Commercial Buildings
Evaluate heat recovery where commercial buildings require significant outdoor-air ventilation alongside conditioning.
HEAT RECOVERY SYSTEMS
Recovering Energy
Recovering Energy
From the Air.
When fresh air enters a building and conditioned air is exhausted, thermal energy can leave with it. Heat recovery can be evaluated as part of the HVAC strategy to make that air exchange more intelligently engineered.
HEAT RECOVERY
AIR-TO-AIR ENERGY TRANSFER
FRESH AIR
IN
HX
RECOVERY
EXHAUST
OUT
01
THE ENGINEERING PERSPECTIVE
When Exhaust Air
Still Carries Useful Energy.
Ventilation often requires a continuous exchange between outdoor air and indoor air. Depending on the application, that exhaust air may still contain useful thermal energy.
Heat recovery introduces a way to evaluate whether some of that thermal energy can be transferred to the incoming air stream as part of the overall HVAC design.
The right approach depends on the building, airflow requirements, operating conditions and system configuration.
APPLICATIONS
Where Heat Recovery
Where Heat Recovery
Can Become Part of the Strategy.
Heat recovery is most meaningful when ventilation and conditioning requirements make thermal transfer worth evaluating as part of the system design.
High Fresh-Air Applications
Consider recovery where fresh-air and exhaust-air flows form a significant part of HVAC operation.
Institutional Spaces
Explore recovery strategies for buildings with defined ventilation requirements and sustained occupancy.
Specialised HVAC Systems
Assess system-specific recovery opportunities where ventilation, conditioning and operating requirements intersect.
ENGINEERING SCOPE
Heat Recovery Starts
Heat Recovery Starts
With System Assessment.
A recovery device is only one part of the solution. The surrounding airflow, pressure, controls and HVAC integration need to work together.
01
Fresh-Air & Exhaust Assessment
Understand the relationship between incoming fresh air and outgoing exhaust air before evaluating recovery.
02
Recovery Suitability
Assess whether the building and operating conditions make a heat-recovery approach appropriate.
03
Airflow Arrangement
Review supply and exhaust airflow paths and their relationship with the recovery equipment.
04
Heat Exchanger Selection
Consider the appropriate recovery technology based on system configuration and application requirements.
05
Pressure Drop
Account for the impact of recovery equipment on the overall air-side system and fan requirements.
06
HVAC Integration
Coordinate recovery equipment with the wider ventilation and conditioning system.
07
Controls & Operation
Consider operating logic, system control and the relationship between ventilation and recovery.
08
Maintenance Access
Include accessibility and practical maintenance requirements in the engineering assessment.
RECOVERY TECHNOLOGIES
Different Systems.
Different Systems.
Different Recovery Approaches.
Heat recovery is not a single equipment category. Different recovery technologies can be considered depending on airflow arrangement, space constraints, operating conditions and system requirements.
01
Rotary Heat Exchangers
Also known as heat wheels, these systems transfer thermal energy between air streams through a rotating heat-transfer medium.
02
Plate Heat Exchangers
Air streams exchange thermal energy across separating plates without direct mixing of the two air paths.
03
Air-to-Air Recovery
Recovery arrangements can be integrated into ventilation systems where supply and exhaust air paths can be coordinated.
04
System-Specific Recovery
Specialised HVAC applications may require a recovery arrangement developed around the particular system configuration.
DESIGN & OPTIMIZATION
Recovery Performance
Recovery Performance
Depends on the Whole System.
A heat-recovery device should be evaluated as part of the complete HVAC system rather than as an isolated component.
Recovery Potential
Evaluate the thermal relationship between the incoming and outgoing air streams.
Airflow Compatibility
Consider whether supply and exhaust airflow arrangements support the proposed recovery configuration.
Pressure Drop
Understand the additional resistance introduced into the air-side system.
Operating Conditions
Evaluate system operation across the relevant building and environmental conditions.
Maintenance
Consider access, cleaning and practical maintenance requirements during system planning.
HVAC Integration
Coordinate recovery with ventilation, conditioning, controls and the wider HVAC system.
01
FRESH AIR
INCOMING
HX
THERMAL TRANSFER
02
EXHAUST
OUTGOING
VENTILATION CONNECTION
Heat Recovery
Heat Recovery
Begins With the Air Path.
Fresh-air ventilation and exhaust-air removal create the fundamental relationship in an air-to-air heat-recovery system.
That is why heat recovery should be considered alongside ventilation design, air distribution and HVAC integration.
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OUR APPROACH
Assess First.
Assess First.
Then Engineer the Recovery Path.
01
ASSESS
Understand fresh-air, exhaust and HVAC requirements.
02
ANALYSE
Study airflow paths, operating conditions and recovery suitability.
03
EVALUATE
Consider the appropriate recovery technology and system configuration.
04
INTEGRATE
Coordinate recovery equipment with the complete HVAC and ventilation system.
05
REVIEW
Review operation, controls, maintenance and practical system requirements.
HEAT RECOVERY ENGINEERING
Could Your HVAC System
Could Your HVAC System
Recover More?
Start with the airflow, understand the operating conditions and then determine whether heat recovery belongs in the engineering strategy.
Discuss Your HVAC Requirement