Modelling a wood fiber flash dryer for MDF production
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17979/ja-cea.2025.46.12115Keywords:
Modeling of manufacturing operations, Simulation and visualization, Grey box modelling, Digital implementation, Process optimizationAbstract
This work presents a dynamic model for the wood fiber drying process in a medium-density fiberboard (MDF) production line. The model focuses on the convective drying stage within a pneumatic flash dryer, where moisture and heat are exchanged between moving fibers and the air stream. We use a one-dimensional, spatially distributed model to capture heat and mass transfer dynamics. The model integrates thermophysical properties of humid air and wet fibers, nonlinear empirical correlations, and a humidity-dependent drying coefficient inspired by prior studies. Implemented in Python, the system of partial differential equations is numerically solved using the method of lines and the backward-differentiation formulas solver. This work is part of a broader industrial digital twin initiative at Universidad de Valladolid, aimed at anomaly detection, energy optimization, and prescriptive analytics.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Saeed Rasekhi, Rogelio Mazaeda, Fernando Tadeo, Angel Garcia Bombin
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