10T/H Wood Chip Dryer Machine in United States

Requirements for wood chip dryer machine in United States

In terms of process performance, the customer required that the new wood chip dryer machine in United States must continuously and stably dry mixed wood chips with a moisture content of 45% to 30%, with a processing capacity of 50 tons/hour (wet basis) to meet the fuel requirements of a 75 MW generator set.

Special emphasis was placed on adapting to a variety of common wood chip raw materials in the United States, including a mixture of softwood sawdust (long fiber), hardwood chips (high density) and recycled wood (more impurities).

• Energy efficiency is a key indicator of the project. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Biomass Technology Roadmap requires a 30% reduction in biomass drying energy consumption by 2025, and the new system must control unit heat consumption below 0.8 GJ/ton.
• At the same time, the system needs to be compatible with a variety of heat sources, including the current natural gas and the biomass gas that may be used in the future, to cope with the risk of energy price fluctuations. Emission control is equally important, particulate matter emissions must be less than 20 mg/m³, and volatile organic compound (VOCs) emissions must be controlled below 50 ppm to meet the latest EPA standards.
• Reliability and intelligence are the other two major requirements. As a base load power source, the power plant needs to operate continuously 24/7. The annual operating time of the drying system must reach more than 8,000 hours, and the mean time between failures (MTBF) must be no less than 5,000 hours.
• The intelligent control system must be able to optimize the drying parameters in real time, adapt to the fluctuation of the moisture content of the raw materials, and seamlessly integrate with the power plant DCS system to achieve full plant automation.

Production process and fuel characteristics

The customer's existing wood drying project adopts a typical American biomass fuel pretreatment process.

1. During the raw material receiving stage, wood chips from different channels are sorted by vibrating screens to remove oversized materials (>50mm) and impurities (metals, stones, etc.).
2. The pretreatment system includes a coarse crusher to unify the material size to 10-30mm, and then a density separator is used to separate heavy impurities.
3. The wet wood chips (moisture content 45±5%) are sent to the drying system through a closed belt conveyor. The entire process adopts a negative pressure design to prevent dust from escaping.

There are three main types of wood chip fuel used by customers:

• Forestry residues (accounting for 60%), with a relatively stable moisture content of 40-45%;
• Sawdust from wood processing plants (25%), with fine fibers but large fluctuations in moisture content (35-50%);
• Recycled wood from cities (15%), which may contain impurities such as coatings and adhesives. This complex raw material composition places extremely high demands on the adaptability and stability of the drying system.

The dried wood chips (moisture content 30±2%) are sent to the boiler room of the power plant through a pneumatic conveying system. The entire process requires high automation to reduce manual intervention.

It is particularly important to note that the calorific value of the final fuel must be stable within the range of 14-15MJ/kg. Excessive deviation in moisture content will directly affect boiler efficiency and steam parameters.

Technical advantages of customized wood chip dryer machine in United States

After a comprehensive evaluation, the customer finally chose the drum drying system customized and developed by RICHI Machinery. This decision was based on the core technical advantages of RICHI's equipment. RICHI wood chip dryer machine in United States is designed for biomass energy, papermaking, MDF board and other industries.

It combines efficient heat exchange technology, intelligent control system and modular structure to meet the needs of different customers for wood chip drying efficiency, energy consumption control and environmental compliance.

• Multi-stage heat recovery: The waste gas waste heat circulation system is used to recover 30%~40% of waste heat for preheating fresh air and reduce unit energy consumption (heat consumption can be controlled at 0.75~0.85 GJ/ton of wood chips, and the industry average is 1.0~1.2 GJ/ton).
• Countercurrent drying principle: The wood chips and hot air flow in the opposite direction to improve heat transfer efficiency and shorten the drying time by 20%~30%.
• Fuel flexibility: Compatible with multiple heat sources such as natural gas, biomass gas, steam or fuel oil, adapting to energy conditions in different regions.
• Zone temperature control technology: The drum is divided into 3~5 temperature zones for independent regulation (such as high temperature dehumidification at the feed end → constant temperature drying in the middle → low temperature slow drying at the discharge end) to avoid over-drying or coking of wood chips.
• Anti-clogging design: The inner wall of the drum is equipped with a lifting plate and a crushing device to prevent high-fiber wood chips (such as pine and eucalyptus) from sticking and agglomerating.
• Corrosion-resistant material: The contact parts are made of 316L stainless steel or heat-resistant carbon steel (surface aluminized), which can adapt to corrosive environments such as high humidity and acidic bark.
• Climate adaptability: The cold version is equipped with a bearing heating system (normal operation at -30℃), and the tropical version has enhanced moisture-proof electrical protection (IP65 grade).
• Low emission treatment: integrated cyclone dust removal + wet scrubbing + activated carbon adsorption three-stage purification, particulate matter emission <20 mg/m³, VOCs <50 ppm, meeting EU 2015/1189 standards.
• Noise control: The overall noise is <75 dB (A), achieved through a shock-absorbing base and a soundproof cover.
• Flexible configuration: Customize the drum diameter (1.5~3.5m) and length (8~25m) according to the customer's production capacity (1~50 t/h), moisture content (initial 45%~60%→final moisture 10%~15%) and site restrictions.
• Quick installation: Segmented modular structure, on-site assembly cycle is 40% shorter than traditional equipment.
• Spare parts commonality: Key components (bearings, transmission belts) use international brands (SKF, Siemens), and the global supply network guarantees maintenance efficiency.
• Reduce operating costs: Compared with traditional roller drying machines, energy consumption is reduced by 25%~35%, and maintenance costs are reduced by 20% (thanks to self-lubricating bearings and intelligent early warning systems).
• Improve finished product quality: Drying uniformity (moisture content deviation ±1.5%) is significantly better than the industry standard (±3%), improving the efficiency of subsequent processing (such as granulation, combustion).

Project implementation and operation results

The equipment installation and commissioning took 1 week, and our engineering team made 5 customized adjustments based on the customer's on-site conditions.

The wood chip dryer machine in United States foundation was reinforced to adapt to the soft geology; the connection between the feeding and discharging system and the existing conveyor line was optimized; and the layout of the electrical room was redesigned to improve maintenance convenience. These detailed improvements enabled the system to reach 98% of the designed capacity in the first month of operation.

Operational data showed that the actual processing capacity of the system reached 52 tons/hour (wet basis), and the final moisture content was controlled within the range of 29.5-30.5%, which fully met the contract requirements. The energy consumption performance was excellent, and the unit heat consumption was stable in the range of 0.73-0.77 GJ/ton, saving about US$420,000 in natural gas costs annually. Emission test results showed that particulate matter emissions were only 12-14 mg/m³ and VOCs emissions were 35-38 ppm.

In a mature and competitive energy market like the United States, tailor-made efficient drying solutions can not only solve technical problems, but also create significant economic and environmental benefits, providing a successful example for the sustainable development of global biomass energy.

RICHI wood chips drying system helps customers achieve efficient, low-carbon and low-cost wood chip drying solutions through technological innovation and customized services. If you are interested in this wood chip dryer machine in United States project, you can provide specific raw material parameters to obtain exclusive design solutions.