Ventilation efficiencies of wall-or-window-mounted residential air-to-air heat exchangers

Conference · Wed Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1983 · ASHRAE Trans.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6772316

Offermann, F J; Fisk, W J; Grimsrud, D T; Pedersen, B; Revzan, K L

Mechanical ventilation systems with air-to-air heat exchangers can be installed into residences to provide energy-efficient supplementary ventilation for the purpose of controlling indoor concentrations of contaminants, odors, and moisture. Wall- or window-mounted units have become particularly attractive because they are relatively inexpensive and easy to install. However, because they lack an air-distribution system, concern has arisen over their ventilation performance. To address this concern, a series of experiments was conducted on two different models of wall- or window-mounted heat exchangers. The nominal ventilation efficiencies of these units have been determined by measurement of tracer-gas decay rates at several indoor locations to be in the range of 0.47 to 0.66. No significant correlations between nominal ventilation efficiency and heat exchanger model or operational strategies were observed. Significantly higher local ventilation efficiencies were noted in the rooms where the heat exchangers were operating. Some preliminary tests indicate that internal leakage between the airstreams contributes significantly to the ventilation inefficiency of these systems.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Berkeley Lab., Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA
• OSTI ID: 6772316
• Report Number(s): CONF-830640-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: ASHRAE Trans.; (United States) Journal Volume: 89
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320101* -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Residential Buildings-- (-1987)
AIR FLOW
AIR QUALITY
BUILDINGS
EFFICIENCY
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
FLUID FLOW
GAS FLOW
HEAT EXCHANGERS
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
PERFORMANCE TESTING
RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
TESTING
TRACER TECHNIQUES
VENTILATION SYSTEMS