Fuel for rubber smokehouses: holding temperature steady

The grade of ribbed smoked sheet depends on holding temperature and smoke steady across the cycle. The variable that most often prevents that is not the furnace — it is fuel moisture swinging between batches.

Photo: andre govia on Unsplash

Why moisture matters more than expected

Wet fuel spends part of its energy driving off water before it delivers useful heat.

Two things follow: temperature rises more slowly than it should, and the smoke carries more water vapour, which affects both cycle time and the sheet that comes out.

If this batch is 35% and the next is 50%, the operator is guessing afresh each time. The result will not be consistent however skilled they are.

An attractive average means nothing if batches differ

This is where many buyers go wrong — asking only for average moisture, when what affects the work is the range.

Fuel at a steady 43% every batch is easier to run than fuel averaging 38% but swinging between 25% and 50%.

When asking for a specification, ask for both the average and the range.

What to choose

10 mm chips suit mid-size smokehouses. They ignite quickly and allow finer control of feed rate than larger chips.

30 mm chips suit larger furnaces burning continuously for long periods without frequent refilling.

Pellets hold the lowest and most consistent moisture, so temperature is steadiest. Cost per unit of heat is higher, which suits houses valuing grade consistency above fuel cost per kilogram.

The rubberwood advantage

Most smokehouses sit inside the rubber-growing belt, which is also where the feedstock is. Short haul distances give a cost advantage.

And because it is one species from plantations of similar age, calorific value is more consistent than mixed wood waste.

Before changing supplier

• Ask for moisture as both an average and a range
• Ask for ash content as a percentage
• Order a trial batch and time the cycle against your current fuel
• Ask whether supply comes from the same source year-round or changes with availability

We produce from rubberwood and mixed hardwood in Trang, screening every batch before chipping, and deliver across Songkhla, Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat where smokehouses are densest. Call +66 92 392 2292.