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.

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