Energy Recovery Wheel
Energy Recovery Wheel
Energy Recovery Wheel
BEST PRACTICES
034349006m
Exhaust
Fan
Exhaust Exhaust Air
Rotation from Lab
Exhaust
Purged Air
Flow
Purge
Section
Purge
Section
To Outside
Labs Air
Supply
Supply Air
Fan
Wheel
Figure 1. Cross sections (front and side) of enthalpy wheel system with purge section
There are many opportunities for energy recovery in for sensible effectiveness; some also have a rating for
laboratories, and a few of them are covered here. Energy latent effectiveness and total effectiveness.
recovery can occur between any two media or processes Energy recovery devices increase the pressure drop
that differ in energy content. The main focus of this guide across the supply and exhaust fans. Enthalpy wheels
is on air-to-air energy recovery—using enthalpy wheels generally have a lower pressure drop than heat pipes and
(Figure 1), heat pipes, or run-around loops in new con run-around loops, although the pressure drop depends on
struction. Most commonly, energy is recovered from the design. An additional pressure drop of no more than
exhaust air and used to precondition supply air. Before 1 inch water gauge (1 in. w.g.) in the supply and exhaust
deciding on an energy-recovery technology, laboratory air streams is a reasonable design goal, and it will mini
managers are encouraged to perform a life-cycle cost mize the increase in fan energy. For example, an increase
analysis to determine the feasibility of the application in in pressure drop of 1 in. w.g. on a 76% efficient fan and
their laboratories. As a rule, the shortest payback periods a 95% efficient motor assembly results in an increase in
occur when the heating and cooling load reduction pro fan energy of 0.16 watt per cubic foot of air per minute
vided by an energy recovery system allows the laboratory (W/cfm). The total increase for supply and exhaust fans
to use smaller hot water and chilled water systems. together is 0.32 W/cfm.
This guide to energy recovery is one in a series on For laboratory applications, the design face velocity
best practices for laboratories. It was produced by is typically 500 fpm or less. Lower face velocities result
Laboratories for the 21st Century (“Labs 21”), a joint pro in lower pressure drops, higher effectiveness, and lower
gram of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and operating costs. The trade-off is larger air handling equip
the U.S. Department of Energy. Geared toward architects, ment and higher first costs. An energy recovery device
engineers, and facility managers, these guides provide will operate more efficiently with a variable-air-volume
information about technologies and practices to use in (VAV) system than with a constant-volume system,
designing, constructing, and operating safe, sustainable, because VAV systems typically operate at face velocities
high-performance laboratories. lower than those of design conditions.
at part loads is accomplished by varying the speed of the is rare. A tube may malfunction, but other tubes continue
wheel, or using a bypass duct, or both. to transfer energy. Heat pipes can be controlled for part-
The type of desiccant used in a total energy wheel load operation with a bypass duct or by tilting the unit.
must be designed to transfer only moisture and not air Heat pipes can be used as indirect evaporative
borne contaminants. To further reduce potential contami coolers, in which water is sprayed on the exhaust side of
nation of the supply air stream, the wheel is flushed with the pipe to precool the supply air (Figure 2). This applica
supply air that is deflected by a damper in the purging tion has been successful at the Fox Chase Cancer Center
section of the rotor. The damper redirects supply air leav in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and in the Process and
ing the wheel to the inlet side of the wheel exhaust. The Environmental Technology Laboratory at Sandia National
purge section utilizes the pressure difference between the Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
supply air and exhaust air streams (see Figure 1). Purge Run-around loops. Run-around loops circulate a
volumes for laboratory applications are typically between fluid between two air streams. This technology may seem
5% and 10%, so additional fan energy is required to move familiar to most designers because it usually just involves
this air. additional coils and pumps. The air streams do not need
The Whitehead Biomedical Research Building at to be next to one another, and there are no cross-contami-
Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, uses enthalpy nation issues. Run-around loops have a sensible effective
wheels for energy recovery between the supply and ness between 55% and 65%. In the U.S. Department of
exhaust air streams. The installation cost for the wheels Agriculture’s new laboratory in Ames, Iowa, the preheat
was reported at $425,000, and anticipated energy savings coil and run-around loop coil are combined, so the added
are $125,000 per year. The simple payback is less than four pressure drop in the supply system is lower than that of a
years. system with separate energy recovery and preheat coils.
Heat pipes. Heat pipes transfer only sensible energy. Run-around loops are well-suited for transferring
If air is cooled to below its dew point, however, condensa energy between process loads and ventilation air.
tion occurs on the heat pipe and results in some latent heat Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle,
transfer. In heat pipe applications, the supply and exhaust Washington, uses a run-around loop to take heat rejected
air streams are next to one another, although some modi from the process cooling water system to preheat outside
fied or “split” heat pipes allow the air streams to be air, thus providing free cooling of the process cooling
separated. water.
The sensible effectiveness of heat pipes is between Run-around loops and heat pipes can also be used
45% and 65%. Cross-contamination is not an issue. Heat to reduce reheat energy by transferring heat from the
pipes have no moving parts, and failure of the entire unit outdoor air to a reheat device located next to the
Cool
Conditioned
03434902m
Supply
Exhaust Air
Air Cool
& Wet
Air
Hot
Outside
Air
Warm
Exhaust
at ive Air
v a por ip es
E
Pad
s H eat P
034349004m
Energy Cooling Optional
Outside Recovery and Dehumidi To Exhaust
Air Coil Dehumidi fication Labs Fan
fication Reheat Exhaust
Coil Coil Supply From Air Exhaust
Air Fan Labs Coil Air
Heat
Optional Preheat
Heat Exchanger
dehumidification cooling coil in warm, humid climates. • Consider the location of the supply and exhaust. If they
The energy recovery device precools the outside air before can be located next to one other, enthalpy wheels and
the air enters the main dehumidification cooling coil, and heat pipes can be used. Otherwise, modified heat pipes
the dehumidification reheat device reheats the air leaving and run-around loops are best suited for separate
the main cooling coil. This precooling and reheating can supply and exhaust.
be accomplished with a device that wraps around the
• Consider a wrap-around loop, if enthalpy wheels are
cooling coil, often called a “wrap-around loop.” It can also
not an option in warm, humid climates where dehu
be accomplished with two energy recovery stages between
midification is necessary.
the supply and exhaust air streams on either side of the
cooling coil. A wrap-around loop can be added to a run • Assess the risk associated with cross-contamination
around energy recovery loop by adding a coil on the of the air streams. Purge sections on enthalpy wheels
leaving side of the cooling coil (Figure 3). The Viral reduce cross-contamination to below 0.1%, according to
Immunology Center at Georgia State in Atlanta, Georgia, ASHRAE. There are no cross-contamination issues with
uses a packaged rooftop ventilation dehumidification heat pipes and run-around loops.
unit with two heat pipes. In the summer, one heat pipe
• Address the potential for fouling and corrosion of the
precools the outside air by transferring heat to the exhaust
devices. Routine maintenance and controls may be suf
air, the mechanical system DX coil subcools the air, and the
ficient, although the most suitable equipment depends
other heat pipe reheats the air with heat recovered from
on the chemicals being released into the air stream.
the exhaust air. In the winter, both heat pipes are used to
Select air filters with a low pressure drop.
heat the air.
• Determine the space requirement for additional equip
Design Considerations ment needed and its impact on design and costs.
The following are some considerations that can help • Estimate operation and maintenance costs for the
you determine whether air-to-air energy recovery is device, as well as replacement costs.
feasible for your project.
• Calculate the impact of energy recovery on energy
Schematic Design
costs.
• Identify energy recovery opportunities. Manifold
exhaust systems are ideally suited to energy recovery • Include the cost benefit of being able to downsize the
because all the potentially available energy can be heating and cooling systems.
captured by one energy recovery system.
L A B S F O R T H E 2 1 S T C E N T U RY
5
• In the most recently adopted version of the Part-load operation. Outside-air bypass dampers can be
International Mechanical Code (2003), section 514 has used for part-load operation to minimize overheating,
overcooling, and fan energy use. They can also serve to prevent
been added to cover the installation of energy recovery
condensation and frosting. Alternatively, you can vary the wheel
ventilation. This section prohibits the use of all types of
speed on enthalpy wheels, change the tilt on heat pipes, or vary
energy recovery ventilation, including heat pipes and
the flow on run-around loops.
run-around loops, with hazardous exhaust systems, as
Redundancy. Laboratories usually have redundant chillers and
defined in section 510.This is a significant change to the
boilers to ensure control over a room’s climate conditions at all
2000 version of the code.
times. If the capacity provided by energy recovery is not
• National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 45 (2001) accounted for in sizing the chilled water and hot water systems,
states that, if there is a chance of cross-contamination then the systems should at least be optimized to operate with
between air streams, air-to-air energy recovery can be the lower loads resulting from the use of energy recovery.
used only on general exhaust. The code has not been Otherwise, the chillers and boilers may operate very
inefficiently at low part loads.
6 L A B S F O R T H E 2 1 S T C E N T U RY
adopted by all states, although it raises liability con • Air-to-air energy recovery reduces gas usage for space
cerns for design teams. At the National Institutes of heating and reheat for dehumidification by more than
Health (NIH) Louis Stokes Laboratory and the Nidus 35% in all climates (see Table 1).
Center in St. Louis, the general exhaust system is
• Savings in peak electricity demand associated with an
separate from the fume hood exhaust, and there is an
enthalpy wheel depend on climate (see Table 2). No
enthalpy wheel on the general exhaust. NIH had to use
savings are predicted for heat pipes and run-around
stainless steel ductwork for the fume hood exhaust,
loops, because the increase in the fan energy demand
because the exhaust was no longer being diluted
offsets the decrease in the cooling energy demand asso
enough to allow for galvanized ducts.
ciated with these technologies.
• The ASHRAE 90.1-2001 energy efficiency standard for
• Annual energy cost savings are $0.27 to $1.95/cfm
nonresidential buildings requires energy recovery on
of fan air flow (see Table 3). Enthalpy wheels, with
fans of 15,000 cfm or greater in buildings with fume
sensible and latent heat recovery, appear to be cost-
hoods. Laboratories with VAV fume-hood exhaust or
effective in all climates. The cost savings obtained with
direct make-up air for the hoods are exempt. The
heat pipes and run-around loops are relatively small in
standard states that the recovery method must have a
warm, humid climates; however, using these devices as
minimum total effectiveness of 0.5. This is not always
wrap-around loops for dehumidification may be cost-
achievable, although this caveat is often ignored if a
effective.
device proves to be cost-effective. Note that the calcu
lation of fan power limitations in the standard includes • Only in the hot, humid climate of Atlanta did annual
an adjustment for energy recovery. electricity savings occur with the enthalpy wheel; in the
other climates, the increase in annual fan energy offset
Performance Examples the annual electricity savings.
Air-to-air energy recovery reduces energy use and
can significantly reduce heating and cooling system sizes. Table 1. Percent Gas Savings (%)
In 2002, an energy analysis of enthalpy wheels, Enthalpy Wheel 3 W/sf 1 W/sf 0 3 W/sf
heat pipes, and run-around loops was performed for Enthalpy Wheel 3 W/sf 1 W/sf 0 4 W/sf
Laboratories for the 21st Century. It analyzed a typical w/VAV
100,000-square-foot (sf) laboratory in four locations:
Minneapolis, Denver, Seattle, and Atlanta. The simulation
model assumes a constant-air-volume system (unless
Table 3. Annual Energy Cost
otherwise noted in the study). Electricity rates include an Savings ($/cfm/yr)
energy charge of $0.03/kilowatt-hour (kWh), an on-peak Minneapolis Denver Seattle Atlanta
demand charge of $7/kW, and an off-peak demand charge
Enthalpy Wheel $1.59 $0.96 $0.55 $0.59
of $4/kW. On-peak hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday
Enthalpy Wheel $1.95 $1.19 $0.82 $1.00
through Friday. For natural gas, a rate of $0.60/therm is
w/VAV
assumed. (All studies need to use actual utility rates.) The
Heat Pipe $0.86 $0.56 $0.41 $0.27
most significant findings include the following:
Run-Around Loop $0.91 $0.52 $0.41 $0.32
L A B S F O R T H E 2 1 S T C E N T U RY
7
Gibson, Tom, 1999. “Special Ventilation System On Laboratories for the 21st Centur y:
Helps Prevent Release of Dangerous Agents at Phil Wirdzek
Georgia State,” The News: Air Conditioning, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Heating and Refrigeration. 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
International Code Council, 2003. International Washington, DC 20460
Mechanical Code. ICC, Falls Church, VA. 202-564-2094
McIntosh, I.; Dorgan, C.B.; and Dorgan, C.E., wirdzek.phil@epamail.epa.gov
2001. ASHRAE Laboratory Design Guide. American
Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air- Will Lintner, P.E.
Conditioning Engineers, Inc., Atlanta, GA. U.S. Department of Energy
Federal Energy Management Program
National Fire Protection Association 45, 2001.
1000 Independence Ave., S.W.
Standard on Fire Protection for Laboratories Using
Washington, DC 20585
Chemicals. NFPA, Quincy, MA.
202-586-3120
National Wildlife Federation, 2002. Emory william.lintner@ee.doe.gov
University Campus Ecology Yearbook 2001-2002.
NWF, Reston, VA.
On Energy Recover y:
Paarporn, S., P.E., 1999. “Run-around Loop Otto Van Geet, P.E.
Reilly, S., and Van Geet, O., 2003. Laboratories Golden, CO 80401
33410.pdf. 303-861-2070
eeinc7@qwest.net