Timber Treatment Unit

This invention relates to a timber treatment unit, in which the timber to be treated is placed.The timber treatment unit is intended for the treatment of various kinds of timber, the unit being capable of treating any timber and any sizes of timber. It is also capable of treating boards, such as gypsum boards, plytimber boards, chipboards and the like. It allows the treatment of logs intended for the construction of log houses. Logs that have been cut and brought newly from the woods can be treated even while the timber is still fresh. Any fresh timber can be perfectly well treated by means of the unit.

The invention relates to a completely new timber treatment unit, which is characterised by comprising a steam generator, allowing the conversion of a specific treatment agent, such as "Vital Protect" or the new version "Mould Fight 1-10" into steam by heating, after which the steam can be injected by means of steam distributors into the treatment space containing the timber. The treatment agent "Vital Protect" is protected by Finnish patent FI 118147. The new formula of the treatment agent, registered under the trademark "Mould Fight", will be available in at least ten different mixtures. The various embodiments of the invention are defined in the in- dependent claims of the set of claims.

In this context, we wish to emphasise that the treatment method used in this treatment unit is not a so-called pressure-impregnation method. No pressure is used in this treatment, but only the treatment agent above in the form of steam.The inven- tive idea resides in the heating of the timber space integrated in the unit. In this example, the timber space may consist of a lorry container or a sea container, whih can be transported to the treatment site. The floor and the walls of the treatment space are heated. The timber pile is then introduced in the treatment space by means of a transport wagon. The temperature of the timber is lower than that of the interior of the treatment space. When the treatment agent is subsequently steamed into the treatment space, the steam will condense on the cooler surfaces, i.e. those of the timber, which is left waiting for approx. one hour. When the timber is removed from the space at the end of one hour, the treatment will be complete. Owing to the heat in the treatment space, the timber will be completely dry and no post-treatment or drying will be necessary. The treatment space itself may have the shape of a tube, a cube, a rectangular parallelepiped or any spatial element, which has been made of sheet metal, for instance, with insulation if desired, and sufficiently leak-proof to prevent excessive leakage of steam and heat. The treatment space is not necessarily

an integrated element, but may also be a stationary well-insulated, for instance tubular, space.

A transportable model of the unit is readily carried to the client, thus allowing for a markedly larger body of customers. The invention will be explained in greater detail below, by means of an example and with references to the accompanying drawing, which shows a timber treatment unit in cross-section.

The timber treatment unit 1 consists of a container, which contains a treatment space 2, in which the timber 3 to be treated is placed. The unit comprises a steam generator 4, in which a specific treatment agent, such as "Vital Protect" or the new formula "Mould Fight 1-10" can be heated into steam and subsequently injected into the treatment space 2 by means of steam distributors 5. The timber treatment unit also comprises a a control room 6 containing a treatment agent tank 7, a fuel tank 8 for the heating unit, a control unit 9 for retracting the transport wagon and an electric generator 11. The treatment space 2 may also contain one or more cameras connected to a monitor in the control room (not shown in the drawing). The timber 3 can be placed on a transport wagon 12, which is situated within the treatment space during the treatment process. Transport rails 13 are provided between the treatment space 2 and the outer space, allowing movement of the transport wagon 12 into and out of the treatment space.The treatment space 2 is additionally provided with a duct 14 for moisture removal during the treatment.

All the treatment steps are controlled in the control room 6. The cameras and the monitor allow close monitoring of all the steps of the treatment process. The treatment space 2 can be heated by means of electric cartridges, water circulation or oil burners. Four oil burners of normal size provide sufficient heat for the entire process. Ordinary timber heating is also applicable in this case. Easy installation and removal will be required for the transport rails 13 located outside the timber treat- ment unit, since they have to be shifted along with the unit. The transportable model requires heating of the entire container or loading body in order to avoid the risk of freezing in the winter. We also point out that this treatment agent is a non-toxic agent, replacing currently used toxic green impregnating agents. Treatments with the method described above and tests conducted by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland have proved to yield better results than those of currently used pressure- impregnating agents.