Skip to Main Content
U.S. Forest Service
Caring for the land and serving people

United States Department of Agriculture

Home > Search > Publication Information

  1. Temperature changes in an initially frozen wood chip pile.

    Share via EmailShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare on Twitter
    Dislike this pubLike this pub
    Author(s): George R. Sampson; Jenifer H. McBeath
    Date: 1987
    Source: Res. Note PNW-RN-454. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 10 p
    Publication Series: Research Note (RN)
    Station: Pacific Northwest Research Station
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.2737/PNW-RN-454
    PDF: Download Publication  (687 KB)

    Description

    White spruce trees and tops were chipped and placed in a pile near Fairbanks, Alaska, in February 1983. The pile was 6 meters in diameter and 6 meters high in a cylindrical shape. Thermocouples were placed at 25 locations within the pile so that temperatures could be tracked over time. Gypsum blocks were placed at 10 locations to determine changes in moisture content. The first evidence that the pile was generating heat appeared at the end of May 1983. This heat accelerated the warming and thawing of the pile. By early August, all thermocouple points were above freezing. The highest temperature recorded was 61 °C near the core of the pile. The chip pile did not freeze at all points the second winter, and all points in the pile were above freezing by early July 1984. The highest temperature recorded inside the pile during the second summer was 41 °C.

    Publication Notes

    • Visit PNW's Publication Request Page to request a hard copy of this publication.
    • We recommend that you also print this page and attach it to the printout of the article, to retain the full citation information.
    • This article was written and prepared by U.S. Government employees on official time, and is therefore in the public domain.

    Citation

    Sampson, George R.; McBeath, Jenifer H. 1987. Temperature changes in an initially frozen wood chip pile. Res. Note PNW-RN-454. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 10 p

    Cited

    Google Scholar

    Keywords

    Chip fuels, energy, white spruce, Alaska (interior), interior Alaska

    Related Search

    XML: View XML
Show More
Show Fewer
Jump to Top of Page
https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/21226