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Re: Go Green with a Professional! Green Architects, Builders, an

Re: Go Green with a Professional! Green Architects, Builders, an

Submitted by athena on Tue, 07/22/2008 - 05:51.

I'd like to see that.  The air flow channels would be so small you would need a compressor to push the air through.  The costs of operating the air movers is what offsets the value of the heat recovered.  There are standards for the number of air changes required per hour, so efficiency of the heat exchanger becomes a concern as the size of unit grows to meet the needs of the building. 

A heat exchanger needs to be efficient.  It really doesn't matter how big the thing is.  If it recovers 80% of the heat now being lost in ventilation and it uses less than that to make it happen, it has a market.  Cost of unit would determin payback and therefore marketability.

Most heat exchangers are "flat plate" design (whether they are plates or pipes), and the air laminates and rolls along the surface.  The air near the exchange surface stays in contact with the exchanger and most air moves through the thing without coming in ontact with the exchange surface.  You are doing good if you even get close to 50% efficiency.  Most don't come anyway near that.

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Go Green with a Professional! Green Architects, Builders, and Green Consultants by Nichoel Farris, Lime Designs By: EcoHomes (5 replies) Thu, 06/19/2008 - 15:20