Features and Specifications

Capacity & Flexibility

Solarola drying kiln units range from 10 to 500 cubic metre capacity of sawn stacked timber. Three arch sizes are available to accommodate varying scales of operation and individual loading methods from forklift to hand loading. At any stage of your development, inexpensive add-on modules may be added are to increase capacity of each unit to meet business growth needs. A range of cost effective fixed and “shared” supplementary heating options are available to ensure that production levels are uniform in all seasons.

Range Of Control Options-

A range of kiln control options are available, all including our exceptional solar energymanagement features and a range of unique features that deliver more value foryour money.  Starting with system that typically start with the smallest and largest kiln projects, mini pro, prokiln and generation 4 controls are available. Fullonline control features and extremely detailed real-time logging and graphing of process data is the main point of differentiation between the upper level gen-4 technology and other entry level controls that have been embraced by our rapidly expanding client base.

High Durability-Low Maintenance

Kilns have to withstand heat and acidic high humidity conditions generated in the drying process, as well as being able to cope with often extreme external weather conditions at the processing site. We have recognized this need to durability and as such, the Solarola range features aluminium and stainless steel frames and components that are durable and impervious to any type of corrosion.

Roll On/Off Reloading

“Solar Kilns” directors have been in the timber drying business for over three decades, so we understand the difficulties and costs associated with loading and unloading conventional kilns. That’s why we made sure the Solarola kiln was developed with ease of use in mind.

The entire kiln and fixtures simply roll over an adjacent timber charge that can be prepared at any stage during the lead-up to being required. Depending on your kiln size, the changeover takes approximately 15 and 30 minutes. The finished charge stands well clear of the kiln which can be easily unloaded by forklift without the need for kiln entry or trolleys.

By reducing the downtime caused by loading and unloading, the Solarola system suffers less down-time and produces more output than kilns drying at a similar rate.

Supplementary Heating Options

Even the worst climactic conditions cannot interrupt the drying process. Solar heating can be assisted by a range of optional hybrid gas, steam or hot water heating systems that ensure uniform production regardless of weather extremes.

Mobile Gas Heater units may be shared between a number of kilns when needed.  In regions where winter climate conditions are poor, a single mobile heater may be shared between 3 or four kilns when needed during the closing hotter stages of the drying schedules. This saves upfront cost and is a useful feature when operating in moderate to good climate zones.

Because of the unparalleled solar efficiency of solarola and its capacity to save large amounts of heat energy even in the worst winter and rainy season conditions,  clients who choose to use wood waste supplementary heating will enjoy the advantage smaller capacity- lower cost heat plants to meet the needs. In other cases, the option to use waste products to power steam electricity generators (to run the sawmill) and to use hot water by-products for supplementary heating represent ways of capturing the benefit of increasingly valuable “wood waste products”.    

Unlike other indirect heated hot water systems, our heating system efficiency is not compromised by the normal 30-40% losses due to heat transfer from one medium to another through heat exchange systems. 

Circulation Fans and Airspeeds

Speeds up to 4.5 m/s depending on individual needs. Variable speed reversing fans come standard for our drying technology and are available as options on all lower spec models.

Kiln Climate sensing:

Our technology has some basic automated features similar to conventional drying technology. Temperature humidity sensors are located on both sides of the timber load. These sensors provide a basis upon which automatic sprinklers, venting units, and supplementary heaters are deployed to maintain accurate set-point conditions throughout the process.

Other sensors are provided to detect and automatically adapt to climate conditions, for energy management and to even recognize when clouds pass over the kiln to change the functional and unique solar collector system to temporary insulation mode. Simply put, there is nothing to match this technology on the planet.