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

Bandit Purchases The Trelan Co.

Jan 8, 2022

Bandit Industries has purchased The Trelan Co. from the Schumacher family. Bandit will continue to produce Trelan chippers and related products and market them as Trelan machines produced by Bandit. Bandit will also supply parts and service to Trelan customers…

Strategic Biofuels Builds LGF Team

Jan 8, 2022

Strategic Biofuels, a leader in developing negative carbon footprint renewable fuels plants, announced that two energy industry veterans have joined the team—Stan Parton and Steve Walkinshaw…

Forest Service Reveals New 4FRI Strategy

Nov 20, 2021

USDA Forest Service Chief Randy Moore announced new funding and a redesigned strategy for the Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI) during a visit with elected officials in Arizona in November. The agency is committing $54 million in fiscal year 2022 to accelerate implementing high-priority projects on 135,000…

FS Says Biomass Should Drive 4FRI

Nov 10, 2021

Following its cancellation of the Phase 2 Request for Proposal (RFP) and bid selection in September, which caught everybody by surprise, the Forest Service “has gone back to work” on how to move forward with stewardship and treatment of the 520,000 acres that was included in Phase 2, which was…

« 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.