Air Handling Unit

Elements
Heat Recovery
Department of Building Service and Process Engineering
Miklos Kassai PhD., assistant professor
Building ”D”, Room 124
Tel: 463-2024; e-mail: kassai@epgep.bme.hu
 INTRODUCTION
Why to apply heat recovery units?
• They make mechanical
ventilation more cost
effective by reclaiming
energy from exhaust
airflows.
• They use heat
exchangers to heat or
cool incoming fresh air,
recapturing 40 to 85 %
of the conditioned
temperatures that
would otherwise be
Source: genvex.co.uk

lost.
2
 INTRODUCTION
How does heat recovery work?

3
 FEATURES
HEAT / ENERGY EXCHANGERS
RECUPERATOR
Only heat energy transport (sensible
heat):
• The fluid streams are
separated by a thin wall,
which serves as heat transfer
surface.
• The fluid streams enter the
recuperator at the same time.
REGENERATOR
Both heat energy and moisture
transport is possible (Total
energy recovery: sensible +
latent energy):
• Heat/Energy from hot fluid is
intermittently stored in thermal
storage medium before being
transmitted to cold fluid.
• The fluid streams enter the
4
regenerator one after the other.
 CLASSIFICATION
by energy and material transport
HEAT / ENERGY EXCHANGERS

RECUPERATOR REGENERATOR
Only heat energy transport (sensible Both heat energy and moisture
heat): transport is possible (Total
energy recovery: sensible +
• Fixed-plate cross-flow latent energy):
heat exchanger
• Rotary heat / energy
• Run around coil exchanger
technology
• Regenerative heat /
• Heat pipe energy storage package
5
• Heat pump
 CLASSIFICATION
by medium type
HEAT / ENERGY EXCHANGERS

Air to air heat transfer Use of heat transfer medium

• Fixed-plate cross-flow • Run around coil

heat exchanger technology
• Rotary heat exchanger • Heat pipe
• Regenerative heat • Heat pump
storage package

6
 RECUPERATORS
Fixed-Plate Cross-Flow Heat Exchangers

7
Source: hallenklimatisierung.com
 RECUPERATORS
Fixed-Plate Cross-Flow Heat Exchangers

• Two air-streams are separated by several aluminium plates

• Air-flow through several parallel passages
• The distance between the plates is provided by spacers 8
Source: klingenburg.de
 RECUPERATORS
Fixed-Plate Cross-Flow Heat Exchangers

• Some applications require complete separation of supply and

extract air
• No cross-leakage is acceptable in the heat recovery unit
• Double-folded plate edges provide for air-tightness
9
Source: klingenburg.de
 RECUPERATORS
Fixed-Plate Cross-Flow Heat Exchangers

Advantages Disadvantages

• No moving parts • Requires adjacent air

• High sensible effectiveness streams
>80% • Requires very careful
• Little cross-leakage between transportation
air streams • High first cost in large
• Easy to clean applications
• Special membrane is needed
for moisture recovery
10
 RECUPERATORS
Counter-flow Plate Heat Exchangers

• Additional effective heat transfer surface arranged properly

into counter-flow patterns can increase heat transfer
effectiveness.
11
Source: tps-imp.si, klingenburg.de
 RECUPERATORS
Capacity Control of Counter-flow Heat Exchangers
• Face and bypass
dampers
• If face dampers closed
and bypass dampers
open → reduced airflow
through heat exchanger
• With the use of dampers
the overheating of the
supply air can be
avoided (when there’s
significant surplus heat
in the building) 12
 RECUPERATORS
Special Coatings

• Under circumstances where air have a highly corrosive effect

on materials, epoxy-coated heat exchangers are used
• Swimming pools, seaside locations, special industrial appl.
13
Source: klingenburg.de
 RECUPERATORS
Frost
• Frost is most likely
to develop in the
cold corner
• In this corner
exhaust air is in
contact with the
coldest surface of
the heat exchanger
• Defrosting must be
made possible (only
warm exhaust air
through HRU) 14
 RECUPERATORS
Heat Pipe Technology

15
Source: enerton-inc.com
 RECUPERATORS
The Heat Pipe’s Principle of Operation
• Hot air flowing over the evaporator end of the heat pipe
vaporises the working fluid.
• The vapour pressure gradient drives the vapour to the
condenser end of the heat pipe.
• Vapour condenses releasing the latent energy of
vaporisation.
• The condensed fluid flows back to the evaporator where it is
being re-vaporised, thus completing the cycle.

16
 RECUPERATORS
Heat Pipe Technology • Passive energy recovery device
• Pipe heat exchanger divided into
evaporator and condenser by a
partition plate
• Changing the slope (tilt) of the
heat pipe controls the amount of
heat it transfers
• The heat pipe itself is a sensitive
device
• Effectiveness of heat recovery:
50-60 %
• Relatively rare in building service
systems
17
 RECUPERATORS
Heat Pipe Technology

Advantages Disadvantages

• Little cross-leakage between • Requires adjacent air

air streams
• Relatively low maintenance
• Can be packaged inside air
handler
streams
• Contains refrigerant
• Transfers only sensible heat
• Vacuum technology is
required for the production of
the heat pipe

18
 RECUPERATORS
Coil Loop Technology • Two or more finned tube coils are
piped together in a closed loop
• A small pump circulates the working
fluid through the two coils
• Working fluid: a solution of inhibited
glycol and water
• Modulating capacity (three-way mixing
valve or a variable-speed drive on the
pump)
• The most flexible energy transfer
between air streams that are physically
separated by some distance
• Can recover energy from multiple
exhaust streams (using multiole
exhaust-side coils) 19
Source: renewableenergyhub.co.uk
 RECUPERATORS
Performance Control of Coil Loop Heat Recovery
• Sensible effectiveness 45-65%,
balanced airflow
• Airside static pressure loss of 75-250
Pa per coil
• Adding more rows and fins to the coils
– Increases the sensible effectiveness of the
coil loop
– The fan consumes more energy

• Net energy saved, but additional fan

and pump energy necessary
• Higher fluid flow rate
– Increases sens. Effectiveness of the coil
– Increases energy consumption of the pump
20
Source: renewableenergyhub.co.uk
 RECUPERATORS
Coil Loop Technology
Advantages
• Transfers energy between air
streams that are separated in
distance
• No cross-leakage between air
streamsFlexible design: coils can
be selected for the optimum
amount of energy transfer
• Easily turned off when energy
recovery in not beneficial
• Fits readily within the casing of a
packaged air handler
Disadvantages
• Transfers only sensible heat
• May require an expansion tank to
accomodate expansion and
contraction of heat-transfer fluid
• Requires design and fields of
installation for piping, pump, exp.
tank, and mixing valve
21
 REGENERATORS
Rotary Heat Exchangers

Revolving cylinder filled with air-

permeable medium having large internal
surface area. 22
Source: www.rgs-service.de
 REGENERATORS
Rotary Heat Exchangers

• Adjacent supply and exhaust

airstreams each flow through one-
half the exchanger in counter-flow
pattern.
• Heat transfer medium (permeable
structure) gains and loses heat
periodically 23
Source: www.lakasszelloztetes.hu
 REGENERATORS
Rotary Heat Exchangers

Transfer of sensible heat

• The medium picks up and stores heat
from the warm air stream and releases
it to the cold one.
Transfer of latent heat
• The medium condenses moisture from
the airstream with higher absolute
humidity.
• The medium releases moisture through
evaporation into the air stream with
lower absolute humidity. 24
 REGENERATORS
Rotary Heat Exchangers: Cross-Contamination

Carryover: air entrained within the volume of the rotation medium is carried
into the other airstream.
Leakage: differential static pressure across two airstreams drives air from
higher to lower static pressure region. 25
 REGENERATORS
Cross-Contamination of Rotary Heat Exchangers: Purge Section

The purge section is installed to reduce cross-contamination. In this a small

fan „washes” through the rotor with fresh air to get rid of contaminations in
the rotor’s structure, so that these cannot end up in the supply airstream.
The purge section’s efficiency can be measured by a tracer gas experiment.
26
 REGENERATORS
Renovation of Rotary Heat Exchangers

Dirt
• Higher resistance, higher
pressure drop
Mechanical damage
• Leakage
27
Source: www.lautner.eu
 REGENERATORS
Regulation of Heat Recovery with Rotary Heat Exchangers

• Supply air bypass control

• Varying wheel rotational speed
• Exhaust air bypass control 28
 REGENERATORS
Rotary Heat Exchangers for Large Scale Applications

Source: www.tab.de
29
 REGENERATORS
Rotary Heat Exchangers
Advantages
• High effectiveness ~85%
• Total energy wheels transfer
both sensible heat and
moisture
Disadvantages
• Requires adjacent air
streams
• May permit leakage between
air streams
• Belt, motor and bearings
require periodic maintenance
30
 REGENERATORS
Rotary Heat Exchangers for Data Processing Centres

• Extract air (35°C) streams through one half of the rotor, where it cools down
to ~22°C before being returned to the computer room.
• Cold outside air streams through the other half of the rotor in counter-flow
pattern. It warms up and then it is led to the outside.
31
Source: klingenburg.de
 REGENERATORS
Rotary Heat Exchangers for Data Processing Centres
Advantages
• Only air is used for
the cooling
process
• No water needed
in the highly
sensitive computer
room
• Compared to fixed-
plate heat
exchanger lower
pressure loss and
higher efficiency
32
Source: klingenburg.de
 SOIL HEAT EXCHANGER
Air Preheating or Precooling Using Ground Energy

33
Source: rehau.com
 SOIL HEAT EXCHANGER
Monitored System: Office Building in Erlangen (Germany)

34
Source: rehau.com
 SOIL HEAT EXCHANGER
Monitored System: Erlangen (Germany) 1/1/2013 - 31/12/2013
TEMPERATURE RELATIVE HUMIDITY

VOLUME FLOW TRANSFERRED HEAT

35
Source: emt.rehau.com
 SOIL HEAT EXCHANGER
Laying Methods: Loop around the Building

36
Source: heinze.de, rehau.com
 SOIL HEAT EXCHANGER
Laying Methods: Tichelman-Switch

37
Source: heinze.de
 THANK YOU
FOR
YOUR ATTENTION
Department of Building Service and Process Engineering
Miklos Kassai PhD., assistant professor
Building ”D”, Room 124
Tel: 463-2024; e-mail: kassai@epgep.bme.hu 38