Rotary dryer

 
Kronospan is the world largest manufactuer of wood panel products and laminate flooring.

On their site at Wrexham, UK they had many problems with their dryer.

The wood dryer is essential to the manufacturing process as it reduces the moisture content of the wood chips before its used to make wood panels.

The rotary wood dryer turns on two riding rings and a girth gear. Whilst turning hot gases are blown through which reduces the moisture of the wood. These three areas need to be lubricate to ensure smooth operation and turning.

If they are not lubricated the gears deteriorate quicker which leads to inefficient running and increased energy costs due to increased load on the motors

 
 
Typically this system uses a thick black grease with graphite in it.

The grease needs to be sprayed on using DropsA 1132100 spray valve, a valve for air/grease mixing suitable for gear pinion
applications where it is required  an even distribution of  grease to
on components in contact with each other. DropsA also included an air delay timer which is a feature on the VIP5 Plus controller. This allowed the air to remain on to flush out the grease for up to 1 minute after the pump had stopped operating. If this is not done then grease builds up in the line and sawdust can block the nozzle tips.