UNIFORM LARGE­SIZED LUMBER DRYING SYSTEM USING MW RADIATION AND BASING ON A SINGLE­WIRE E00 WAVE ENERGY TRANSMISSION LINE

In order to generalize the possibilities of using MW radiation in industrial processes, the given paper considers and analyzes various methods of wood drying. Technological and economic advantages of wood drying in an ultra-high frequency electromagnetic field are well justified. Wood drying in the ultra-high frequency range is considered as the most optimal in contrast to traditional methods. This method is based on the penetration of electromagnetic energy into the material and converting it into heat. The paper reveals the possibility of more effective use of MW radiation. It proposes a method for drying wood and large-sized lumber basing on a single-wire transmission line of electromagnetic energy of the surface wave. The paper also describes the advantages of the proposed method: the use of a single wire covered with a thin layer of dielectric material, the use of a vibratory system for surface wave excitation, and the use of a flat reflector. Special attention is paid to the contact area of the wire with a flat reflector since the perfection of this contact largely determines the efficiency of surface wave excitation. The conducted research estimated the influence of the parameters of the vibratory surface wave excitation system in a single waveguide on the efficiency of its excitation. The proposed vibratory excitation device allows quite a simple step-by-step adjustment of the thermal power in the irradiated object. The design of the dissipation load for surface wave lines has been successfully tested during the laboratory works where certain ways of unclaimed electromagnetic energy utilization were suggested. Following the results of the conducted research, we proposed a physical model of a system for microwave drying of wood and large-sized lumbe