Mühlböck to Install Its Largest Ever Belt Dryer at Moelven Group’s New Pellet Plant in Sweden

Moelven Group, one of Scandinavia’s largest timber companies, recently announced that it has commissioned Mühlböck to deliver a 320 m³ Type 1003 Premium belt dryer for Moelven’s largest site in Valåsen (Karlskoga, Sweden). The belt drier will be part of a new pellet plant that is under construction and should be operational in the summer of 2024.

According to the press release, the annual capacity of the belt dryer will be approximately 112,000 tons of dried sawmill by-product. Mühlböck’s largest belt dryer to date will have a total length of 59 meters and a height of 8 meters. The unique plant will be designed specifically for safe and flawless operation of all components in colder regions.

In a statement accompanying the announcement, CEO of Moelven Pellets AB Lars Storslett said, “At the new pellet plant in Valåsen, Moelven will reach a new level in terms of energy efficiency, and Mühlböck’s 1003 Premium belt dryer is the best solution for us in this regard.”

Besides energy efficiency and resource preservation, the topics of safety, reliability, and plant availability even in very cold climatic conditions also played a big role when it came to the decision. In order to ensure the reliable and energy efficient drying of sawdust and wood chips, Mühlböck revolutionized belt drying technology with its efficient 1003 Premium heat recovery system. Depending on system design, energy savings of up to 50% are possible compared to traditional drying systems. Mühlböck utilizes the thermal energy contained in the heated final drying zone’s exhaust steam, making it available to the pre-drying zone as supply air via an air-to-air heat exchanger and a heat recovery system. Thus equipped, the latter requires no or very little additional heating.