Best Indoor Furnace for 40' Reefer Kiln?

[Rose Lane]

Well, I know the HeatMaster G10000 is real close there...195k/hr x 8hrs.
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my math a 40ft reefer would hold 20 cords of wood packed completely full. Let's say using totes you can get 50% packing efficiency, that's roughly 10 cords if wood. Moisture to evaporate from the wood depends upon species, but let's use 1300lbs per cord. That's 13,000 lbs of water that need to be evaporated from the wood. Even a well designed kiln is going to waste 40% of the heat without evaporating any water. At 960btu/lb and 40% waste we need about 17.5 million btu to dry 10 cords. With a 200,000 btu heater we are talking 4 days at full output to dry the wood, and basically a cord of wood to fuel that heater.

I'm really not sure what to use for a heater, but I think you're looking at commercial units for this. Or a custom built unit that clearly wouldn't be emissions certified if that's an issue.

Where's @SidecarFlip? I believe has experience with boilers of this scale.

HeatMaster G10k is on the board!

 

[Rose Lane]

By my math a 40ft reefer would hold 20 cords of wood packed completely full. Let's say using totes you can get 50% packing efficiency, that's roughly 10 cords if wood. Moisture to evaporate from the wood depends upon species, but let's use 1300lbs per cord. That's 13,000 lbs of water that need to be evaporated from the wood. Even a well designed kiln is going to waste 40% of the heat without evaporating any water. At 960btu/lb and 40% waste we need about 17.5 million btu to dry 10 cords. With a 200,000 btu heater we are talking 4 days at full output to dry the wood, and basically a cord of wood to fuel that heater.

I'm really not sure what to use for a heater, but I think you're looking at commercial units for this. Or a custom built unit that clearly wouldn't be emissions certified if that's an issue.

Where's @SidecarFlip? I believe has experience with boilers of this scale.

Ill take a closer look at the notes in the AM and drill down, I have not yet calculated the total moisture we are hoping to pull out as you did above, very interesting. The IBC totes fit two across, two high - firewood is tossed in, not stacked and you fit 8 rows deep in a 40 footer - 32 IBCs at almost a third cord each. - your back of napkin 10 cord may be right on.

 

[SpaceBus]

I think Econoburn makes units large enough. Not sure, but a Garn might be an option, but not very mobile.

 

[Rose Lane]

I think Econoburn makes units large enough. Not sure, but a Garn might be an option, but not very mobile.

Both of these look like boilers, Im thinking Hot Air Furnace will be better in the container - better air flow, fewer systems to maintain...

 

[brenndatomu]

Both of these look like boilers, Im thinking Hot Air Furnace will be better in the container - better air flow, fewer systems to maintain...

These are all boilers...nobody makes a forced air furnace even remotely big enough as far as I know...if they do it would be some huge commercial smoke dragon.
I'd just do a boiler with quick connect insulated lines...that leaves more room for wood in the cans then too...plus your new $15k furnace is not living inside that rain forest then either...

 

[SpaceBus]

Both of these look like boilers, Im thinking Hot Air Furnace will be better in the container - better air flow, fewer systems to maintain...

You just aren't going to find a forced air system that large. The appliance being used by the company you are basing your design on is a boiler. Angus makes downdraft gasification boilers, I didn't realize this until someone posted the screen shot and I realized that you needed 200k btu/hr. That's just not going to happen without using water, at least not while using wood.

 

[salecker]

You should look at some kind of HRV to save some of the heat from the moist air you will have to exchange for dry air to get the wood to dry.
If you pack the totes in to tight you will not get any airflow to remove the moisture from the wood.
Have you looked at what sawmills use to dry their lumber at all?