Compare Costs of Different
Fuels for Drying Lumber
PICMET 11
International Conference
July 31-August 4, 2011
Portland, Oregon, USA
Dr. Jim Reeb, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Forest Engineering, Resources and Management
54-574-6537 Ext 19
[email protected] What the heck is a British Thermal Unit (Btu) and
why do we care?
One Btu is the amount of energy needed to raise the
temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit,
and at sea level it takes 1,000 British thermal units of energy
to evaporate 1 pound of water.
Different sources of energy, such as natural gas, electricity,
propane and wood can be compared using their heat
content. In the US, the most common measure of heat
content is the British Thermal Unit (Btu).
Calculating Energy Use
Gas
Oil
Wood
Electricity
Btu
Conversion values:
Unit of wood is 200 cu. ft.
= 1900 lbs. sawdust
= 2600 lbs. bark
(Dry lb. is ~
= 8,500 Btus
ranges from about 7,600-9,600 Btus/lb)
Therm of gas is ~
= 100,000 Btu
Gallon of heating oil is ~
= 140,000 Btus
KWH of electricity is~= 3,415 Btus
Water and Wood
Source: Understanding Wood by Bruce Hoadley
RELATIVE ENERGY
80% to 15%
1500
Energy to evaporate
bound water
1200
1000 Btu/lb
2300 kJ/kg
900
Energy to evaporate
free water
600
300
0
10
20
30
40
50 60
70
80 and higher
Moisture Content, % (lb HOH/lb BD AIR)
IMPORTANT TO KNOW HOW TO
CALCULATE ENERGY USE
Must be able to determine the total energy
use of all sources
Must be able to determine how much water
was removed from the wood
Wood
FUEL VALUES FOR
WOOD, GAS, OIL, AND
ELECTRICITY FOR
DRYING
Natural gas
No. 6 Heavy oil
Electricity
$/unit
30
40
50
$/MMBTU*
2.42
3.22
4.03
$/therm
0.5
0.6
1.05
6.43
7.71
13.50
$/barrel
75.00
100.00
14.43
19.24
$/KWH
.05
.06
.07
14.64
17.57
20.50
*The assumed combustion efficiencies of the
three fuels are 61.2%, 77.8%, 82.5% and
100%, respectively. The wood fuel is at 45%
MC (wet basis).
Energy for Drying Lumber
Natural Gas
Easy to use
Clean burning
Lower capital cost
Higher fuel cost
>80% efficiency
Wood
Must handle
More emissions
Higher initial cost
Lower fuel cost
60-70% efficiency
Availability
Negative Effect of Moisture on Heating Value of Wood
Approximately, for every 1% increase in moisture content, starting at bone
dry, there is a 1% decrease in heating value.
Example: if a piece of firewood has a heating value of 8,500 Btus per
pound at 0% moisture content (bone dry) then it will have an approximate
heating value of only 1,700 Btus per pound at 80% moisture content.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Species effect high density woods have higher heating value than low
density woods.
Dry wood cell wall material weighs ~95 lbs/cu ft
Dry wood weighs ~12 - 85 lbs/cu ft
Extremes:
Balsawood (Ochroma pyramidale) sp gravity 0.19 ~
= 12 lbs/cu ft
Lignum vitae (Guaiacum sanctum) sp gravity 1.37 ~
= 85 lbs/cu ft
Energy From Burning Wood
1High
Wood
Moisture
Content (%)
HHV1 (Btus/lb)
8750
20
7000
50
4375
80
1750
heating value approximate values, for example
at oven-dry, HHV ranges from about 7600-9600 Btus/lb
Energy Use for Drying Lumber
MC (%)
Energy Use
Btus/lb of Water1
Initial
Final
Evaporated
MMBtus/MBF
Doug-fir
45
15
2,000-3,000
1.2-1.8
S. pine
100
12
1,600-2,200
3.0-4.0
Red oak
80
3,000+
6.4+
1Note:
1,000 Btus is theoretical value of energy to evaporate 1 lb HOH.
Wood-Related Energy Use
Heat Wood
Heat Water in Wood
Heat of Wetting (energy to break chemical bounds)
Evaporate Water from Wood Surface
Maybe 50% or a bit more is used to actually dry the
wood! What is the rest of the energy doing?
Where the
Other Energy
Goes
Re-heating Make Up Air
Loss Through
Walls
Flash Tank
Loss
Kiln
Heating Kiln Parts
Use About 50% For Efficiency Because 50% Was
Used for Drying and 50% for Other
Energy = Water Evaporated (lbs) X 2000 Btus/lb = # of Btus
Typical
Softwoods 1800 to 2500 Btus/lb
Hardwoods 4000 Btus/lb +
Minimize Energy Use
Air dry before kiln dry
Keep rain and snow
off the lumber
Reduce fan speed
Dry to higher MC
Higher temperature
Vent less
Avoid steam spray
Maintain traps
Fix steam leaks
Insulate pipes
Minimize time
between charges
Steps to Approximate Cost of Drying Lumber
Calculate the amount of water evaporated
Use estimate of 2,000 Btus/lb. water evaporated for most
NW conifers
Calculate or use attached table to determine the cost of
energy using $/MMBtu for fuel source used
Drying cost = (lb. water evaporated) x
(2,000 Btus/lb.) x (energy cost $/MMBtu)
Energy Drying Costs - Example
100,000 bf of western red cedar
Avg SGgrn = 0.31
MC1 = 80% MC2 = 15% m1 = 0.80 lbs HOH/lb BDair
m2 = 0.15 lbs HOH/lb BDair
Estimate: 1 ft3 = 14 bf
Drying Cost = lb HOH evaporated X 2,000 Btu/lb HOH evaporated X Energy Cost $/MM Btu
Weight of HOH evaporated (lbs) = SG X 62.4 lbs X 1 ft3 X (0.80 0.15) X 100,000 bf =
ft3
14 bf
= 89,811 lbs of HOH evaporated
Btu needed = 89,811 lbs HOH X 2,000 Btu/lb HOH X Energy Cost $ = 179.62 MM Btus
1,000,000,000 Btu
Continued on Next Slide
Energy Drying Costs (continued)
Dry a 100 mbf of western red cedar from 80% to 15% MC
Drying costs = 89,811 lbs HOH X 2,000 BTU X Energy Cost $ =
lb HOH
MM BTU
= 179.62 MM BTU X $/MM BTU
If dry 100,000,000 bf per year, what would the annual cost be?
Cost to dry 100 mmbf
Wood
Natural gas
Oil
Electricity
$/MM BTU
4.03
X
13.50
X
19.24
X
20.50
X
MM Btu
179.62
= ~$ 724
179.62
= ~$2,425
179.62
= ~$3,456
179.62
= ~$3,682
Annual Cost
$ 724,000
$2,425,000
$3,455,000
$3,682,000
Other considerations:
Initial cost of wood boiler is greater
Wood has to be handled and stored on site operating costs are greater
Wood is usually available so might actually be free or low cost (have to ignore opportunity costs if you think
its free!)
Depreciation, upkeep, etc. are costs not accounted for in this example upkeep is greater for a wood-fired
boiler.
SUMMARY:
REDUCING THE COST OF DRYING LUMBER
Need to realize importance of knowing the
true drying cost for lumber
Need to examine means of reducing drying
costs
Need to reduce energy consumption
electricity, natural gas, oil, and hogged fuel
DRYING COST FOR SOFTWOOD LUMBER
Survey of Lumber Drying Participants
(11 participants didnt know their drying cost)
10
8
6
4
2
Drying Cost, $/MBF
Dr. Jim Wilson, Oregon State University, CORRIM
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
DRYING COSTS INCLUDE
Energy Use
Capital
Maintenance and
Repair
Insurance
Labor
Permits
Environmental
Overhead
Lumber Degrade
FACTORS AFFECTING THE COST OF DRYING
Operator
Kiln Schedule
Kiln
Lumber
DETERMINING DRYING COST
Example: Drying cost of 2x4 hem-fir with new equipment
Operating Conditions
Kiln capacity (MBF)
180
Operating days per year (days)
340
Kiln residence time (days)
2.5
Annual kiln throughput (MBF) 24,480
Capital cost
$572,000
DRYING COST OF 2X4 HEM-FIR WITH NEW
EQUIPMENT
Annual Cost and Expenses
Annual cost and expenses
Electrical power
Steam (from wood-fired boiler)
Depreciation (straight-line)
Interest
Sticker replacement
Maintenance, supplies, office o/h
Labor (includes all payroll expenses)
Total annual operating cost
69,693
455,000
57,200
25,370
21,630
3l,930
86,560
$747,383
DRYING COST OF 2X4 HEM-FIR WITH NEW
EQUIPMENT
$ per MBF = Total annual operating cost ($)
Annual kiln throughput (MBF)
=
$747,383 = $30.53/MBF
24,480 MBF
DRYING COST FOR SOFTWOOD LUMBER
Survey of Lumber Drying Participants
(11 participants didnt know their drying cost)
10
Calculated drying
cost of $30.53
8
6
4
2
Drying Cost, $/MBF
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
NOTES ON DRYING CALCULATIONS
The steam cost was determined based on a cost of $13 per 1,000
pounds, which reflects the true cost for operating a new boiler. If fully
depreciated, older boiler is used to supply steam and the cost would
be $5 to $10 per 1,000 pounds of steam.
Calculated by assuming project financed with borrowed funds at the
rate of 8.5%.
Cost ignores degrade value and tax shield which would be equal to
the product of tax rate (45%) and the sum of the annual depreciation
and interest charges.
THE AMOUNT OF DEGRADE WILL AFFECT THE
DRYING COST
Based on a 2x4 hem-fir price of $326/MBF
Drying Cost ($ per MBF)
50
45
40
35
30
0
Degrade (% of throughput)
SUMMARY:
REDUCING THE COST OF DRYING LUMBER
Need to realize importance of knowing the
true drying cost for lumber
Need to examine means of reducing drying
costs
Need to reduce energy consumption
electricity, natural gas, oil, and hogged fuel
Fuel Cost Calculator &
Estimator of Lumber
Drying Costs
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/lincoln/forestry/wood-industry
References:
Dry Kiln Operators Manual
http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/7164
U.S. Energy Information Administration
http://www.eia.doe.gov/
Wood Handbook: Wood As An Engineering Material
http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/5734
