Process for drying lumber

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE REMOVAL OF MOISTURE FROM LUMBER COMPRISING THE STEPS OF ENCLOSING LUMBER IN A CONFINED ZONE UNDER CONTROLLED CONDITIONS OF DRY BULB TEMPERATURE, WET BULB TEMPERATURE AND TOTAL PRESSURE OF THE ZONE ATMOSPHERE, THE INITIAL CONDITIONS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME AS THOSE OUTSIDE THE ZONE, INCREASING THE DRY BULB TEMPERATURE OF THE ZONE ATMOSPHERE TO A POINT NEAR THE BOILING POINT OF WATER AT THE PREVAILING TOTAL PRESSURE IN THE ZONE WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY INCREASING THE WET BULB TEMPERATURE WHILE HOLDING A WET BULB DEPRESSION OF LESS THAN APPROXIMATELY 15 PERCENT OF THE DRY BULB TEMPERATURE, VARYING THE PARTIAL VAPOR PRESSURE IN THE ZONE SO THAT THE SURFACE TEMPERATURE OF THE LUMBER WILL REMAIN LOWER THAN THE BOILING POINT OF WATER WITHIN THE ZONE AT THE PREVAILING VAPOR PRESSURE IN ORDER TO PREVENT EVAPORATION OF MOISTURE FROM THE LUMBER, MAINTAINING THESE CONDITIONS WHILE UNIFORMLY HEATING THE LUMBER AND MOISTURE CONTAINED THEREIN TO A TEMPERATURE NEAR THE BOILING POINT