🔬Let’s break down the physics behind one of the most efficient components in modern ventilation – the air-to-air plate heat exchanger.

This device uses the principle of thermal conduction to transfer heat between two streams of air – one outgoing (extract) and one incoming (fresh outdoor air). 

The key is a series of thin, thermally conductive plates (often aluminium or polymer) arranged to form narrow channels: 

➡️ Warm, stale indoor air flows through one set of channels.

⬅️ Cold, fresh air flows through adjacent channels in the opposite direction (counter-flow or cross-flow).

The air streams are completely separated, so there’s no contamination. But the heat passes through the plate walls from the warmer air to the cooler one – thanks to the temperature gradient and the plate’s thermal conductivity ♨️

What does that mean in practice?

❄️ In winter, the outgoing warm air preheats the incoming cold air.

☀️ In summer, the cooler indoor air pre-cools the hot incoming air.

With sensible heat recovery efficiencies of up to 70-90%, plate heat exchangers significantly reduce the need for heating and cooling – saving energy 🔋and reducing emissions 🌍.

The efficiency of a plate heat exchanger is highly dependent on its design parameters:

– Plate material and thickness affect thermal conductivity.

– Channel geometry and spacing affect airflow resistance and heat transfer area.

– The flow arrangement (cross-flow, counter-flow or parallel) determines how effectively heat is exchanged.

🛠️Engineers carefully balance these factors to maximise energy recovery while minimising pressure drop and cost

No moving parts. No extra power consumption. Just physics doing the hard work💪🏻