A process for heat treating firewood in baskets containing firewood, the process comprising:
- obtaining access to a kiln, the kiln having:
- a burner side wall with a return duct to allow air to leave the kiln to enter a mixing chamber to be heated and subsequently supplied to the kiln by a supply duct that provides heated air to above a fan deck and through a set of downcomers;
- an opposite side wall that is opposite the burner side wall;
- a burner side placement area and an opposite side placement area, each placement area for receiving at least one basket containing firewood, the burner side placement area and the opposite side placement area separated by the set of downcomers that provide heated air between the burner side placement area and the opposite side placement area;
- a first end wall between the burner side wall and the opposite side wall;
- a second end wall between the burner side wall and the opposite side wall and opposite the first end wall;
- at least one door so that a first set of baskets containing firewood and a second set of baskets containing firewood may be moved into the burner side placement area and the opposite side placement area through at least one of the first end wall and the second end wall;
- a set of fans located in a fan wall above the fan deck to promote air circulation of a loaded kiln;
- the set of fans discharging to promote air circulation moving parallel to the first end wall and perpendicular to the burner side wall, the air circulation traveling from a discharge side of the set of fans, downward, through the first set of baskets containing firewood on the discharge side of the set of fans, through gaps between the set of downcomers while receiving heated air from the set of downcomers, through the second set of baskets containing firewood on an inlet side of the set of fans and upward to the inlet side of the set of fans, the set of fans adapted to periodically change a direction of fan rotation to reverse the inlet side of the set of fans with the discharge side of the set of fans;
- and
- a set of roof vents to remove water vapor from the kiln;
- opening the at least one door;
- loading the two placement areas with baskets containing firewood;
- closing the at least one door;
- applying an application of heat to heat treat the firewood, the application of heat comprising:
- heating air for the kiln in the mixing chamber and returning the heated air to the kiln through the supply duct;
- periodically changing the direction of fan rotation to reverse the inlet side of the set of fans with the discharge side of the set of fans;
- circulating the heated air within the kiln until a dry bulb temperature reaches an initial target dry bulb temperature above 230 degrees Fahrenheit;
- after reaching the initial target dry bulb temperature, increasing a wet bulb temperature depression to a target while attempting to maintain the dry bulb temperature within a selected tolerance with respect to the initial target dry bulb temperature;
- after a period of operation with a dry bulb temperature within tolerance of the initial target dry bulb temperature and the wet bulb temperature depression at the target, stopping addition of heat to the kiln;
- opening the at least one door;
- removing the baskets containing firewood from the burner side placement area and the opposite side placement area through the at least one door;
- and
- wherein removing the baskets containing firewood from the burner side placement area and the opposite side placement area occurs within 24 hours of closing the at least one door before applying the application of heat to heat treat the firewood.