Ventilation heat exchanger

摘要

A mixed-mode heat exchanger in which stale but warm exhaust air is drawn from a building by a fan 1 and heat reclaimed from this exhaust air is used to preheat fresh cold air drawn into the building by a fan 6. The front surface of the heat exchanger 9 absorbs shortwave radiation, and is covered by a transparent insulating layer 13. When solar radiation is incident on the device it passes through this transparent cover to be absorbed by the plate, from where energy is transferred to the incoming ventilation air stream. A controller may optionally be used to vary the speed of the fans and to implement additional modes of operation. In summer, when there is no requirement for mechanical ventilation water channels attached to the absorber may be used to transfer energy from incident solar radiation to a water supply as in a conventional solar water heater.