Renewable Energy 169 (2021) 498e511

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Renewable Energy
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/renene

Features of the processes of heat and mass transfer when drying a

large thickness layer of wood biomass
G.V. Kuznetsov , S.V. Syrodoy *, N.A. Nigay , V.I. Maksimov , N.Yu. Gutareva
National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, 30 Lenin Avenue, Tomsk, 634050, Russia

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The article presents the results of the experimental studies of heat transfer in a layer of moist wood
Received 25 July 2020 biomass under conditions of its dehydration when heated in a high-temperature gas environment.
Received in revised form The basic laws of the formation process of the temperature field of the biomass layer during its
28 December 2020
dehydration have been established. It is shown that essentially nonuniform temperature fields are
Accepted 31 December 2020
formed in the wood biomass layer, the form of which is a consequence of the influence of a complex of
Available online 6 January 2021
heat and mass transfer processes occurring together under conditions of heat conduction, intense phase
transformations (evaporation and condensation of water), and water vapor diffusion through the porous
Keywords:
Biomass
frame of the biomass layer.
Dust-wood waste It has also been found that as a result of intense absorption of heat during evaporation of moisture and
Temperature regime vapor filtration, local cooling of biomass occurs. A physical model of heat and mass transfer processes in
Drying the porous structure of moist wood biomass upon heating has been formulated, which differs from the
Heat and mass transfer well-known detailed descriptions of the processes of filtering water vapor into the area of the relatively
low temperatures from the zone of intense evaporation, condensation and subsequent secondary
evaporation.
© 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
1.1. Economic feasibility of using wood biomass in the energy sector
It is known [1] that the consumption of the fossil fuels (primarily
coal) is determined by the global demand for electricity. But coal
burning at thermal power plants causes emissions of anthropo-
genic gaseous (COx, NOx, SOx, CxHy) and solid (ash, slag) substances
[2]. This leads to significant atmospheric pollution and acceleration
of global climate change [3].
Wood biomass is a so-called carbon-neutral fuel [4]. When it is
burned, CO2 is formed, which is considered relatively carbon-
neutral, since it does not disrupt the balance in the general global
carbon cycle in nature [5]. Also, biomass is a promising and rela-
tively cheap energy source, available in almost many regions of the
planet [6]. But wood (even with the highest calorific value) cannot
completely replace coal in terms of energy efficiency [7]. The effi-
ciency of using biomass in the energy sector can be improved by
developing new technologies for the preparation and co-burning of
* Corresponding author. Tomsk, 634050, Lenin Avenue, 30, housing 4, audience
202, Russia.
E-mail address: ssyrodoy@yandex.ru (S.V. Syrodoy).
wood biomass with coal in the combustion devices of the boiler
units.
Constantly increasing environmental requirements for emis-
sions of anthropogenic gases create the prerequisites for the
development of political decisions on the more active introduction
of biomass in the fuel balance of the power system. The economic
analysis presented in Refs. [8,9] has shown that regional forest re-
sources can provide stable enough heat supply facilities even in the
Northern and Eastern Europe. According to the World Energy
Council [10], by 2050, energy consumption in the world will in-
crease by more than 2 times. It is assumed [11] that more than 40%
of all electric and thermal energy will be generated due to the work
of renewable energy sources (RES). The share of biomass in
renewable energy will be about 32%. Obviously, the development of
bioenergy in the next 10e15 years will receive priority status. Wood
chips and sawdust are quite common types of energy biomass
(used as fuel). The latter are formed at the woodworking factories
and during harvesting in large volumes. In this case, wood biomass
can either be directly burned in the furnace devices of the boiler
unit, or act as a feedstock for the production of pellets or briquettes,
as well as in the form of the second component of mixed fuel based
on coal [12,13].

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2020.12.137
0960-1481/© 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
G.V. Kuznetsov, S.V. Syrodoy, N.A. Nigay et al.
Nomenclature
Tg is the temperature of the external environment, K;
T is the temperature at the points of placement of
thermocouples, K;
mbio weight of a wet sample, kg
md weight of a dry biomass
RES renewable energy sources
TPPs thermal power plant station
40 relative humidity of biomass, %
m1, m2 mass of wet and dry biomass, kg
Cp Heat capacity of wet wood biomass, (J/(kg$K)
ld thermal conductivity of dry wood cuttings, W/
(m$K)
lw thermal conductivity of water, W/(m$K)
rd density of dry wood cuttings, kg/m3
rw density of water, kg/m3
q the dimensionless temperature
x the dimensionless drying time;
Mw dimensionless mass of interstitial moisture
t is the time, s;
td is the total drying time, s.
Summarizing the foregoing, it can be stated that under the
conditions of the economic and political paradigm that has been
formed in the world, woody biomass fits quite effectively into the
general balance of heat and power generation [14]. The energy
strategy of the European Union in 2020 calls for a wider use of
renewable resources in the energy system [15], thereby lobbying
for the use of wood biomass as fuel for TPPs.
1.2. Problems and prospects for the use of wood biomass in the
energy sector
Wood biomass is a renewable resource that in the long term can
directly replace coal (or supplement it (due to the creation of mixed
fuels)) in many areas of energy [16]. However, the use of biomass is
associated with solving a number of problems: collection, trans-
portation, storage and grinding of biofuels [17]. It is also worth
noting that biomass is distributed over vast territories with a
relatively low density [18]. The authors of [19,20] have found that
the introduction of biomass into the energy sector significantly
reduces CO2 emissions and significantly reduces the anthropogenic
load of the thermal power plants on the atmosphere.
Biomass can be not only an important economic, but also a
political factor that has a significant impact on the development
dynamics of any state [21]. It will significantly reduce the energy
dependence of the countries without oil and coal reserves from
hydrocarbon suppliers [22e24] and, accordingly, support national
energy security [25e27]. The introduction of biomass in the power
system will contribute to the creation of new jobs in regions with
developed agricultural production and wood processing [28].
One of the main parameters determining the energy value of
wood is its moisture content [29]. Natural humidity, depending on
the structure of wood, porosity and environmental conditions, can
be (depending on the type of wood and storage conditions) from 30
to 80% for deciduous species and up to 90% for coniferous species
[30]. Accordingly, drying is a mandatory step in the thermal prep-
aration of woody biomass for its burning. But since water evapo-
ration is a complex thermophysical process with a large
endothermic thermal effect (up to 2.5 MJ/kg [31]), the preparation
of biomass for combustion in the furnaces of the boiler units is
499
Renewable Energy 169 (2021) 498e511
carried out in the special drying equipment. The latter, as a rule,
occupies vast areas in the in-plant space of the thermal power
plants.
The use of wet biomass as fuel leads to a decrease in the effective
heat of combustion of the fuel [31]. For this reason, the initial, as a
rule, high-moisture woody biomass must be pre-dried before being
burned. The thermophysical processes occurring during the dehy-
dration of a biomass layer under conditions of its heating in a
gaseous medium have not been studied sufficiently.
1.3. Current status of the theory and practice of the moisture
removal processes from wet wood biomass
The analysis of the publications in the modern scientific peri-
odicals (for example [32e38]) shows that most of the works are
devoted to the study of drying processes for business (high-quality
and not intended for burning), whole wood [32] or food products
[33]. For example, studies [32,33] are mainly focused on the study
of the changes in the moisture content in industrial wood, while
the dynamics of the changes in the temperature field in the layer of
a porous material has not been studied.
The temperature fields during wood drying are mainly studied
by a numerical simulation [34]. Experimentally, the temperature in
a layer of moist wood biomass during its dehydration has been not
measured practically previously. The temperature of the substrate
(wall) on which the wet material located is usually measured in the
experimental studies (for example [35]).
Mostly the experimental studies of the temperature fields in a
layer of wet dispersed material are carried out in the framework of
studying the processes of heat and mass transfer during the drying
of the building materials [36,37].
The results of similar studies of “energy” wood biomass in the
modern scientific periodicals are practically absent. So in Ref. [38],
the results of the theoretical studies of the heat transfer process in a
porous material (using the example of SiC) are presented. The au-
thors of [38] presented a “two-temperature” (with the solution of
two energy equations d material and interstitial gas) a mathe-
matical model of the filtration heat and mass transfer during gas
purging through a layer of silicon carbide heated to high temper-
atures (1200 K). A significant effect of inter-pore thermal radiation
on the characteristics of heat transfer through the SiC layer has
been established. In this case, the processes of phase trans-
formations have not been considered.
The results of the experimental studies of convective drying of
wet sand are presented in Ref. [39]. The experimental stand has
included a cylindrical container (located on an electronic balance)
in which several thermocouples have been installed on the axis of
the cylinder. According to the results of the experiments, it has
been found that the process of dehydration of a wet sand layer can
be divided into three separate interrelated stages characterized by
different temperature dynamics: initial d fast heating; the second
stage is a slow rise in temperature; final d a rapid increase in
temperature in the sand layer. The authors of [39] have found that
the evaporation process takes place in two stages: the first is non-
stationary, the second is stable [39]. Moreover, in a stable [39]
drying period, the temperature of the sand layer remains practically
unchanged.
The results of the experimental studies of heating moist cubic
particles (7 mm in size) of wood biomass (based on spruce) in a
fluidized bed of quartz sand heated to high temperatures are pre-
sented in Ref. [40]. A thermocouple has been fixed in the central
part of the wood particles. According to the results of the experi-
mental studies, the dynamics of the temperature of a particle of
wood biomass is established. But it is worth saying that the char-
acteristics of heat and mass transfer in the biomass layer
G.V. Kuznetsov, S.V. Syrodoy, N.A. Nigay et al. Renewable Energy 169 (2021) 498e511

(consisting of many biomass particles) differ significantly from

similar characteristics when heating single particles of wood.
The analysis of the research results [34e40] shows that
convective drying of wet porous media is a difficult process to
study. At the same time, objective data on the temperature condi-
tions of wet porous materials are important for the analysis and
modeling of the moisture removal process. But to date, no results of
the experimental studies of the temperature fields in the porous
structure of the wood biomass layer during its dehydration have
been published. Accordingly, it can be said that the analysis of the
moisture removal processes from wet wood and the determination
of the temperature fields in the biomass layer during its drying is an
urgent and unsolved task at the present time.
The aim of this work is to establish the mechanism of heat and
mass transfer in the porous layer of moist (at the beginning of the
process of moisture removal) wood biomass, based on the results of
the experimental studies, under conditions of its intense heating
during preparation of biomass for burning.

1.4. Scientific novelty

It has been established for the first time that during the drying
period of massive layers of dispersed woody biomass, a substan-
tially inhomogeneous temperature field with local maxima and
minima is formed in its structure. Based on the results of the ex-
periments, a new (significantly different from the known) physical
model of heat and mass transfer processes proceeding jointly in a
layer of porous moist woody biomass under conditions of radiation
heating has been formulated. It is assumed that a significant role
(one of the determining ones) is played by the processes of motion Fig. 1. Weighed amount of wood chips.
of water vapor particles. At the same time, as it has been estab-
lished as a result of the temperature measurements in the wood
layer, water vapor moves not only in the direction of the high material. Heat capacity of wet wood biomass has been calculated by
temperature region (to the surface), but also in the zone of the the formula [43]:
original (“cold”) material where they condense. As a result, a local
increase in temperature occurs in the condensation zone. As the 0:324ð100  40 Þ þ 40
Cp ¼ (2)
biomass layer is warmed up in the condensation area, the evapo- 100
ration process is initiated, which leads to local cooling. The process Thermal conductivity of wet wood [44].
continues until all moisture contained in the biomass layer is
completely removed at the beginning of the heating process. l ¼ ð1  40 Þ , ld þ 40 ,lw (3)
Until now, no such effects have been found when drying
massive layers of moist woody biomass. where ld d thermal conductivity of dry wood cuttings ld ¼ 0.12 W/
(m$K) [45];
2. Description of the experiment lw d thermal conductivity of water lw ¼ 0.56 W/(m$K) [46].
Density of wet wood cuttings has been determined by the for-
2.1. Material preparation mula [44]:

Typical wood processing wastes (wood shavings) have been
considered as an object of the research. Fig. 1 shows a sample of
biomass (a tank filled with typical sawmill waste) together with a
complex of the thermoelectric converters.
The material preparation has been carried out by analogy with
[41]. Typical woodworking wastes are obtained by treating a
monolithic (pre-dried) fragment of pine wood with an electric
shermachil machine. A sample of dry pine cuttings has been
sprayed with water from a spray gun to achieve a typical (for
storage conditions [42]) relative humidity 40 ¼ 80% (Table 1).
Values 40 of wood biomass have been determined by the formula:
 
m1  m2
40 ¼ ,100%
m1
where 40 d relative humidity of biomass, %; m1, m2 d mass of wet
and dry biomass, kg.
Table 1 shows the thermophysical characteristics of the
r ¼ ð1  40 Þ , rd þ 40 ,rw (4)
where rd d density of dry wood cuttings rd ¼ 800 kg/m3 [45];
rw d density of water rw ¼ 997 kg/m3 [46].
After providing typical moisture, the wood biomass has been
placed in a wooden cubic tank with an open top face. The weight of
the sample (mbio) of biomass in each experiment has been 300 g.
The dimensions of the container on the inside have been
100  100  100 mm. The wall thickness of the cube is 5 mm. The
biomass tank has been suspended on a metal wire by the pallet
hook of the electronic balance and installed in the central part of
the drying chamber.
In order to measure temperatures in the material layer, a com-
(1)
plex of six chromel-alumel thermocouples has been used (wire
thickness 0.1 mm, junction diameter 0.25 mm). The latter have
been mounted on the axis of symmetry in the central part of the
cubic tank at an equidistant distance (20 mm) in height. The layout
of thermocouples is shown in Fig. 2.
500
G.V. Kuznetsov, S.V. Syrodoy, N.A. Nigay et al.
Table 1
Thermophysical characteristics of wet wood cuttings.
Material relative humidity Heat capacity of wet wood biomass
40 , % С p, J/(kg$K)
80 3598
Fig. 2. The schematic diagram of the experimental setup.
1 d a laboratory weigher Massa-K BK-3000;
2 d a temperature regulator TPM 500;
3 d an electric heater;
4 d a drying chamber SU 32;
5 d capacity with biomass;
6 da thermoelectric converter (a chromel-alumel thermocouple).;
Thermocouples 1e6 shown in insert. Layout of thermocouples (1e6) in the biomass layer and above the surface of the sample (7 d open surface of the sample).
2.2. Methodology of the experiment
The experiments have been carried out on the setup shown in
Fig. 2. It consists of a SU 32 drying chamber (with a maximum
heating temperature Т max ¼ 423 K, a heating rate 10 K/s), a chamber
temperature recorder (chromel-alumel thermocouple (Type K),
measurement error Т g 0.1 С) and measured weights MASSA-K BK-
300 (mass measurement error 0.05 g).
The experiments have been carried out according to the
following scheme: at the initial moment of time, a drying chamber
of wood biomass has been suspended in a drying chamber pre-
heated to the required temperature (according to the experi-
mental conditions), in which the thermocouples have been previ-
ously fixed (in accordance with the scheme shown in Fig. 2. The
values of temperature and mass of the sample have been recorded
throughout the experiment with an interval of 3 s. The air tem-
perature in the chamber has been varied using a temperature
501
Renewable Energy 169 (2021) 498e511
Тhermal conductivity of wet biomass Density of wet material
l, W/(m$K) r, kg/m3
0.57 957.6
controller in the range from 333 K to 393 K.
Each experiment has continued until the mbio values have
stopped changing. The period of time (t) from the onset of heat
exposure (the moment biomass has been introduced into the
chamber) until the onset of the regime under which the condition
dmbio
¼ 0;has met. It has been considered the dehydration time (td).
dt
Each experiment has been carried out under identical condi-
tions at least three times. A statistical processing of the experi-
mental results has been carried out in accordance with the
methodology [47]. At the first stage, for each series of the experi-
ments, the arithmetic mean value of the desired value has been
determined. After that, the standard deviation has been calculated.
After rejecting the misses by the Gosset method [48], the confi-
dence interval and measurement errors have been determined. The
confidence interval for determining the temperatures at a confi-
dence level of 0.95 has been 3.3%.
G.V. Kuznetsov, S.V. Syrodoy, N.A. Nigay et al.
The complete algorithm for conducting experimental studies is
shown in the appendix.
2.3. Justification for choosing a drying method
At present, quite a few different (in terms of their physical
mechanisms) methods of drying wet materials (including biomass)
are known. The latter include drying under conditions of radiation
[49] and combined (radiation-convective [50]) heating; removal of
moisture by microwave [51] exposure; conductive [52] drying;
moisture removal in a discharged (vacuum) environment [53];
drying by ultrasound [54]. It is also possible to combine several
methods in one technological device. The choice of one or another
drying technology, as a rule, is a rather difficult task [55]. For
example, conductive [56] drying is typically used to remove
moisture from thin, flat, monolithic materials (e.g. boards); ultra-
sonic drying is used when heat treatment of the material is
impossible: moisture removal from grain; vacuum removal of
moisture (rather expensive, as it requires the use of large vacuum
chambers [57], special pumps, etc.) it also is used for drying the
materials sensitive to thermal effects (for example, parquet boards
[58]).
To remove moisture from finely dispersed biomass (typical
woodworking waste d sawdust), the most acceptable method of
drying is the simplest and relatively easily technologically orga-
nized (including in the areas remote from the main electric high-
ways d logging and timber processing zones) a radiation drying
method.
3. Results and their discussion
3.1. Influence of the ambient temperature on the integral
characteristics of the dehydration process
Fig. 3 shows the dependences of the characteristic times (drying
time) of the biomass dehydration process on the ambient temper-
ature. As it might be expected, the ambient temperature has a
significant effect on the integral characteristics of dehydration. In
Fig. 3. Dependence of the drying time of the biomass layer (with initial humidity 40 ¼ 80%) on the temperature of the environment.


td Tg ¼ 50:126  107  e0:023Tg
502
Renewable Energy 169 (2021) 498e511
this case, a substantially nonlinear (exponential) character of the
dependence td(Tg) takes place. This is due to the combined influ-
ence of a complex of the thermophysical processes occurring under
conditions of the intense phase transformations and filtration of
water vapor in the biomass layer. The approximation expression of
the dependence td(Tg) has the form:
3.2. Temperature fields of the biomass layer
Fig. 4 shows the results of the experimental studies of the main
characteristics of the process of heating moist wood biomass. The
dependences of dimensionless temperatures q ¼ T/Tg (where T is
the temperature at the points of placement of thermocouples cor-
responding to Fig. 2; Tg is the temperature of the external envi-
ronment) and the dimensionless mass of interstitial moisture
Мw ¼(mbio-md)/mbio (mbio d weight of a wet sample; md is weight of
a dry sample of the biomass) from the dimensionless drying time
x ¼ t/td (t is the time; td) at various ambient temperatures
(Tg ¼ 333e393 K).
The dependencies analysis of Fig. 4 (a-d) shows that non-
monotonic temperature distributions are formed during the heat-
ing period of wet biomass. In the initial period of heating, the
temperature at all points of the thermocouple installation rapidly
increases to q ¼ 0.6 ÷ 0.7. This tendency is characteristic of the entire
studied range of ambient temperature (Tg ¼ 333e393 K). With
increasing temperature, the rate of evaporation of moisture rapidly
increases. This phase transition is accompanied by intense ab-
sorption of heat in a small area corresponding to the vicinity of the
“wet biomass d dry biomass” interface. Since the porosity of the
sample material is high (about 75%), water vapor fills the pores. The
pressure of water vapor in a small area of intensive evaporation
increases. But since the temperature of the “wood-air-water vapor”
mixture in the layer adjacent to the open surface of the sample
(Fig. 2) is higher than in its lower part (heated less intensely), part
of the water vapor is filtered into the “cooler” part of the sample.
When water vapor is cooled, they condense on the surfaces of the
wood cutting waste elements. As a result, the concentration of
water in the lower (colder) part of the sample increases.
(5)
G.V. Kuznetsov, S.V. Syrodoy, N.A. Nigay et al.
Fig. 4. Dependences of the dimensionless temperature q ¼ T/Tg and the dimensionless moisture mass Mw on the dimensionless drying time x ¼ t/td at the temperature in the drying
chamber: a) Т g ¼ 333 К; b) Т g ¼ 353 К; c) Т g ¼ 373 К; d) Т g ¼ 393 К. 1e6 d dimensionless temperatures (q), dependency numbers 1e6 correspond to the numbers of thermocouples
in Fig. 2; 7 d dimensionless mass of water (Мw).
Accordingly, after heating this part of the sample, the influx of
water vapor from a unit surface increases and the cooling of
biomass is intensified.
In addition, as it is known from the works of M. Knudsen [59], I.
Langmuir [60], G. Hertz [61] and J. Maxwell [62], the evaporation
rate largely depends on the concentration gradient of water vapor
directly above the evaporation surface. In the case of a typical
biomass layer at the drying stage before burning (sawdust, wood
chips, cutting waste), there is no common evaporation front as if
the biomass layer has been partially filled with water. Moisture
evaporation occurs from the surfaces of individual elements of the
biomass structure. Condensation, respectively, also occurs on the
surfaces of these elements. As the layer of woody biomass is
warmed up, the part of the vapor formed during water evaporation
under the influence of a small (but sufficient for filtration) differ-
ential pressure is filtered into the lower layers and condenses there.
As a result, with an increase in time and, accordingly, advancement
of the evaporation front, the outflow of heat increases due to
evaporation in the lower layers of the sample. This effect is recor-
ded by the first and second thermocouples (Fig. 4). The established
effect is manifested at any temperature of the external (relative to
the sample) medium, but with increasing Tg it manifests itself more
clearly, since an increase in this temperature leads to an increase in
the rates of all processes (evaporation, filtration, condensation, and
cooling). A significant part of the water vapors of the biomass layer
does not have time to enter the external gas environment. The cycle
of vapor condensation and subsequent evaporation of the
condensate is repeated several times as the biomass layer is heated.
Fig. 5 shows the results of the experiments performed, grouped
according to the registrations of each thermocouple at different
temperatures of the external medium relative to the weight of the
503
Renewable Energy 169 (2021) 498e511
biomass. It is clearly seen that under any heating conditions
(333 K  Tg  393 K), temperature trends at six characteristic points
are radically different, which confirms the conclusions on the
mechanisms of heat and moisture transfer in the porous structure
of moist biomass.
The regularities established in the experiments give grounds for
concluding that the heat and mass transfer mechanism in porous
moist biomass significantly different from the previously accepted
[63] under heating conditions at temperatures from 333 K to 393 K.
For an additional justification of the physical model of heat and
mass transfer formulated according to the results of the performed
experiments in the biomass layer, the experiments with the sam-
ples have been carried out under conditions of heating and water
vapor exit. These conditions have significantly differed from the
corresponding conditions in Fig. 2.
3.3. Analysis of the influence of heat exchange conditions and water
vapor output on characteristics of the dehydration of the biomass
layer
The experiments have been carried out under different condi-
tions of heating a biomass sample and water vapor exit with two
permeability options for the upper and lower sample borders
(Fig. 6): a closed top cover and a half-open bottom (in order to
prevent biomass from falling out, the bottom is tied with a fine
mesh with a square grain size of 1 mm); open top surface of the
hitch and a half-open bottom.
These two options differ significantly from the first scheme
(Fig. 2) by the conditions of heating and the release of water vapor.
The analysis of the temperature distributions in time at the
characteristic points of the sample gives grounds for concluding
G.V. Kuznetsov, S.V. Syrodoy, N.A. Nigay et al. Renewable Energy 169 (2021) 498e511

Fig. 5. Dependences of the dimensionless temperature q ¼ T/Tg on the dimensionless drying time x ¼ t/td at the temperature in the drying chamber.
a) Thermocouple No. 1 (the diagram of the location of the thermocouples in the tank under investigation is shown in Fig. 2); b) Thermocouple No. 2 (Fig. 2); c) Thermocouple No. 3
(Fig. 2); d) Thermocouple No. 4 (Fig. 2); e) Thermocouple No. 5 (Fig. 2); f) Thermocouple No. 6 (Fig. 2).

that a change in the heating conditions of the sample of biomass
and the release of water vapor does not lead to a change in the
mechanism of heat transfer under the considered conditions. The
local minima of the dependences q (x) are clearly visible on the
thermograms of each of the three variants of heating conditions
studied in the experiments (Fig. 7) and vapor output.
The coordinate of the minimum temperature on the curve q (x),
corresponding to the second thermocouple, illustrates the
completion time of the evaporation process of all moisture. It can be
noted that this time is minimal under the conditions of the third
variant of the boundaries (Fig. 7c), since the upper and lower sur-
faces of the biomass sample are permeable. In this case, water va-
pors exit through both of these surfaces.
The regularities established by the results of the performed
experiments provide grounds for concluding that the mechanism of
moisture removal from the porous layer of moist biomass signifi-
cantly differs from the generally accepted one [64] for porous
media saturated with moisture until all voids of the porous struc-
ture are completely filled. If, as in the case under consideration, the
porosity is open and the pores are not filled with water, then when
the biomass is heated, water vapor moves not only in the direction
of heating, but also in the opposite direction. This ultimately leads
to the fact that an increase in the temperature of the environment
does not intensify the process of moisture removal (as it would be
in the case if all pores were filled with water). The latter is also
confirmed by the fact that the characteristic drying times of an
identical (from experiment to experiment) biomass layer with a
change in the temperature of the heating medium from 333 K to

504
G.V. Kuznetsov, S.V. Syrodoy, N.A. Nigay et al. Renewable Energy 169 (2021) 498e511

Fig. 6. Schemes of the tank location with biomass in the drying chamber.
a) Scheme 1 corresponding to Fig. 2 (open top cover).
b) Scheme 2 d a closed cover on top, the bottom is replaced by a fine mesh.
c) Scheme 3 d open top cover, bottom replaced with fine mesh.
Numbers 1e6 correspond to the thermocouple numbers.

Fig. 7. Dependences of the dimensionless temperature q and the dimensionless mass of moisture Мw on the dimensionless drying time x for various configurations of the tank with
biomass in the drying chamber: a) Scheme 1 is shown in Fig. 6a; b) Scheme 2 (Fig. 6b); c) Scheme 3 (Fig. 6c).
1-6 d dimensionless temperatures (q); dependency numbers 1e6 correspond to the numbers of thermocouples in Fig. 6a-c; 7 d dimensionless mass of water (Мw).

393 K differ by no more than 30%. The obtained results provide the
basis for the conclusion that, when drying wet wood biomass, a
significant reduction in the cost of energy for moisture removal
during the preparation of biomass for burning is possible due to the
use of heat of condensation of water vapor in the structure of
biomass.
4. Comparison with the known results
The time dependences of the temperature of the biomass layer
obtained from the results of the experiments show that when the
wet dispersed biomass is heated, a substantially inhomogeneous
temperature field with local cold and overheated zones is formed in

505
G.V. Kuznetsov, S.V. Syrodoy, N.A. Nigay et al.
it. This is due to the combined influence of a complex of heat and
mass transfer processes (heating due to radiation, filtration of
water vapor through a porous material, evaporation and conden-
sation of moisture) occurring when woody biomass is heated. The
obtained dependences are rather nontrivial, for this reason it is
necessary to carry out a comparative (in order to confirm a similar
effect) analysis with the known experimental data of similar ex-
periments. Several works (for example [65,66]) can be noted, the
authors of which have established a similar effect. So in Ref. [65] the
results of the experimental determination of the temperature
regime of biomass (dispersed wood) during drying in a flow-
through heat-insulated reactor are given (Fig. 8). The temperature
of the wood layer has been measured with a set of 9 chromel-
alumel thermocouples. Based on the results of the experiments,
temperature trends have been established at the points where the
thermocouples have been located (Fig. 9a).
Fig. 9a shows the temperature dependences of the biomass layer
in the places where thermocouples 11, 12, and 13 are installed
(Fig. 8 [65]). It can be noted that the authors of [65] have estab-
lished a similar effect of temperature decrease in the biomass layer
after heating in the initial period of dehydration. After the complete
evaporation of the intraporeal moisture, the temperature has
Fig. 8. Diagram of the experimental stand [65].
506
Renewable Energy 169 (2021) 498e511
increased.
There are also the works of Krasnikov [66,67], in which the re-
sults of the studies of the mechanism of heat and mass transfer
processes occurring during drying of cellulose under conditions of
conductive heating are presented. The effect of the temperature of a
heat-generating plate on the temperature fields of a layer of thin
(d ¼ 1.0 mm thickness) compressed cellulose has been studied.
Fig. 10a shows the time dependences of temperature and hu-
midity [66]. The X value indicates the depth of the thermocouple
junction attachment. It can be noted that in Ref. [66] four stages of
drying that have been established: heating of cellulose (the tem-
perature rises), stratification (the temperature does not change),
cooling, and temperature rise. In other words, it has been estab-
lished in Ref. [66] that in the biomass layer, after a certain heating
period, the temperature decreases under conditions of continued
heat exposure. The authors of [66] have put forward a hypothesis
that this is due to the onset of thermal decomposition and the
release of adsorbed moisture. But it should be said that, according
to Ref. [68], thermal decomposition of biomass begins to occur
when it is heated above 440 K. Accordingly, at low ambient tem-
peratures Tg ¼ 333e393 K, thermal decomposition cannot have a
significant effect on the biomass drying process. The temperature of
G.V. Kuznetsov, S.V. Syrodoy, N.A. Nigay et al.
Fig. 9. a d Temperature trends in the biomass layer during drying in a heat-insulated flow reactor [65]; b d the results of the experiment of the authors of this article.
the onset of thermal decomposition of typical wood processing
waste (sawdust) is much higher than that of cellulose [69]. At the
same time, according to the results of the experimental studies
(Fig. 10b) drying a layer of dispersed woody biomass, a decrease in
temperature has been established at Tg ¼ 333 K.
The analysis of the data [65,66] allows us to make a well-
founded conclusion that until now a physical model has not yet
been developed that describes the entire complex of the processes
occurring during drying of sufficiently thick layers of biomass.
5. Practical significance of the experiment results in
renewable energy
As it is known [70], drying of wet materials can be carried out
under conditions of thermal (radiation [49], conductive [52],
convective [71] or combined heating [50]), ultrasonic [54] and
microwave [51] exposure (or the combinations of all of them) in the
closed installations. Also, in practice, dehumidification
507
Renewable Energy 169 (2021) 498e511
technologies are quite common when heated in a rarefied atmo-
sphere (vacuum drying [57]). At present, the drying method under
atmospheric conditions (exposure to wind [9] or sunlight [10]) is
gaining popularity (in light of the increasing political (economically
unjustified) pressure from the “aggressive greens”). However, as
the predictive mathematical models show [72e75], this drying
method is practically unpredictable due to the turbulent dynamics
of the atmospheric processes [76,77].
All moisture removal used in power engineering is realized in
the chambers (when moisture is removed from wood under vac-
uum conditions) or in the large closed hangar-type rooms [78]. It
can be reasonably assumed that the latter is more preferable for
carrying out the biomass drying procedure. This is due to the fact
that large volumes of biomass can be accommodated in such
rooms. In this case, the process of moisture removal can be carried
out under conditions of radiation-convective or only radiation
heating. Under these conditions, one of the most promising (and
perhaps the most promising) technological solutions is drying with
G.V. Kuznetsov, S.V. Syrodoy, N.A. Nigay et al.
Fig. 10. Dependences of temperature and humidity of the biomass layer on time: a d results [66]; b d experiment.
radiation heating (Fig. 11a), carried out by the gas infrared emitters
(GIЕ) [79e81]. As the results of the experimental [79] and theo-
retical [80] studies show, when heating large storage rooms, the GIE
is more economical compared to the traditional convective heaters
of the radiator or air heater type [82]. Also, GIE is quite simple
(without additional restructuring of the equipment or structural
elements of the working shops of TPPs) are built into the techno-
logical cycle of fuel preparation at thermal power plants, for
example, when heating a biomass layer moving along a strip fuel
feeder gate (Fig. 11b).
6. Practical applicability of the experimental results
Biomass, as shown by the studies of the last 10e15 years, is the
most promising and safe in the long term renewable energy source.
But direct combustion in the furnaces of the steam and hot water
boilers or gasification of biomass is highly effective only at its low
humidity. Therefore, drying is an indispensable element of any
technology for the use of biomass in the energy sector. But despite
the long-term and rather fundamental research of the drying pro-
cesses of many materials and substances over the past few decades,
the general theory and mathematical basis of dehumidification
processes have not been developed yet. Accordingly, the general
Fig. 11. a: Drying of the biomass layer with an infrared gas emitter in a large room.
b Drying of a biomass layer with an infrared gas emitter while moving wood on a conveyor.
508
Renewable Energy 169 (2021) 498e511
principles and methods of predicting the characteristics and con-
ditions of the dehydration processes of woody biomass in the
conditions of its preparation for combustion (or gasification) in the
furnaces of the steam and hot water boilers (or in the working
chambers of gasifiers) have not been formulated. The authors of the
article have formulated the task of the study (arising from the
problems of practical bioenergy) d to assess the influence of the
thickness of the biomass layer on the conditions and characteristics
of the process of it’s drying.
This paper presents the results of the experimental studies of
the main regularities of the drying processes of woody biomass
under conditions of radiation heating. The measurements of the
temperatures in a layer of dispersed wood have been carried out, on
the basis of which the conclusions have been made about a
significantly uneven course of the heat and mass transfer processes
in the porous structure of moist woody biomass when it is heated. A
physical model is formulated that describes the regularities of the
drying processes of woody biomass layers, which are sufficiently
thick in thickness (up to 100 mm), established as a result of ex-
periments. This model is the basis for choosing the parameters of
the technology for drying large masses of moist woody biomass at
the stage of its preparation for combustion or gasification.
G.V. Kuznetsov, S.V. Syrodoy, N.A. Nigay et al.
Findings:
1. The experimental studies of the main regularities of woody
biomass drying processes under radiation heating conditions
have been carried out.
2. The measurements of the temperatures in the biomass layer
have been carried out, on the basis of which conclusions were
drawn about the substantially uneven heat and mass transfer in
the layer of moist woody biomass during its radiation heating.
3. A physical model has been formulated that describes the regu-
larities of the drying processes of the woody biomass layers that
are sufficiently thick (up to 100 mm), established as a result of
the experiments. This model is the basis for choosing the pa-
rameters of the technology for drying large masses of moist
woody biomass at the stage of its preparation for combustion or
gasification.
7. Conclusion
The physical model of heat and mass transfer processes in a
layer of porous (one might say loose) moist woody biomass under
conditions of radiation heating, formulated based on the results of
the analysis of the performed experimental studies, differs from the
known ones in that it describes the processes of water vapor
movement not only in the direction of the high temperature region,
but in the initial (“Cold”) material, where they condense. As the
biomass layer is warmed up, the condensation area shifts to the
heated surface. The process continues until all moisture contained
in the biomass layer is completely removed at the beginning of the
heating process.
CRediT authorship contribution statement
G.V. Kuznetsov: Project administration, Conceptualization, Su-
pervision. S.V. Syrodoy: Formal analysis, Methodology, Software.
N.A. Nigay: Writing - review & editing. V.I. Maksimov: Project
administration. N.Yu. Gutareva: Writing - original draft.
Declaration of competing interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing
financial interests or personal relationships that could have
appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Acknowledgment
The study has been carried out with the grant from the Russian
Science Foundation (project No. 20-19-00226).
Appendix A. Supplementary data
Supplementary data to this article can be found online at
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2020.12.137.
Colloguium
One of the important tasks of the present time is to establish the
basic laws of heat transfer processes occurring in a layer of moist
wood biomass during its heating in a high-temperature environ-
ment. The latter is necessary for the development of the funda-
mental foundations of the experimental design works to justify the
design characteristics of the modern biomass combustion plants.
The importance of studying the heat and mass transfer pro-
cesses occurring during dehydration of woody biomass has
509
Renewable Energy 169 (2021) 498e511
increased significantly in recent decades. This is primarily due to
the prospects of using wood in the energy sector as the main fuel or
additive to coal. To reduce the moisture content in wood to an
acceptable level (according to the conditions of combustion), dry-
ing in a gaseous environment at temperatures of 313Tg  373 K is
currently used, as a rule. In this case, the temperature field of the
wood layer determines the intensity of the moisture removal pro-
cess. At high temperatures, wood drying can occur with over-
heating and, accordingly, is accompanied by thermal degradation of
the main components of wood (lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose). A
problem arises of the possible ignition of such biomass. For this
reason, a prognostic modeling of the temperature fields of moist
wood biomass under conditions of its high-temperature heating is
relevant for practice and has not been solved to date.
In addition, a high proportion of moisture in woody biomass
leads to a significant delay in the processes of its ignition and
combustion. As a result, the efficiency of the boiler unit is signifi-
cantly reduced. At the same time, it has been reliably established
that moisture in solid fuel (coal or biomass) leads to a significant
decrease in the concentration of anthropogenic oxides of nitrogen
and sulfur in the combustion products. Therefore, the determina-
tion of the optimal (but criteria for the view of energy and ecology)
moisture content in biomass, in order to achieve acceptable energy
characteristics of fuel combustion while significantly reducing
emissions of anthropogenic oxides, is an urgent problem of modern
heat power engineering.
Therefore, the determination of the optimal (according to the
criteria of energy and ecology) moisture content in biomass, in
order to achieve acceptable energy characteristics of fuel combus-
tion while significantly reducing emissions of anthropogenic ox-
ides, is an urgent problem of the modern heat power engineering.
Biomass, as shown by studies over the past 10e15 years, is the
most promising and safest renewable energy source in the long
term. But direct combustion in the furnaces of steam and hot water
boilers or gasification of biomass is highly effective only at its low
humidity. Therefore, drying is an indispensable element of any
technology for the use of biomass in the energy sector. But, despite
the long-term and rather fundamental research of the drying pro-
cesses of many materials and substances over the past few decades,
the general theory and mathematical base of the technology of
dehumidification processes have not yet been developed. Accord-
ingly, the general principles have not been formulated and methods
have not been developed for predicting the characteristics and
conditions of dehydration processes of woody biomass in terms of
its preparation for combustion (or gasification) in the furnaces of
steam and hot water boilers (or in the working chambers of gas-
ifiers). The authors of the article have formulated the research task
(arising from the problems of practical bioenergy) d to assess the
effect of the thickness of the biomass layer on the conditions and
characteristics of the drying process.
This paper presents the results of the experimental studies of
the main regularities of the drying processes of woody biomass
under conditions of radiation heating. Measurements of the tem-
peratures in a layer of dispersed wood have been carried out, on the
basis of which the conclusions have been made about a signifi-
cantly uneven course of heat and mass transfer processes in the
porous structure of moist woody biomass when it is heated. A
physical model has been formulated that describes the regularities
of the drying processes of woody biomass layers that are suffi-
ciently thick (up to 100 mm), established as a result of the exper-
iments. This model is the basis for choosing the parameters of the
technology for drying large masses of moist woody biomass at the
stage of its preparation for combustion or gasification.
G.V. Kuznetsov, S.V. Syrodoy, N.A. Nigay et al. Renewable Energy 169 (2021) 498e511

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