Vapour treatment oxidizer systems

The presence of water, or water vapour, affects the chemistry of thermal modification and heat transfer within the wood (Burmester, 1981). Under dry treatment conditions, the wood is dried prior to thermal modification, or water is removed by the use of an open system, or a recirculating system equipped with a condenser. In closed systems, water evaporated from the wood remains as high-pressure steam during the process. Steam can also be injected into the reactor to act as a heat-transfer medium, and can additionally act as an inert blanket to limit oxidative processes. Such steam treatment processes are referred to as hygrothermal treatments. Where the wood is heated in water, this is known as a hydrothermal process. Hydrothermal treatments have been extensively studied as a... 

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