Importance

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Abstract

A no-vent dry kiln for drying wood products such as lumber. The kiln has a dehumidification unit to remove excess moisture from the air utilized as the drying media. The dry bulb and wet bulb temperatures of the air within the kiln enclosure are precisely monitored to control the conditions of the atmosphere within the kiln enclosure. The kiln has a dehumidification unit to remove excess moisture from the air and to retain the sensible heat of the air stream passing through the dehumidification unit. The air stream, under a controlled flow rate passes through a first coil which removes the sensible heat from the air stream to lower the temperature of the air stream to at or below its saturation temperature. The heat removed by the first coil is transferred to a third coil down stream. A second coil downstream from the first coil lowers the temperature of the air stream well below the dew point causing the condensing of moisture. The condensed moisture is removed by a condensate removal system. The dehumidified air then passes through the third coil where the heat previously removed by the first coil is reintroduced into the air stream, adding heat if necessary to bring the air stream up to the desired dry bulb temperature. The air stream is then admixed with the drying air within the kiln enclosure. Both the dry bulb and wet bulb temperatures of the air are precisely controlled to provide a desired drying schedule.

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First Claim