Table des matières
- Most fume hoods run on 100% outdoor air. A single variable-air-volume hood can move 300–1,200 m³/h, and a typical lab runs dozens of them. Every cubic metre is heated or cooled, then dumped outside. The make-up air system must condition an equal volume to replace it — that is the real cost. Constant volume: hoods exhaust at a fixed rate regardless of sash position. Variable air volume (VAV): flow follows the sash, but peak demand is still high. Make-up air: all of it must be tempered to ~21 °C and 50% RH before entering the space.
- Both recover heat from the relief airstream and return it to the incoming outdoor air. They differ in what they recover and how they isolate the two airstreams. Factor Enthalpy rotary wheel Air-to-air plate Recovery type Total (temperature + humidity) Sensible only Typical effectiveness 70–85% 60–75% Moving parts Yes (slow rotation, purge sector) None Air-stream isolation Good with purge + exhaust-to-outdoor leg Excellent (separate plates) Best fit Humid climates, tight energy codes Strict separation, low maintenance For most labs an enthalpy wheel with a purge section recovers both temperature and humidity, which matters where outdoor summers are humid. A plate exchanger is preferred when the specification demands the cleanest possible separation between exhaust and supply.
- Place the recovery core in the outdoor-air and relief paths of the AHU. Let the building management system modulate bypass and frost protection. Size using our plate heat exchanger sizing guide as a starting point. Specifying recovery for a lab fit-out? EN159 builds plate, rotary, heat-pipe and counterflow air-to-air exchangers for new and retrofit laboratory make-up air systems. Send us airflow (m³/h), inlet temperatures and available footprint and we will size it. Request a quote
- Commercial Kitchen Heat Recovery · Heat Recovery Units · Plate Heat Exchanger Guide
Laboratories exhaust enormous volumes of conditioned air through fume hoods, often around the clock. Recovering the energy in that exhaust before it leaves the building is one of the fastest-payback upgrades in laboratory HVAC — and the choice between a rotary wheel and a plate exchanger decides how much you actually save.
Most fume hoods run on 100% outdoor air. A single variable-air-volume hood can move 300–1,200 m³/h, and a typical lab runs dozens of them. Every cubic metre is heated or cooled, then dumped outside. The make-up air system must condition an equal volume to replace it — that is the real cost.
- Constant volume: hoods exhaust at a fixed rate regardless of sash position.
- Variable air volume (VAV): flow follows the sash, but peak demand is still high.
- Make-up air: all of it must be tempered to ~21 °C and 50% RH before entering the space.
Both recover heat from the relief airstream and return it to the incoming outdoor air. They differ in what they recover and how they isolate the two airstreams.
| Factor | Enthalpy rotary wheel | Air-to-air plate |
|---|---|---|
| Recovery type | Total (temperature + humidity) | Sensible only |
| Typical effectiveness | 70–85% | 60–75% |
| Moving parts | Yes (slow rotation, purge sector) | None |
| Air-stream isolation | Good with purge + exhaust-to-outdoor leg | Excellent (separate plates) |
| Best fit | Humid climates, tight energy codes | Strict separation, low maintenance |
For most labs an enthalpy wheel with a purge section recovers both temperature and humidity, which matters where outdoor summers are humid. A plate exchanger is preferred when the specification demands the cleanest possible separation between exhaust and supply.
- Place the recovery core in the outdoor-air and relief paths of the AHU.
- Let the building management system modulate bypass and frost protection.
- Size using our plate heat exchanger sizing guide as a starting point.
Specifying recovery for a lab fit-out?
EN159 builds plate, rotary, heat-pipe and counterflow air-to-air exchangers for new and retrofit laboratory make-up air systems. Send us airflow (m³/h), inlet temperatures and available footprint and we will size it.
Specifying recovery for a lab fit-out?
EN159 builds plate, rotary, heat-pipe and counterflow air-to-air exchangers for new and retrofit laboratory make-up air systems. Send us airflow (m³/h), inlet temperatures and available footprint and we will size it.
Commercial Kitchen Heat Recovery ·
Heat Recovery Units ·
Plate Heat Exchanger Guide