Step 1 – Known airflow Start with the supply/exhaust airflow Q (m3/h). For balanced AHUs, Q_supply approx Q_exhaust. Step 2 – Temperature difference Find the outdoor design temperature T_out and the exhaust (room return) temperature T_exp. The available temperature lift is DeltaT = T_exp – T_out. Step 3 – Effectiveness Choose an effectiveness epsilon (typical […]
Air Handling Units (AHU) and Heat Recovery Integration
An air handling unit (AHU) conditions outdoor air before it enters a building. Without recovery, that outdoor air must be heated or cooled from scratch every hour. Adding a heat recovery core to the AHU is the single highest-impact energy measure for ventilation systems. Where the Exchanger Sits in an AHU The recovery core is […]
Integrating Air-to-Air Heat Recovery into Air Handling Units (AHU)
An air handling unit is where air-to-air heat recovery earns its keep in commercial buildings: the AHU already moves the supply and return air, so dropping a recovery core into the airstream is the lowest-cost way to reclaim energy at scale. But integration is not simply placing a wheel into the casing, where the core […]
Pharma & Hospital Heat Recovery: Zero Cross-Leak
How to specify heat recovery for pharmaceutical cleanrooms and hospital isolation rooms where cross-contamination is unacceptable. Plate, heat pipe, and run-around coil compared.
Sensible vs Total Energy Recovery: How to Pick the Right Exchanger
A practical guide to choosing between sensible-only and total-energy recovery for commercial AHUs, with capital cost ranges and break-even analysis.
Plate vs Heat Pipe vs Rotary Heat Exchanger: Which One to Specify
A practical selection framework comparing plate, heat pipe, and rotary enthalpy exchangers across efficiency, cross-contamination, pressure drop, and lifecycle cost for industrial ventilation projects.
AHU Components: Fans, Filters, and the Recovery Core
Anatomy of an Air Handling Unit An AHU conditions outdoor air before it enters a building. The core components are: the supply fan, the exhaust fan, filters, coils (heating/cooling), and – increasingly – a heat recovery core. How these are arranged decides both air quality and energy use. Fans Supply and exhaust fans move the […]