THERMAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SENGON WOOD DRYING USING INFRARED AND COMBINED INFRARED-HOT AIR METHODS

This research aimed to determine the thermal characteristics of sengon wood due to drying at temperature of 70, 80, and 90oC with air velocity of 1 and 3 m/s using infrared (IR) and combined infrared -hot air (IR -HA) method. The thermal characteristics analyzed included temperature distribution, reduction in moisture content, and drying rate. The results of drying wood samples using IR method showed that the fastest drying time was obtained at 90oC with air velocity of 1 m/s. However, for combined IR -HA method, the optimal condition was achieved at air velocity of 3 m/s. The largest drying rate attained using combined IR -HA method was 0.27 g/min, while the smallest was recorded at 0.094 g/min with IR method. These results showed that combined IR -HA method produced a more evenly distributed temperature and faster drying time compared to the IR method.