Wood heating system and method
AssigneeThe University of Canterbury of Ilam Road
InventorsWilliam John Baxter Heffernan, Nurzhan Nursultanov, Marinus Johannes Wilhelmus Maria Ryan Van Herel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wood heating system comprises an electric power source, a first electrode assembly, a second electrode assembly, and a control system. The first electrode assembly is connected to the electric power source and is adapted to make electrical contact with a first end of a wood length to apply electric power to the wood length. The first electrode assembly comprises at least two electrode segments. The second electrode assembly is adapted to make electrical contact with a second end of the wood length. The control system is adapted to selectively connect/disconnect electric power flow between the electric power source and at least one electrode segment of the first electrode assembly.
Claims28
Apparatus for determining different wood regions of a wood length, the apparatus comprising:
- a first electrode assembly configured to connect to a first end of an elongate wood length and a second electrode assembly configured to connect to a second end of the wood length which is opposite to the first end, at least one of the first and second electrode assemblies comprising a plurality of electrode segments;
- an electric power source configured to apply excitation to the first and second electrode assemblies, wherein each of the electrode segments includes an individual electrical connection to the electric power source;
- a controller configured to monitor the current or voltage in each segment to determine an electrode segment current or voltage distribution and
- to derive from the electrode segment current or voltage distribution at least one control volume, the or each control volume representing a volume of a wood region of the wood length.
A method for determining different wood regions of an elongate wood length comprising:
- connecting a first electrode assembly to a first end of the wood length and connecting a second electrode assembly to a second end of the wood length opposite to the first end, at least one of the first or second electrode assemblies comprising a plurality of electrode segments;
- energizing the plurality of electrode segments of each electrode assembly to determine a current or voltage distribution from an electrical sensor in the plurality of electrode segments;
- and
- deriving from the electrode segment current or voltage distribution at least one control volume, the or each control volume representing a volume of a wood region of the wood length.
An apparatus for treating an elongate wood length comprising:
- a controller configured to energize a first and a second electrode assembly, at least one of the first and second electrode assemblies comprising a plurality of electrode segments configured for connection to a first end of the wood length and a second end of the wood length opposite to the first end;
- a measurement system comprising electrical sensors associated with each of the plurality of electrode segments, the measurement system configured to determine a current or voltage distributions across the first and/or second end of the wood length;
- a circuit configured to receive and transmit data from the measurement system to the controller;
- the controller being configured to determine from the data a plurality of process parameters including temperature and/or estimated energy required to heat the wood length to a target temperature;
- and
- a treatment system configured to treat the wood length to the target temperature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.