Buying a heat exchanger is a financial decision. Here is a practical payback estimate you can run on any duty.
Step 1, Recovered power
P is approximately airflow times density times specific heat times temperature difference times effectiveness
Example: 10,000 m3/h, density 1.2 kg/m3, specific heat 1.0 kJ/kgK, temperature difference 20 K, effectiveness 0.8, so P is about 53 kW.
Step 2, Annual energy
53 kW times 4,000 operating hours is about 212,000 kWh per year recovered.
Step 3, Fuel value
At 0.10 USD per kWh equivalent, that is about 21,200 USD per year saved (heating or cooling avoided).
Step 4, Subtract fan penalty
Extra pressure drop might cost 500 to 1,500 USD per year in fan energy, small versus the saving.
Step 5, Payback
If the installed core costs 18,000 USD, simple payback is about under 1 year. Most industrial and cold-climate duties land in 1 to 3 years.
Use this with the sizing guide and industrial recovery article.
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EN159 builds plate, rotary, heat-pipe and counterflow air-to-air exchangers. Send airflow (m3/h), inlet temperatures and available space and we will size it.
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