CONTROL OPTIMIZATION OF A SOLAR KILN

A solar dryer has been built at Kourou (French Guyana) in 1986. A math ematical model has been validated by experimental results. A wood dryi ng process implies that internal dryer conditions respect wood drying table. The classic behaviour has followed until now a "bang bang" cont rol. This law is consistent with the wood quality but may be more effi cient. The introduction in the model of new command laws - more sophis ticated for air flow regulation and better adapted to solar fluctuatio ns - allow to reduce the drying time, improving performance with respe ct for the product quality.