Energy recovery in cooling and air

conditioning
Enervent figures:
- Turnover 15M€
- App. 100 employees
- 5500 units per year
- Market leader in Finland
- High heat recovery
→ manufacturer with certificate (VTT)

1.7.2011 Enervent R&D 1

 Comfortable indoor conditions are
combination of temperature and humidity

• The diagram on left shows the area of

temperature and relative humidity which people
would clasify as comfortable and uncomfortable.

• As it is shown, the higher the relative humidity

the lower the indoor temperature must be.

1.7.2011 Enervent R&D 2

 Energy consumption in condensation prior to cooling

• Dry air contains much less energy than humid air as energy is
accumulated in the moisture (steam).
• Without condensation of the excess humidity that the warm air
outside contains, it is not possible to cool the air!
• Two different energy terms:
 The sensible cooling energy; can be calculated from the
temperature difference
 The latent cooling energy; the energy needed for condensation of
excess humidity (the energy of the air humidity in the form of steam)
• Vital to distinguish the difference between the two terms:
 Sensible + latent = TOTAL

1.7.2011 Enervent R&D 3

 Dehumidification of the outdoor air
• The total cooling energy needed to get the inside humidity down to 10 g/kg
(+25°C, RH 50%)
- cooling the supply air down to +12°C and RH 100%,
specific humidity 9 g/kg (1 g/kg lower because of e.g. diffusion, water usage)
(purple dotted line 1-2 on the next page).

• To transport 12°C air in ventilations ducts can cause:

- problems with:
- moisture
- draught.

We need to pre-heat the supply air

(blue line 2-3 on the next page).

1.7.2011 Enervent R&D 4

 Conventional cooling in Mollier diagram

1. Outside air
2. Cooling coil
3. After preheat

1.7.2011 Enervent R&D 5

 Conventional air conditioning, no cooling
recovery (average temperature)

+33°C / RH 80 % +25°C

Indoor
25°C/
+33°C RH 50%
RH80%

1.7.2011 Enervent R&D 6

 Conventional air conditioning, no cooling
recovery (average temperature)

+33°C / RH 80 % +25°C

• Need of total energy: 15.3 kW

(200 l/s )
 Energy need for condense: 10.0 kW
+33°C
(26 g/kg to 12 g/kg)
 Sensible cooling energy need: 5.3 kW
RH80% (33°C, RH 80% to 12°C, RH 100%)
 Preheating energy need: 1.4 kW
(12°C to 18°C)

NB! Biggest amount of cooling energy goes to prevent condense.

1.7.2011 Enervent R&D 7

 Conventional air conditioning, no cooling
recovery (average temperature)

+33°C / RH 80 % +25°C

• Need of total energy: 15.3 kW

(200 l/s )
 Energy need for condense: 10.0 kW
+33°C
(26 g/kg to 12 g/kg)
 Sensible cooling energy need: 5.3 kW
RH80% (33°C, RH 80% to 12°C, RH 100%)
 Preheating energy need: 3.0 kW
(12°C to 18°C)

NB! Biggest amount of cooling energy goes to prevent condense.

1.7.2011 Enervent R&D 8

 Energy recovery integrated (AHU with sorption HRW)

+33°C / RH 80 %

Indoor
+30.9°C / RH 68%
+25°C/
RH 50%
+33°C / RH 80 % AHU
+27.1°C
16.2 g/kg

• New supply air +27.1°C (RH 72%) / out +30.9°C (RH 68%)
• Additional cooling to +12°C
• total energy need: 8.0 kW
• new need of condense energy: 4.3 kW
• new sensible energy need: 3.7 kW
• new preheating energy need: 1.4 kW
1.7.2011 Enervent R&D 9
 Recovery of coldness with heat recovery wheel
(sorption)
+33°C +27°C
RH 80% (25.7 g/kg) RH 72% (16.2 g/kg)

+25°C
+31°C
RH 50% (10.0 g/kg)
RH 68% (19.1 g/kg)

• The outside air (dark red) is pushed through the wheel.

• The humidity and excess heat in the air are transferred to the
wheel, after which the dryer and cooler fresh supply air (light
red) is blown into the house.

• As the wheel rotates the excess humidity and heat contained

in wheel will enter the exhaust section where the stale exhaust
air will take up the heat and the humidity from the
wheel.

• This will heat up the waste air (brown) and load it with humidity
from the wheel prior to being pushed out from the building.
1.7.2011 Enervent R&D 10
 Sorption HRW + conventional cooling in Mollier diagram

1. Outside air
2. After recovery
3. Cooling coil
4. After preheat

1.7.2011 Enervent R&D 11

 Enervent TwinTropic concept
(average temperature, 200 l/s)

+33°C / RH 80 %

Indoor
+29°C / RH 40%
25°C/ RH50%
10 g/kg
AHU
+33°C / RH 80 % +22°C
26 g/kg 9 g/kg

• Dry air in: +22°C, 9 g water/kg dry air

• Cooling energy needed (6/11°C water)
• total energy need: 5.3 kW
• need of condense energy: 3.4 kW
• sensible energy need: 1.9 kW
• preheating energy need: 0 kW
1.7.2011 Enervent R&D 12
 Enervent TwinTropic concept

• Highly efficient dehumidification AHU for controlling supply

air temperature and humidity
• Utilizes effective standard technology
http://www.ashrae.org/File%20Library/docLib/Public/20070104_berbari.pdf

• Cooling energy needed is

 75% lower than with conventional cooling
 55% lower than with only one sorption HRW

1.7.2011 Enervent R&D 13

 Cooling recovery with double
Heat Recovery Wheels (example 200 l/s)
16°C
RH 90%

Indoor air Exhaust air

25°C 29°C
RH 50% RH 50%
10.0 g/kg

Supply air
22°C Outdoor air
RH 55% 33°C
9.0 g/kg RH 80%
26 g/kg

optional condensate
heating condensed water
water

12°C 20°C
RH 100% 5.3 kW RH 100%
cooling

• The outside air (dark red) is pushed through the first HRW, meeting the precooled exhaust air (dark
blue).

• The excess heat and some humidity is transferred with the wheel to the outgoing waste air (green).
This will heat up the waste air and load it with humidity from the wheel, prior to being pushed out
from the building. The now dryer and cooler fresh supply air (orange) continues to the cooling coil.

• The supply air is cooled, thus dehumidified, at the cooling coil (light blue).

• The fresh supply air is preheated at the second HRW before entering the ventilation duct (light red) .
The stale exhaust air ( ) will be cooled down before entering the first HRW (dark blue).
1.7.2011 Enervent R&D 14
 The TwinTropic process in Mollier diagram

1. Outside air
2. After first HRW
3. Cooling coil
4. Supply air
(after pre-heating HRW)

1.7.2011 Enervent R&D 15

 Enervent TwinTropic advantages
+ Much lower energy consumption than conventional
dehumidification
• Conventional dehumidification only cools air to +12°C (or
other desired dew point)
→ needs additional preheating of supply air to prevent
draught
• Enervent TwinTropic utilizes HRW technology
+ free preheating by second HRW which also improves
the performance of the first HRW
+ Possible condensed water recovery/usage
 Using standard HRWs, moisture is both transferred to the
outgoing air, as well as condensed at the first HRW
 condensed water produced both at first HRW and at additional
cooling coil
→ We can produce additional clean (but non-drinkable) water

1.7.2011 Enervent R&D 16

 Repayment period calculation
Example (Blue fields are adjustable):
period length (months) 8
energy price (€/kWh) 0,1

Conventional Sorption HRW PegasosTwinTropic

Runnig energy (kWh)
Cooling (COP = 3) 5,1 2,7 1,8
Preheating 1,4 1,4 0
Fans 0,3 0,3 0,4
Total 6,8 4,4 2,2

Runnig cost per year (0.10 €/kWh) 3 917 € 2 515 € 1 248 €

Savings (compared to conventional) - € 1 402 € 2 669 €

Capital cost
AHU 3 000 € 6 000 € 14 000 €
Additional DX cooling 8 000 € 4 000 € - €
Additional fans 500 € - € - €
Total 11 500 € 10 000 € 14 000 €
Difference (compared to conventional) - € - 1 500 € 2 500 €
Repayment period (years) - -1,07 0,94

Earnings (compared to conventional)

Earnings 3 years 5 705 € 5 506 €
Earnings 5 years 8 508 € 10 844 €
Earnings 10 years 15 516 € 24 188 €
1.7.2011 Enervent R&D 17
 Choose the right indoor climate…

1. Outdoor climate
2. After dehumidification
(cooling coil)
About 15% lower
3. After TwinTropic preheat
cooling power needed 4. Indoor climate
if indoor conditions
25°C/50% (a) instead
of 21°C/40% (b)

1.7.2011 Enervent R&D 18

 Fast dehumification calculation for
TwinTropic

Example (Orange fields are input values):

INPUT

Indoor Outdoor Air flow rate

25°C 33°C +/- 200 l/s
50 % R.H. 80 % R.H.

Dew point: 13,9°C 29,1°C

Abs. hum. set point for dehum.: 8,9 g/kg

Total dehum. (cooling) power: 15,5 kW NOTE!

By lowering the humidity set point, the COP of the
Approx. TwT cooling coil power: 5,3 kW compressor might also be decreased, although the
Cooling water temperatures (in/out): 7/12°C TwT cooling power does not change.

1.7.2011 Enervent R&D 19

 TwinTropic usage suggestion:
Centralized supply functions (village or apartment house)
Process control vital!

Centralized functions
Centralized hot
water supply
∞ ∞ ∞
Condensor

Centralized coolant supply

Dehumidification, Other cooling applications,

+3°C ethylene glycol +7°C ethylene glycol

Enervent Fan-coil
Supply air TwinTropic Cooling

Condensate WC

Shower

Irrigation
Individual functions

1.7.2011 Enervent R&D 20

Thank you!

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