February/March 1983 RAIN Page 25 Cason's strategy for improving acceptance and awareness of solar energy has a strong likelihood for success. The two key components are providing high quality, attractive installations and working hard to involve the community. It may also prove to be a model for other cities where low income families are being acutely affected by high energy costs and have little opportunity to see solar systems operating in their neighborhood. James Cason's creio installs a solar water heater for a low-income family. M & M Hardwoods of Myrtle Creek has been a pioneer in the drying of Oregon hardwoods through use of a dehumidifier kiln. Results have been favorable, but high energy costs have restricted its success. In 1981, M & M received a grant to design, construct, and test the feasibility of a combination solar/dehumidifier kiln. M & M's solar/dehumidifier kiln is the largest (20,000 board feet capacity) known operation of its type in the country. It will be on-line this spring. Jim Richmond and Steven Baker are assishng Kip Morgan of M & M in the design and installation of solar and dehumidification systems. The kiln building, before the addition of the sloped roof for the solar collectors, is a conventional energy- efficient design. It is identical in its basic design to the present dehumidification kiln with which it shares its north wall. While the kiln is straightforward, the exact configuration of the collector array, dehumidification system, venting systems, and backup systems have presented major design challenges. Originally, a low-cost air collector system was to be built into the roof. However^ protecting the system from corrosion by the highly acidic air in the kiln proved to be prohibitively expensive. A liquid-collector system using water in a drain-back configuration was substituted; it contains approximately 440 square feet of collectors. A water-to-air heat exchanger transfers heat into the kiln, where the hot air is channeled to the lumber. The kiln was originally designed with a low-cost, experimental dehumidification system. Engineering analysis showed that the experimental system would have heavy heat losses, so M & M decided to build a conventional dehumidification system using off-the- shelf components. The locally-built dehumidification system will still be significantly cheaper than purchasing a complete dehumidification sytem. The kiln is controlled by a sophisticated system which monitors temperature and humidity. Following construction of the kiln, a 14 month period of testing and data collection will be initiated. Data collection will include energy consumption patterns, drjdng schedules, and sample weights. Insolation, temperature, and wind data will also be recorded on a conhnuous basis. The final report will describe the construction process and the interpretation of the data. The solar kiln has attracted considerable attention from diverse interests: an Oregon fruit drying association, architects, solar energy groups, the lumber industry, and research organizations. Designed to be adaptable to other localities, this project has the potential for broad application. At a time when the lumber industry is in dire straits, diversification into hardwoods could have a significant impact on employment. The M & M experience indicates that the solar kiln option may be within the reach of many companies. M&M Hardwood's combination solar/dehumidifier kiln.
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