Why are Enthalpy Wheels the best option for IAQ enhancement?
The enthalpy wheel is a cylinder, usually 4 to 10 inches deep, packed with a heat transfer medium that has numerous small air passages, or flutes, parallel to the direction of airflow. The flutes are triangular or semicircular in cross-section. The structure, commonly referred to as the honeycomb matrix, is produced by interleaving flat and corrugated layers of a high conductivity material, usually aluminium, surfaced with a desiccant. Stainless steel, ceramic, and synthetic materials may be used, instead of aluminium, in specific applications. The flutes in most wheels measure between 1.5 mm to 2.0 mm in height. The surface area exposed to airflow in a wheel lies between 300 to 3300 m2/m3, depending upon the configuration. In a typical installation, the wheel is positioned in a duct system such that it is divided into two half moon sections. Stale air from the conditioned space is exhausted through one half while outdoor air is drawn through the other half in a counter flow pattern. A
