A heat pipe heat exchanger uses a bundle of sealed tubes charged with a working fluid. Heat evaporates the fluid on the warm side and condenses it on the cool side, moving energy with no pump and no moving parts. The two airstreams stay physically separate.
How a heat pipe heat exchanger works
Each pipe has an evaporator section in the warm stream and a condenser section in the cool stream, tilted a few degrees so condensate returns by gravity. Two-phase circulation is passive, so the device is silent and needs no power.
Configurations
- Horizontal heat pipe – gravity-return, common in AHUs.
- Thermosiphon / run-around – loops for distant streams.
- Variable conductance – temperature-controlled recovery.
Key specifications
| Parameter | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Effectiveness | 40–65% |
| Orientation | Tilted 3–10° |
| Working fluid | R134a / ammonia / water |
| Separation | Full (no mixing) |
| Power | None (passive) |
Typical applications
Cleanrooms, laboratories, hospitals and anywhere streams must not mix. See how heat pipe exchangers work.
See the heat exchanger guide, or the air-to-air heat exchanger and rotary heat wheel.
Need a specification? Demander un devis or download our selection checklist. Our engineers size the core to your airflow, temperature and pressure-drop budget.