Paper Conference

Proceedings of SimBuild Conference 2012: 5th conference of IBPSA USA

     

The Energy Saving Potential of Membrane-Based Enthalpy Recovery in VAV Systems for Commercial Office Buildings

Liping Wang, Philip Haves, John Breshears
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Berkeley, CA
Architectural Applications, Portland, OR

Abstract: A design tool to evaluate the heat and mass transfer effectiveness and pressure drop of a membrane-based enthalpy exchanger was developed and then used to optimize the configuration of an enthalpy exchanger for minimum pressure drop and maximum heat recovery effectiveness. Simulation was used in a parametric study to investigate the energy saving potential of the enthalpy recovery system. The case without energy recovery and air side economizer was used as a baseline. Two comparison cases for the implementation of enthalpy recovery with and without air side economizer were simulated in EnergyPlus. A case using a desiccant wheel for energy recovery was also investigated for comparison purposes. The simulation results show significant energy saving benefits from applying a low pressure drop, high effectiveness enthalpy exchanger in two US cities representing a range of humid climates. The sensitivity of the energy savings potential to pressure drop and heat and mass transfer effectivenesses is also presented.
Pages: 160 - 167
Paper:
simbuild2012_03a_4_Wang