wood strips was studied using specially developed apparatus for creep/recovery and relaxation/blotting-out tests in a controlled humidity environment. The load time and the rate of viscoelastic creep were found to have little influence on mechano-sorptive creep. Moreover, creep trajectory curves for specimens with continuous and interrupted humidity cycles indicated divergence from simple creep-limit behaviour. The effect of transient moisture was also modelled numerically at the molecular level using an idealized cellulose-based composite. Preliminary results suggest that: (i) during free shrinkage, the cellulose chains in elementary fibrils may bend perpendicular to the planes of the hydrogen bonded sheets which form the crystalline lattice; (ii) transient hydrogen bonding between the crystalline cellulose and amorphous polymer owing to the introduction or removal of water may accelerate shear slip between the two phases in the presence of an external load. Received 6 July 2000 The financial support of the Swiss Federal Office for Education and Science is gratefully acknowledged.     

Some considerations in heterogeneous nonisothermal transport models for wood: a numerical study

This study compares a number of coupled heat and mass transfer models and presents numerical comparisons of phenomenological coefficients between the four models (Stanish, Perre, Pang, and Avramidis) that are most frequently used in the literature to describe wood-drying processes. The USDA sorption isotherm, the Hailwood-Horrobin model, was adopted to calculate the relations between moisture content in wood and water vapor pressure at any temperature. Due to different assumptions about the driving forces of heat and mass transfer, coefficients in each model represent different values for moisture content and temperature and are closely related to each other. In the case of isothermal mass transfer, the moisture diffusion coefficient in the transverse directions from the Stanish and Pang models increased with decreasing moisture content. This contradicts the Avramidis and Perre models and numerous experimental results. Thermal diffusion effects on the drying process may not be predominant because the nonisothermal state is relatively short. Therefore, the Perre model, which does not consider the thermal diffusion effect, has been used successfully in the drying simulation. However, it may be erroneous in certain cases when the nonisothermal state prevails over the system, such as building physics. The Pang model cannot explain the phenomena of thermal diffusion and moisture thermodiffusion. It might be reasonable to modify the thermal diffusion of the Avramidis model, which is lower than that of the Stanish model. The apparent heat diffusivity was higher than the true heat diffusivity.     

Stress model of a wood fibre in relation to collapse

A wood fibre cell from a Tasmanian Eucalypt is typically cylindrical in shape with a length to diameter ratio of approximately 501. Early in the process of seasoning for solid timber, when the fibre lumens are still saturated, internal tension within a fibre can rise to a value high enough to cause it to physically flatten, or collapse. A stress model of a fibre cell has been developed which predicts the stress and strain distributions within the fibre wall as a function of temperature, moisture content, and fibre wall strength properties and size in the early stages of drying. This model will be used together with measurement of the behaviour of collapse prone timbers to determine conditions which will avoid collapse during seasoning.The author is pleased to acknowledge the assistance of Emeritus Professor A. R. Oliver, Associate Professor P. E. Doe, University of Tasmania, and the Australian Furniture Research and Development Institute     

Determination of wood moisture properties using a CT-scanner in a controlled low-temperature environment

Abstract

The aim of the present work was to examine an advanced image-processing algorithm for moisture content (mc) calculation and also to use this algorithm to analyse moisture loss data for low temperature drying. Since wood starts to shrink below the fibre saturation point during drying, the geometrical shape of the wood piece will change. The dry wood image was thoroughly transformed to the shape of the wet wood image prior to calculating the dry weight mc. The results show that the algorithm for the dry weight mc on density data from the CT-scanning during low-temperature drying in the climate chamber is a powerful tool for analysing the moisture loss inside the wood piece. This method can make it possible to get a higher quality on the product.     

A microwave applicator for on line wood drying: Temperature and moisture distribution in wood

Summary An especially designed open microwave applicator was analysed using wood as the material to be heated and dried. The idea was to develop an on line microwave construction consisting of several small open applicators, each fed by a small standard magnetron (for example 1.4 kW main power). The process was analysed by measuring the wood temperature during heating using an IR-camera and detecting the moisture distribution during drying by CT-scanning. Pine and birch wood samples were used in the experiments, mainly 40 mm in thickness. The experiments show that the power distribution differs between dry wood and moist wood. The analysis of the temperature fields captured by the IR-camera during the first minutes allows a rather accurate determination of the MW power. Consequently, the drying proceeds unevenly in the wood specimens, especially in the longitudinal direction. The dimensions of the applicator and its relation to the wood dimension are very important. However, the wood was not destroyed, the temperature and moisture gradients did not affect the wood in terms of checks or deformations. The drying rate in different positions of the specimen varied between 0.30 and 0.80 percentage moisture content/min. The uneven energy, meaning temperature and field distribution, is to be compensated in the future by a moving wood load and by alternating the position of each applicator in a larger scale microwave pilot plant. Received 25 February 1997     

Thermal diffusion in Masson pine wood

In order to analyze the effects of the temperature gradient on moisture movement during the highly intensive microwave-vacuum drying, thermal diffusion of Masson pine wood was studied. Internal distribution of temperature and moisture in Masson pine samples sealed by epoxy resin and aluminum foil was measured, the magnitude of thermal diffusion was calculated and the influencing factors of thermal diffusion were discussed. Results showed that with the transfer of moisture toward the low temperature in wood, opposite temperature and moisture gradient occurred. The initial moisture content （MC）, temperature and time are important factors affecting this process; the thermal diffusion is in proportion to wood temperature, its initial moisture and time. The temperature and distance from hot surface is strongly linearly correlated, and the relationship between MCs at different locations and distance from the hot end surface changes from logarithmically form to exponentially form with the increase in experimental time.     

Shape stability of modified engineering wood product subjected to moisture variation

Abstract

A modified softwood product would enable the utilization of softwood in new areas. Densification is an old modification method to improve wood properties such as hardness and resistance to abrasion. A major problem with densified wood is, however, its ability to retain its original dimensions under the influence of moisture. Therefore, this study investigated the influence of surface to bottom layer thickness ratio on the shape stability of a modified and three-layered cross-laminated engineering wood product (EWP) subjected to moisture variations. The study describes a simple solid wood densification technique based on compressing a clear solid piece of softwood with vertical annual rings in the radial direction by restraining the tangential expansion. Three-layered cross-laminated EWP was manufactured with the densified wood as a surface layer. The recovery of the densified wood in the surface layer was then reduced to movements in the same level as the other two layers of unmodified wood. The EWP was subjected to climatic variations in order to investigate its shape stability. The results disclosed that an appreciable degree of shape stability was obtained by an increase in the surface to bottom layer thickness ratio of the EWP.