Heatex air handling units are currently helping businesses around the world make credible progress towards a zero carbon future. Our approach of thoughtfully considering win–win projects delivers optimum solutions for drying primary wastes and by-products into useful energy and high calorific fuel alternatives. Our green energy team seek exciting projects with the following positive outcomes:

Win for the environment ✔; Win for profit ✔; Win for your community ✔; Win for business ✔

To begin with, Stronga analyse the key parameters of your preferred local heat source which can include residual and process heat availability. We design our thermally efficient heat exchange solutions with consideration to location and ambient conditions; this helps to deliver the correct-scale drying quality output air. High quality warm airflow can then be used to dry wet materials, bulk solids and by-products into added value products.

Invest in turnkey system for drying bulk solids and other wet materials; start your transition to resource efficiency and sustainable energy output.

Stronga’s intelligent, modular and scalable Heatex air handling units are individually configured on a project-by-project basis to optimise drying performance via optimal air temperature, airflow and pressure from residual or primary heat sources. Energy efficiency is considered from the start of the project to significant reduce ownership costs throughout the operational years.

Our high duty cycle Heatex air handling units are robust, reliable and well-proven across a wide range of intensive wet material drying applications.

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Highly efficient. Extremely low electrical energy is required from Heatex’s soft-start, direct-drive plug fans, offering the lowest kW-e (Kilowatt-electric) cost per kW of energy delivered. These savings really add up, often to hundreds of thousands of £/$/€, over a 10 year period.

Defining parameters. Stronga consider all the variable factors such as location, dryer scale, ambient conditions and available heat source, before designing a bespoke air handling unit. The tailor-made heat exchanger box optimises drying performance in the adjacent FlowDrya.

High duty cycle. Heatex is designed to run for high duty hours, every single year. Heatex air handling units have a proven track record with a large number of units currently working reliably in the market.

Stronga specialise in the selection and manufacture of a wide range of highly reliable, tailor-made heat exchangers for wet material drying applications. Our experience to date includes drying grain, wood chips, digestate fibre, SRF, paper pulp, industrial hemp, bulk solids and more.

Stronga are able to confidently supply different type, indirect air heat exchangers depending on the client’s requirements, including; Air to air heat exchangers ✔; Finned tube coil heat exchangers ✔; Gas to air heat exchangers ✔; Steam & water heating coils ✔; Wide finned coils for dusty environments ✔; & more ✔

Heatex can be configured to work alongside the continuous FlowDrya or our horizontal airflow drying containers.

Drying wet materials, by-products and bulk solids can unlock new commercial opportunities by improving storage stability, enhancing fuel quality and preparing materials for further processing. FlowDrya and Heatex systems help businesses recover value from resources that might otherwise be underutilised. Potential applications include:

✔ Industrial hemp drying – Drying and stabilising hemp biomass for further processing, including CBD extraction.
✔ Waste wood drying – Reducing moisture content to produce higher-calorific-value wood fuel for biomass energy generation.
✔ Crops & animal feed – Drying and preserving high-value agricultural crops, feedstocks and feed ingredients.
✔ Paper pulp drying – Processing suitable paper fibres and pulp into absorbent animal bedding and other useful products.
✔ SRF & RDF drying – Reducing moisture in SRF and RDF to improve fuel quality and support energy recovery.
✔ Biomass & industrial by-products – Drying digestate fibre, sawmill residues and other wet materials for reuse, recovery or onward processing.

By combining efficient industrial drying with the right downstream process, businesses can reduce waste, improve material usability and create new revenue streams from valuable resources.

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Heatex systems feature intelligent, project-specific control systems designed to optimise drying air temperature, airflow volume and pressure for the material being processed. Integrated sensors continuously monitor key operating parameters, enabling automatic adjustment of set points to improve drying efficiency, energy utilisation and process stability. The HMI touchscreen provides intuitive control and monitoring, including:

Automatic set-point control – Regulates heat input, fan speed and airflow to maintain the required drying conditions.
Air-off temperature perature control – Optimises drying air temperature, including for temperature-sensitive materials.
Return temperature control – Maintains specified return water temperatures for compatible heat sources, including biogas engines and CHP systems.
Live monitoring & data recording – Displays key operating parameters, with trend visualisation and recording to support performance optimisation.
Manual & remote control options – Enables manual fan-speed adjustment, with potential for remote monitoring and control via PC.

Each control package is configured around the available thermal energy source, site infrastructure and drying requirements. For water-based systems, sensors monitor incoming water temperature and pressure, allowing the system to respond when heat availability falls or becomes insufficient. Controls can also accommodate fluctuating heat supply and changing operating conditions. Commissioning and operator training help ensure your team understands the system and can manage it confidently, safely and efficiently from day one.

Integrated direct-drive plug fans deliver energy-efficient air handling with reduced energy consumption and low electricity load. Super-quiet plug fans have a leading blade design, offering easy maintenance and long life reliability with no belts. A soft-start inverter reduces component stress and electricity usage.

Benefits of plug fans over traditional centrifugal fans:

• Directly coupled, low-noise radial fans deliver continuous full face air distribution with minimal pressure loss;
• Low energy consumption and costs, resulting in shorter payback periods and increased efficiency;
• Energy savings of up to 30% per annum when compared to centrifugal fans;
• Low maintenance requirement and easy to service, when necessary.

Heatex air handling units are housed in robust, weatherproof modular enclosures designed for secure external installation, easy transportation and flexible site integration. The integrated hot air plenum allows the drying system to be arranged in different configurations to suit available space, site layouts and FlowDrya installation requirements. Key benefits of the modular design include:

✔ Reduced building requirements – Minimises the need for dedicated plant buildings and extensive structural foundations.
✔ Compact footprint – Space-efficient modules can be stacked where appropriate, helping maximise available site space.
✔ Flexible installation – Weatherproof housing enables convenient external positioning and greater flexibility when integrating equipment into existing facilities.

Highly reliable Heatex equipment is designed for the demanding energy market, offering a high duty cycle and reliable operation for over 8000 hours/year. Stronga heat exchangers are the outcome of years of experience and engineering. Bespoke designs optimise thermal efficiency and performance, offering great value in the form of lowest cost per tonne dried.

Stronga technical team interrogate the requirements of each project carefully. We help clients to define clear energy parameters including delta T and return water temperatures which are often critical to ancillary equipment (e.g. CHP engine).

Our experts at integration are mindful of the whole scheme, considering the drying air quality, airflow through the material, air pressure and air speed, all designed to optimise drying from the energy available. Feel free to contact our technical team today to discuss your drying project.