FAQ

In a crossflow heat exchanger, the cold and the warm air flow perpendicular to each other. Two neighboring aluminum plates create channels for the air to pass through. The supply air passes on one side of the plate and the exhaust air on the other. The heat in the exhaust air is transferred through the plate from the warmer air to the colder air.

A very important parameter for the performance of a plate heat exchanger is the spacing between the plates. A narrow channel leads to high-pressure drop but also to high efficiency. The latter means that more heat is transferred to the cold side. A higher plate distance is better if a lower pressure drop is required. The trade-off is lower efficiency.

Usually, the exhaust air is contaminated with humidity and pollutants, but with a plate heat exchanger, airflows never mix, leaving the supply air fresh and clean.

The wheel is built up by a matrix that consists of two foils, one flat and one corrugated; together, they create channels for the air to pass through. The wheel is rotated by an electric motor and belt drive system.

In one half of the rotation, the exhaust air from the inside space flows through the matrix. Its heat is stored in the matrix, and in the other half of the rotation, it is transferred to the fresh supply air from outside.

The size of the channel is called well height. Different well heights and diameters of the wheel give different efficiencies, pressure drops, and airflow rates.

Rotary heat exchangers that are properly constructed, installed, and maintained have almost zero transfer of particle-bound pollutants.

ERVs transfer both heat and moisture, making them suitable for humid climates, while HRVs only transfer heat and are commonly used in colder climates.

In the counterflow heat exchanger, two neighboring aluminum plates create channels for the air to pass through. The supply air passes on one side of the plate and the exhaust air on the other. Airflows are passed by each other along parallel aluminum plates instead of perpendicular like in a crossflow heat exchanger. The heat in the exhaust air is transferred through the plate from the warmer air to the colder air.

The exhaust air is sometimes contaminated with humidity and pollutants, but airflows never mix with a plate heat exchanger, leaving the supply air fresh and clean.