Mapping Three-dimensional Moisture Content of Wood Chip Piles for Energy Production

Abstract

The aim of this study was to apply geostatistics to predict the spatial pattern of variations in moisture content of eucalyptus wood chip piles to generate subsidies for adequate sampling and material handling. Wood chip piles were installed in three different storage cycles using newly cut material for 7, 30, and 60 days. Sampling was performed in axial (top, middle, and base) and lateral positions, so that all samples were georeferenced in relation to the distance from the ground and the center of the pile. Moisture values were submitted to geostatistical analysis and kriging. The results confirmed the spatial dependence of moisture content over the piles stored at 7 and 30 days; however, the effect of rainfall was crucial to reduce the spatial dependence of moisture content. The results showed that geostatistics is a useful tool for the creation of reliable sampling protocols.

Lumber drying of Pinus: Geostatistics applied to drying kilns

“…Thus, there is an exploitable gap for improvement, facing the Industry 4.0 concept and the demands for constant process optimization. Spatial phenomenon analyses are commonly used in studies on forest management (Pelissari et al 2013, Pelissari et al 2017, Costa et al 2020, technological properties of wood (Lima et al 2006, Carmo et al 2010, and variation of moisture content in chip piles (Valentim et al 2019). However, there is still a wide range of applications in the timber industry, mainly for drying technology.…”