Moisture sensors are used for measurements in all kinds of wood types including fiber, sawdust, hog fuel, wood flakes, particles and more. Controlling the amount of moisture in wood products is a critical concern of the forest industry. Excess moisture can be impactful on final product quality and production. Near-infrared (NIR) moisture sensing technology allows wood product manufacturers the ability to adjust moisture levels on real-time information, lowering raw material and fuel costs, achieving higher yields, and resulting in more uniform products.

NIR moisture measurement is a noncontact measurement that offers clear advantages over the traditional methods, with the most important being ease of use, elimination of hazardous chemicals, and increased efficiency of product testing. With NIR analysis, all manual steps of collecting, drying and accurately weighing samples are eliminated.

Continuous monitoring of moisture content enables proactive avoidance of potential issues caused by out-of-tolerance moisture levels.

Why Controlling Moisture Matters
When moisture levels fluctuate, it can cause significant changes to wood applications. These inconsistencies mean that the final product will have varying quality, depending on when in production they were created. Accurately detecting moisture levels frequently throughout the process allows for line adjustments as needed, improving the overall functionality and efficiency of the facility.

Quality and consistency are crucial when it comes to maintaining a manufacturing line with wood applications. It is important to have a consistent product from start to finish, which means being able to detect moisture content accurately and frequently. A moisture measurement system should be designed to provide accurate readings as often as needed to improve the manufacturing line and product. Inconsistencies can lead to wasted product and downtime in the manufacturing process.

Optimizing and fine-tuning the production process can yield a multitude of benefits, which include the following.

• Minimize costs, increase efficiency
• Instant real-time feedback with thousands of measurements per second
• Reduced energy usage and downtime
• Reduction in fire and explosion risk
• Plant production efficiency monitoring
• Total dryer control
• Blending monitoring for control of moisture and resin
• Increased productivity allows operators to make critical process adjustments
• Low cost—instant ROI
• Noncontact, nondrift optical scan with +/- 0.05% accuracy

Where Moisture Should be Measured
Moisture measurement and control is one of the biggest challenges pellet plant operators are tasked with both during production, and while material is in storage. In pellet plant design, it is a crucial implementation for proactive avoidance of quality control issues. As such, it is recommended to install sensors in several locations throughout the process to achieve ultimate efficiency—including incoming material lines, before and after the dryer, before the pelletizer and hammer mills and on finishing belts.

Dryer efficiency is critical in controlling energy costs and product quality; installing a sensor prior to the dryer will monitor levels going into the dryer to provide better control over its efficiency. Moisture sensing after the dryer and prior to the pelletizer will result in significant cost savings. Products that contain too much moisture can cause the pelletizer to plug up, which results in the line shutting down, resulting in wasted time, energy and money.

Throughout the plant, there are other production areas that moisture content effects are seen. These can be easily monitored and controlled with a proper system. Wood pellets require refining, drying and blending of wood waste prior to the pellet press; moisture monitoring throughout this process allows for 100% of the product to be instantly monitored. Incoming lines should be measured to monitor overpayment of materials. The higher the moisture content of incoming purchased wood fuels, the higher the overpayment, as the overuse of dryers results in excessive energy costs.

Maximizing automation and increasing reliability is critical to operating personnel, and moisture monitoring can help achieve these goals. Moisture ranges outside of tolerance can unravel important facets of the production process, and even create wear and tear on other equipment that wouldn’t occur with proper moisture levels. Each phase of the manufacturing process runs more efficiently with accurate moisture content, ultimately increasing profits.


Contact: MoistTech Corp.
941-727-1800
info@moisttech.com
 www.moisttech.com