Energy-efficient timber drying using thermography

One of the sawmill's most quality-critical process steps, lumber drying, is both challenging to manage and highly energy-intensive. In many Swedish sawmills, excessive heat and electrical energy are consumed because high demands for drying quality push the sawmills to over-dry the lumber. One reason for this is that it is currently difficult to determine in real-time how the process is progressing and to assess the moisture content and distribution of the lumber.

Using modern thermal imaging technology (IR), it has been shown to be possible to obtain a highly detailed image of the lumber drying process, providing drying operators with better decision-making information and the ability to monitor and partially control the process.

In the present project, IR technology is further challenged by its installation in an industrial drying chamber. The goal is to demonstrate how IR technology can be used as a decision-making and control tool for sawmill drying chambers.