Enthalpy Wheel

Introduction
Enthalpy wheels are starting to become a common device in
Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Systems.
They transfer heat and humidity between the exhaust and
supply air. Their net effect is to bring the supply (incoming)
air closer in temperature and humidity to the exhaust air and
reduce the load on the heating and cooling systems.
A well-designed enthalpy wheel will recover 60% to 80% of
the energy that would otherwise be needed to heat or cool
outside air. It lowers building operating costs and the capital
cost of cooling and heating equipment as smaller devices
can be installed. The typical payback period of an enthalpy
wheel in Southern Ontario is five years.

Description
An enthalpy wheel is positioned so that the exhaust air and the supply air
travel through it in opposite directions through separate ducts (see diagram).
The incoming air travels through the wheel before it enters the rest of the
HVAC system.
The wheel rotates at a rate of one revolution every one to six seconds. As it
rotates, it absorbs heat and moisture from the warmer air stream and loses
heat and moisture to the cooler air stream. Usually this means the supply air
is warmed and humidified in the winter and cooled and dehumidified in the
summer. The same device is effective all year around at pre-conditioning the
outdoor air.
Enthalpy Wheels range from one to ten metres in diameter depending on the
volume of air that must travel through them. Their rotation speed is variable
and dependent on
outdoor temperature and humidity. For example, in the
.
Integrated Learning Centre, when the temperature outside in near room
temperature, the wheel will shut down and air will travel through a separate
duct. When the wheel will not save energy for the heating and cooling
systems, energy is not wasted turning the wheel.
Most wheels consist of an aluminum honeycomb structure within a supporting
frame. The honeycomb structure provides maximum surface area, least air
pressure drop, light weight and high structural strength. The aluminum is
coated with a desiccant such as silica gel that can continually absorb and

Rotary Air-to-Air Energy Exchanger

Enthalpy wheel

Constant Volume Dual Duct System

Rotary Energy Exchangers

Exhaust

Return air
form
Greenhouse

Fresh
air

Hot and
fresh air to
Greenhouse

Preheater

Heating coil
Cool and fresh air
to greenhouse

Cooling coil

Filters

What Does It Do?

The energy recovery wheel performs opposite
processes in the cooling season and the
heating season. When the outside air is hot and
humid, the wheel transfers both heat and
humidity from the incoming air to the exhaust
air, thus decreasing the amount of cooling
needed by the air handler. On the opposite end
of the spectrum, when the outside air is frigid
and dry, the wheel transfers heat and humidity
to the incoming air from the exhaust air, thus
decreasing the amount of heating and
humidification needed from the air handlers.

How Does It Work?

The wheel is designed to spin between the outdoor and the
return air streams. It is constructed entirely of aluminum, with
large spokes to support the desiccant-coated aluminum filter. As
the transfer core rotates between outdoor and return air
streams, the higher temperature air stream gives up its sensible
energy to the aluminum. This energy is then transferred to the
cooler air stream during the second half of the revolution.
Just as the temperature is captured and released, so is the
latent energy. This is accomplished by the desiccant coating of
the wheel. The 3 molecular sieve desiccant has a very strong
affinity for water and an enormous internal surface area to bind
the water on its surface. Since the opposing air streams have
different temperatures and moisture contents, the vapor
pressures on their surfaces differ. This vapor pressure
differential is the driving force necessary for the transfer of
water vapor.
Additionally, the wheel is designed for high heat recovery
effectiveness with low pressure loss. This makes the wheel a
viable option for energy recovery because it does not cause a
significant increase in fan power to reach the desired supply air
pressure.

How Is It Controlled?
The energy recovery wheel is monitored by a
rotation detector which determines the
angular velocity of the core. This sensor,
along with air temperature sensors installed
on either side of the wheel in both air
streams, feed back to a solid-state controller
which instructs a variable frequency drive
connected to the wheel motor. This VFD
commands the motor to speeds between
and 20 rpm to most efficiently transfer total
energy between the air streams.

How Is The Wheel Effectiveness Calculated?

The effectiveness of the energy recovery wheel gives us a scale of

how well the wheel is conserving building energy. This quantity is
technically defined as the amount of energy recovered divided by
the maximum energy that could theoretically be recovered. While
effectiveness can be calculated for both sides of the wheel, the
return air effectiveness is typically the determinate of efficiency. The
effectiveness is calculated as:

where: vr is the return air volume rate; vmin is the lesser of the air
flow rates; and X is the temperature,