Changes in thermal conductivity of wood during its thermochemical conversion

Abstract

Abstract Plant biomass is a fuel with better environmental characteristics than fossil fuels. The paper considers the effect of wood fuel conversion on its thermophysical properties. The measurements made allow us to establish a relationship between the degree of conversion and the coefficient of thermal conductivity. Thermal conductivity increases linearly with increasing density of samples and decreases as the pyrolysis proceeds, which is associated with a change in the porous structure and chemical composition of the material. The data obtained are used in a mathematical model of the pyrolysis of a wood particle. The influence of the anisotropy of the thermal conductivity coefficient on the characteristic drying and pyrolysis times is estimated.