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gasifier and an attached boiler. The system produced steam used
in the veneer-production process.
A gasifier is a device in which heat and air are used to
produce gas from wood scrap. Petitioner's gasifier operates on a
mixture of sawdust, shredded veneer scrap, and bark salvaged from
petitioner's production process. The mixture is fed into the
gasifier via an augur feeder from a silo on site. As the mixture
falls into the gasifier, it enters a large fire chamber. The
mixture spills down onto a series of cast-iron, perforated grates
arranged like a set of steps, where it is heated until it
undergoes a process known as pyrolysis (wherein combustible gas
is released from the mixture and ignited). The burning gas
increases in temperature as it combines with air pulled through
the system by an induced draft fan. The gas is drawn through a
30-foot long fire chamber lined with refractory, where the
combustion process is completed. When the superheated gas exits
the fire chamber, it is drawn back through tubes immersed in the
water chamber of the boiler. The gas enters the tubes at a
temperature near 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit and heats the
surrounding water in the boiler, resulting in the release of
steam. The steam is then piped to the veneer mill where it is
used to heat water in veneer vats used to cook wood logs and in
radiators used to dry veneer.
In the production of domestic veneer, a log is split and
cooked in a veneer vat containing water heated by steam from
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Last modified: May 25, 2011