Stela Belt Dryer BT 8400

The Stela Belt Dryer BT 8400 is the next generation of belt dryers solving the biomass drying challenge. Stela Drying Technology, a global leader in low-temperature belt drying, continues to push boundaries with innovative solutions across a broad range of industries. Here we explore our collaboration with Berneck, a leading producer of composite panel and lumber, on a unique and challenging biomass drying project.

“Our experience with the Stela dryer has been very positive. Their support in maintenance, operation, and training has been effective. The heat exchanger and condensate return are also working very well. Overall, we are satisfied with the dryer’s performance,” Berneck representatives say.

Challenge: Berneck needed to efficiently dry large volumes of bark and wood chips (from 60% to 45% moisture) for fuel pre-drying at their Lages, Santa Catarina (Brazil) facility.

This posed several challenges:

Flexible Steam Usage: The process required utilizing low-pressure saturated steam (2.8 bar(a)) with varying usage patterns.

Site Constraints: The dryer design needed to fit within specific mechanical, load, and space limitations.

Safety and Efficiency: The design needed to balance efficient heat transfer (using low-pressure steam and indirect warm water heating) with fire prevention measures.

Solution: Stela’s innovative solution involved the development of a custom-designed 27.5 ft. (8.4 m) wide dryer tunnel, comprised of multiple 6.5 ft. (2 m) long segments. This modular design ensured easy overseas transport in standard 40-ft. containers, overcoming site limitations, and streamlining logistics. The robust framework provided exceptional load management, handling the large volumes of bark and wood chips efficiently. Additionally, alternating ventilation within the tunnel guaranteed uniform drying, regardless of material variations, ensuring optimal moisture reduction throughout. This comprehensive approach effectively addressed the project’s capacity, safety, and environmental compliance requirements.

Result: The system successfully achieved single-line capacities exceeding 27.5 metric tons per hour for water evaporation, with a maximum heat dissipation of 92.1 MMBtu (27.1 MW) at 60°F (16°C).

Conclusion: This project showcases Stela’s ability to deliver specialized solutions for complex industrial needs.

The wide drying system, our largest belt dryer to date, not only efficiently reduced wood chip moisture but also adhered to stringent safety and environmental standards without any additional emission control measures, representing a significant advancement in biomass processing technology.

Latest news

Aspen Wood Products Opens New Regional Pellet Mill

Mar 9, 2023

Seeking to add value to residuals from two processing facilities, Aspen Wood Products is opening a new fuel pellet and animal bedding pellet mill at its headquarters in Mancos, Colo., where the company operates an aspen excelsior plant and also produces firewood, shavings and bark…

Search North America Adds Senior Recruiter

Mar 7, 2023

Search North America (SNA), a leading wood products-based search, recruiting, and placement firm, is proud to announce and welcome Dave Rupp as a new Senior Recruiter, mainly focusing on the Western U.S. and Canada. He joins the SNA team with over 40 years of experience in the wood…

Büttner Expands Product Range

Feb 24, 2023

As a globally operating supplier of burners as well as drying and energy plants, Büttner—a member of the Siempelkamp Group—is taking the next logical step by establishing a new environmental technology competence center in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and expanding its product range in the…

Enviva Partners With Girl Scouts Of Greater Mississippi

Feb 7, 2023

Enviva Inc. and the Girl Scouts of Greater Mississippi (GSGMS) have announced a collaborative partnership to assist the council with programs related to climate change, tree planting and conservation initiatives, and other STEM/natural resources-related education opportunities planned by the GSGMS and Enviva…

« Older Entries

Next Entries »

Find Us On Social

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Wood Bioenergy News Online hits the inboxes of subscribers in the wood-to-energy sectors.

Subscribe Now

Subscribe/Renew

Wood Bioenergy is published and delivered worldwide 6 times per year. Free to qualified readers in the U.S. Subscribers outside the U.S. are asked to pay a small fee.

Complete the Form

Advertise

Complete the online form so we can direct you to the appropriate Sales Representative.