Abstract:
The woodworking industry in Palestine has grown rapidly in the past few years. This change has led us to be completely dependent on the only electrical energy source available which is Israel. Palestinians pay among the highest electricity rates in the world which is a major limitation for any industrial advancement in the country. In order to make the production in Palestine more feasible we have to look for alternative energy resources.
One of the most widely used machines in wood manufacturing is thermal presses that use a combination of high temperature and pressure to produce l\/IDF boards and composite wood.
The most expensive stage in the production process of these boards is heating the thermal oil that provides the high temperature for the wood. This stage is currently done by electrical heaters that consume a very large amount of electrical energy, hence the high cost of production.
Our project's main objective is to design and implement an alternative heating system for the working oil that is cheaper and more efficient. The machine will no longer be dependent on electricity as a heating source and it will be replaced by system of heating using fossil fuels. The system will consist of a series of pipes that will pass through an electronically controlled burner that ensures the most efficient consumption of the fuel.
The implementation of this project will provide a high quality product at a much lower cost than the international market which will encourage the local consumers to use a homemade product and bring jobs home.