Today you can find different types of wood drying kilns. They use different contemporary technologies such as radio frequency, dehumidification and vacuum among others. If you are planning to purchase a wood kiln, you should know about the various types. These include:
1) The conventional wood drying ovens- these types of ovens are divided into two. One type is called the side-loader or package type. It is commonly associated with hardwood lumber kilns. The fork trucks are usually used to load lumber packages into the kiln. The second type of a kiln is called the track-type. It is associated with the soft lumber kilns where lumber is packed on track cars for loading the kiln. The modern types of conventional hardwood kilns are high performing. They have different wood drying capacities and you can select the equipment you want. Normally, heat is initiated by steam conveyed through tube heat exchangers. These exchangers are controlled by valves, which can be switched on or off. The humidity is eliminated through a venting system, which depends upon the manufacturer's creativity.
2) The solar kilns- the heat is introduced through solar radiation. These types of wood kilns are still conventional equipments, which are not commercially used. Any typical person can construct this type of a kiln at home.
3) Vacuum wood kilns-modern wood drying technologies that use controlled atmospheric pressure are emerging. Today you can find different forms of vacuum technologies. They use the same mechanism to function with the only difference arising because of how heat is introduced to dry the wood. The most common types of vacuum wood ovens are made of aluminum plates. The water circulates within the plates and it's heated to work as the heat source. Absolute pressure is often maintained to make the vacuum wood furnace function perfectly.
Another type of a vacuum oven is called the super heated steam. The system's functionality is based upon the atmosphere, especially during the heat introduction into the kiln charge. Then the kiln charge reaches the full atmospheric pressure and the air chamber is heated. The SSV wood drying kilns are commonly used in Europe.
4) Dehumidification wood kilns- typically, a dehumidification wood-drying kiln looks like a conventional kiln. Both kilns are constructed similarly. Heat is basically introduced through a combined dehumidification section, which removes the humidity too. It's also one of the widely bought wood ovens.
5) Radio Frequency wood kilns- these types use the microwave radiation to heat the kiln charge. The kiln use electricity, which is considered expensive, if compared with kilns that use fossil fuel. This kiln is one of the best and most efficient, although it is expensive.
Although wood drying technologies continue to emerge, they pose some risks to the environment. The manufacturers are aware of this and they are often basing their innovations upon it. A wood kiln is one of the most useful kilns and probably the cheapest equipment. You should evaluate the amount of drying or firing you intend to use the kiln for. In the market, you can find equipment, which complements your needs.