Job number: VEL2025018
Evergreen Garden Care imports bird seed in bulk, eventually processing it into retail-sized packaging. Prior to this, the seed must be heat treated following regulatory requirements by the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI), a process requiring a temperature of 85°C to be maintained over 15 hours including humidity control.
The capacity of the plant is defined by the shipment size, usually a 20-ton container load (or a multiple thereof).
The process requires precise temperature control to prevent seed damage, an even airflow distribution for consistent heating, and effective humidity regulation to maintain optimal moisture levels.
Key design challenges included integrating the sometimes-bulky components within the container footprint and shipping the entire system in one lot by standard container haulage.
Solution
Vortex designed and delivered a custom-made heating system, featuring:
- A 120kW heater unit with 6 separately controllable heater elements.
- A 30kW main fan for stable airflow.
- A ducting system to optimize air distribution and uniform heating.
- Container modifications, including framing to install the above components on the container roof.
- Humidity control with air extraction and water injection capabilities.
- A control system to run and monitor the operation, as well as to generate a report for the respective authority (MPI).
- An electrical cabinet for the controls featuring two-way communication with the operator via an HMI (touch screen).
Vortex successfully delivered a fully integrated and efficient heat treatment system that met the client’s requirements. The system ensures permanent temperature control, humidity regulation and consistent airflow. It automatically generates a report after each completed cycle, which serves as evidence of meeting treatment requirements.
The plant was designed so that all components (including the 40” HC container) could be shipped to the client’s site by standard container haulage.
To increase efficiency, the container had been insulated on-site during equipment installation.
