Many residents of city apartments on own experience had to make sure what to create in the apartment favorable microclimate without quality ventilation it is impossible. It’s great when ventilation provides an influx of clean winter air into the apartment from the street, but it’s bad that at the same time we lose the same volume of heated air. In order to receive sufficient fresh oxygen and at the same time prevent heat loss, it is necessary to use a recuperator. There is a huge selection of recuperation systems on the market, but if you wish, you can easily make and install a recuperator with your own hands.
Recuperator translated from Latin means “returning” or “receiving back”. In our case, it plays the role of a heat exchanger, whose task is to delay thermal energy, tending to leave the room along with the exhaust air in the cold season, and block the entry of the same thermal energy (in the form of hot air) into the room in the summer.
The air recuperator consists of several channels through which air flows entering and leaving the ventilated room pass without mixing with each other. If the temperature of the air flows differs, they begin to exchange thermal energy, and, accordingly, hot air cools down, and cold ones heat up. In addition, the process dehumidifies the air, which is due to the condensation of liquid on the heat exchanger channels. The use of recovery systems helps reduce heat loss by up to 70%.
Plate recuperators are most often made in the form of a tank, divided inside by strips of galvanized steel, which create channels for the movement of air flows. Moving through the channels, the air jets do not mix, but they can exchange thermal energy, which leads to equalization of the temperatures of the incoming and outgoing air flows.
Ventilation systems based on plate heat exchangers have a number of advantages:
Such heat exchangers also have their disadvantages:
Today, the use of plate-type recuperators in supply and exhaust ventilation systems is considered the most effective solution for an apartment.
Because the average cost plate heat exchanger is 300 cu. That is, it makes sense to make this easy-to-make air recuperator with your own hands.
In order to make a recuperator yourself, you will need:
Stages of work:
Note! The width of the recuperator body should correspond to the width of the cassette, the height and length should correspond to the diagonals of the square plates.
For more reliable operation of the recuperation system in subzero temperatures supply air When the heat exchanger plates may ice up, a bypass is added to the system, through which the supply air flow is directed, if necessary. At this time, only warm exhaust air will pass through the heat exchanger, and under its influence the frozen heat exchanger plates will thaw.
The efficiency of a homemade recuperator will be about 60–65%, which will ensure that an optimal indoor microclimate is maintained.
How to make an air recuperator with your own hands? This question interests home handyman. Each person has his own ideas about the comfort of housing. But all these considerations boil down to one simple postulate: in winter the house should be warm and cozy, and in summer, on the contrary, cool. It is difficult to create such conditions in a house on your own: in winter you need to heat the house, and in summer you need to cool it. Both of these operations are quite energy-intensive, and the cost of energy is constantly rising.
The housing needs to be insulated somehow:
Having stopped any movement of air in the room, a person is faced with another problem - lack of air. We need an influx of fresh air, which has only one way - through the ventilation ducts. Electricity will again be needed to supply fresh air. Fortunately, the design of modern ventilation systems has already taken this need into account.
What is recovery? Scientists interpret this concept as the reuse of part of the energy in the same technological process. Forced supply and exhaust ventilation, where a recuperation system is used, can increase its energy efficiency up to 3 times compared to traditional schemes ventilation direct current air.
To prevent energy loss, the ventilation system is equipped with a special device for recycling heat, it is called a recuperator. A recuperative heat exchanger makes it possible to avoid additional energy costs for processing the incoming fresh air flow.
A tightly sealed apartment receives a whole range of benefits from the flow of fresh air:
What types of recuperators are there? Any external weather have virtually no effect on forced ventilation with a recuperator. Being a heat exchanger, a household recuperator provides the incoming air with energy from the exhaust air, without mixing with it.
A recovery system can use many energy recovery methods. The heat recuperator works according to a certain principle. Its types, depending on this, can be as follows:
All recuperator circuits are divided according to the method of transferring energy from used air to fresh air.
The performance of a heat exchanger is characterized by how efficiently it transfers heat from one agent to another. For the system to be effective, the efficiency of the recuperator must be at least 70%. Logic dictates that the efficiency of the heat exchanger can be increased in several ways:
It is very good if this heating can be achieved using natural resources.
Making an air recuperator with your own hands is not so difficult. In an original way recovery organization is to use a long piece of pipe buried at a depth of about 2 meters. Such a tubular recuperator will allow you to warm the air in winter and cool it in summer.
This use of a heat exchanger makes it possible to reduce the likelihood of freezing of the recuperator plates due to a noticeable difference in air temperatures at different stages of recuperation. There are no additional costs for preheating the incoming flow. In addition, the use of heating eliminates the formation of dew on the heat exchanger elements, which can lead to freezing during the cold season.
Rotary type recuperators. The rotary heat exchanger operates with the highest efficiency. In this unit, flows of warm and cold air pass in one box towards each other. The box contains a disk with corrugated metal plates, which is structurally made so that the material of the plates is first heated in a stream of warm air, and then, continuing to rotate, enters a cold stream, where it releases the accumulated heat.
Recovery in such a heat exchanger is not without its drawbacks, which manifest themselves in the partial mixing of two flows and the need to increase the diameter of the heat exchange disk to achieve greater efficiency. In addition, the use of rotating elements has never been an advantage of the system.
Being very popular innovative solution, an electricity recuperator is worthy of a very long story, but the drawings of a do-it-yourself recuperator are much more interesting, especially since it can be successfully used in your home. And you should start by choosing the type of recuperator. This is where your own experience should come in handy.
In an apartment with plastic windows, a “warm window” can be used. In a private household, where free space Usually it is enough to use a plate recuperator of countercurrent or cross-flow type of air. It is this kind of homemade recuperator that is easiest to make with your own hands. Drawings of a plate recuperator and the automation necessary for its operation can be found in sufficient quantities on the Internet and in specialized literature.
How to make a plate recuperator yourself? It is not difficult to make plate recuperators with your own hands. It is only important to have a good understanding of how plate recuperators work. To do this, the principle of operation must be well understood and the circuit diagram of the device must be studied. The first step is to resolve the issue of the material of the heat exchange plates, especially since there is no single option for the plates filling the heat exchange cassette. Therefore, any material can be used:
The process of energy exchange does not depend in any way on the material of the plates. The density of the set of plates in the cassette and the number of cassettes used have a much greater influence on the operation of the heat exchanger. The more efficiency you want to achieve, the more cassettes you will have to use in your heat exchanger. Theoretically, you can get by with one block of records, but a large one.
The principle of operation of the recuperator
Considering the inevitability of condensate formation on the plates, the recuperator should be equipped with a system for removing it from the device. To make a cassette, you will need a corner for the frame and material for laying out the space between the plates. A sheet of metal or thick plywood is suitable for the body.
You will also need:
The records should be collected in bundles, trying to keep the edges intact. There should be at least 70 of them in a block. The edges of each plate should be covered with slats or cork. The elements are glued together in a special way, crosswise. This design will provide a cassette with air channels alternating at right angles. The cassette is fastened silicone sealant. Incoming air should be filtered. Inner surface the housings must be covered with mineral wool, a layer of at least 4 cm.
The cassette, which is a heat exchanger, is inserted into special guides in the housing, which makes it easily accessible for maintenance. Fans with adjustable rotation speed are used to generate air flow. The homemade recuperator is ready. The efficiency of its operation will depend solely on the build quality of the device.
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Among our European neighbors, the concept of “recuperator” has long been in use. Thrifty Germans and thorough Englishmen have long and successfully used this simple device for economical consumption of thermal energy in their homes. Why do you need a recuperator for a private home? What is the principle of its operation? How much does the finished device cost? Is it possible to make and install such a device with your own hands? The answer to these and other questions about the recuperator is in this material.
Recuperator - a small device in the ventilation duct
Air recovery can solve two problems at once:
Frame houses, use plastic windows and doors, modern methods finishing makes the rooms more and more airtight. On the one hand, this is not bad; there are no drafts or heat loss in the house. On the other hand, mold can develop in a sealed room, and the lack of fresh air inflow provokes the proliferation of pathogenic microbes and bacteria.
In which rooms is an air exchanger especially needed:
The term "recuperation" means reverse movement. In the device of the same name, air exchange occurs between the room and the street. The heated air masses, passing through the device, partially warm the incoming flow. This is not simply ventilating a room using a window, when all the heat is irretrievably lost. Recuperation is a method of ventilation with economical heat consumption.
The device has a built-in heat exchanger that maintains room heat and releases it to the incoming air.Ventilation with heat recovery is primarily beneficial to owners of private cottages with an individual heating system. They bear the cost of each kilowatt of thermal energy, so they can really feel the savings from using this device.
A recuperator for an apartment may not be so relevant in terms of savings. But there is another benefit from using this device: it effectively purifies the air coming from the street from urban pollutants and allergens harmful to health.
Helpful information! Recuperation renews the atmosphere in the house every couple of hours, providing access to filtered air, warmed in winter and cool in summer.
The air exchange device consists of two chambers. Moving through these chambers, air flows do not mix.
Note! Recuperators are an integral part of the ventilation system and their efficiency is directly related to the operation of the entire network.
Installing a ventilation system with a recuperator will cost more than a conventional design, but these costs pay off fairly quickly. Taking into account the savings on air conditioning and heating of a home at thirty percent, the installation of a recuperator pays for itself in an average of three to four years. And this does not take into account the undoubted health benefits of the entire family, because the cost of drugs for allergies and acute respiratory infections will be reduced by an order of magnitude.
Recuperation systems are divided into several types:
Each type of air exchanger is designed for special conditions and has its advantages and disadvantages.
These are the most common heat exchangers having simple design and are characterized by exceptional reliability. A plate heat exchanger for a private home has an efficiency factor of up to 78 percent for models made of plastic and metal and up to 92 for devices with cellulose heat exchangers. The difference is due to the fact that cellulose exchangers return not only heat, but also moisture in the air flow, and moisture, as is known, has a greater heat capacity.
Note! All air exchangers, except cellulose ones, require drainage to remove excess water.
Advantages of plate devices:
Flaws:
Rotary air exchangers are the second most popular type of device. The device is made of aluminum and driven by an electric motor.
The drive belt rotates the flat and zigzag rotor elements. Each part of the device, when moving through the exhaust zone, heats up and transfers heat to the incoming flow.
Pros of the rotary system:
Minuses:
Heat recovery in ventilation systems using plate or rotor devices can be carried out using a special roof installation. Typically, such highly efficient systems are installed in large rooms, having no internal division. These are mainly hangars, large garages or retail outlets.
The obvious advantage of this type of air exchange is its efficiency, but such devices are not suitable for a private house or apartment.
A simple plate recuperator can be made by yourself.
To work you need to prepare:
Sequencing:
Advice! To monitor the formation of ice on the path of warm air, it is better to install a pressure sensor. It will give a signal if the movement of the air mass is difficult.
Considering that plate heat exchangers require the organization of a full-fledged ventilation duct, and not every private house has such an opportunity, it is recommended to install small rotary models for domestic needs.
Table 1. Budget models household recuperators
| Image | Model | Case diameter, mm | Efficiency, % | Power consumption, W | Air volume, cubic meters | Average cost, rub |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Prana-150 | 150 | 91 | 7-32 | 25-115 | 21000 |
 | Prana-200G | 200 | 88 | 7-32 | 25-135 | 22600 |
 | TeFO 1 | 110 | 75 | 3,6-36 | 35 | 13000 |
 | TeFO 3 | 125 | 75 | 52 | 91-100 | 23000 |
 | Clean air 16-K | 125 | 78 | 2-16 | 70 | 15900 |
 | Clean air 16-M | 150 | 80 | 2-24 | 120 | 17900 |
 | Mitsubishi Electric VL-100 U-E | 168 | 77 | 26 | 105 | 18110 |
 | Vents TwinfreshRA-50 | 280 | 90 | 46 | 50 | 18540 |
Recuperator- This universal device, which is necessary to regulate two air flows simultaneously. For example, in winter it can be used to ventilate a room while keeping it warm. In the summer, it will prevent hot air from penetrating inside.
The recuperator is used to refresh the room without losing heat and saving on heating devices. The operating principle is as follows:
The recuperator can operate in both manual and automatic modes. It has a built-in software device that independently determines when it needs to be turned on.
There are several types of devices with different levels of efficiency:
The main advantage of the plate is that it can be built into any part of the air duct, it does not require complex maintenance, all air flows are directed in one direction and do not move
The design of a plate recuperator is quite simple. Even a person without technical skills can independently produce such equipment.
To do this you will need the following:
When everything you need is prepared, you can begin the procedure for creating the device. It consists of several basic steps:
The equipment is ready, now you need to place it near the ventilation. It is also recommended to equip it with an additional pressure sensor in order to improve the quality of work. It is installed at the level where heat exchange occurs.
To find out whether the assembled device is functioning correctly, you should use a small calculation to determine its power:
Thus, the total power can be determined by the following formula:
A similar device can be made from cellular carbonate instead of galvanized sheet. For this you will need material about 4 mm thick. Such a device will also be effective, but it will be easy to assemble and cost minimal.
Creating a tubular recuperator is much more difficult. But this task can be done if you follow the instructions correctly.
For this you will need:
The process of creating a recuperator consists of several steps:
Corrugated paper in this design acts as a “heat keeper”.
Before starting the process of creating a recuperator, it is necessary to calculate the power of its operation. This will determine the payback period and overall performance.
According to the formula:
C is the specific heat capacity,
M – mass of heated air,
dT – temperature difference.
It is quite difficult to make a rotary recuperator with your own hands. As a rule, only people with technical education undertake such a task. To work you will need:
Once everything needs to be prepared, you can begin to do the work. Like any other equipment creation procedure, it consists of several basic steps:
The recuperator is almost ready, now all that remains is to make a few holes in order to pass the air duct through them. The equipment will operate due to the cylindrical body. It will make constant rotational movement
. Due to this, either warm or cold air will periodically enter the device, respectively heating and cooling the entire equipment as a whole.
In order for the device to work as efficiently as possible, you should pay attention to a few tips created by a topic whose life is directly related to the assembly of recuperators: HTo partially reduce the cost of heating in winter and air conditioning in summer, recuperators can be used. These are supply and exhaust devices in which the air can be partially heated without the use of additional energy ( warm water, electric heaters) . Such ventilation units are gaining popularity in Europe, where public utilities
are more expensive, and you need to save more thoughtfully.
Structurally, it is a rectangular or square box (housing) with 4 pipes to which air ducts are connected. 2 pipes are located on 1 end of the housing, 2 more - on the opposite. On each side, one pipe is intended for supply air, the second is for the air duct from the exhaust.
The housings are made of aluminum or galvanized steel.
Inside the case there is a cubic block assembled from large quantity(several dozen) thin (up to several millimeters thick) plates. Gaps (slits) of 2-4 mm are made between them. The plates can be made from different materials- steel, cellulose or plastic. This block is a heat exchanger that will transfer heat between the fresh and exhaust air flows.
The gaps are located alternately perpendicular to each other. Half of the gaps are “directed” to the inlet pipes, the other half - to the exhaust air duct pipes. Thus, air passes through them without mixing.
The location of the heat exchanger and the flows passing through it can most easily be understood from the photo below.
The housing also has holes for draining condensate (which is released steadily in such recuperators) and for defrosting.
Additionally, some devices may have:
The operating principle of such installations is as follows. One of the air ducts supplies Fresh air(from the street, cold in winter), in another way, air is removed from the room (heated to a temperature comfortable for humans).
Warm air passing through a plate heat exchanger (through the gaps between the plates) gives off its heat to it. Due to it, cold air is heated, which flows through the other half of the gaps, in the other direction. This process is called recovery.
As a result, the air flow is partially heated, but the energy of the heaters is not wasted on this (that is, heating occurs for free).
X The characteristics and efficiency of the device largely depend on what its heat exchanger plates are made of. It can be:
An important nuance is that the heat exchanger device can be designed in several ways.The difference lies in the “route” of the air currents. According to this characteristic, plate recuperators are divided into 3 types:
The main task of the recuperator is to reduce maintenance costs desired temperature indoors. In winter, such installations partially heat the air coming from the street, in summer they partially cool it.
Can be used as a main ventilation device for supply and exhaust, and as an additional one. They can be used primarily for small buildings(for example, for a private house). As an additional option, it can be used for buildings of any scale and purpose (from warehouses to shopping centers).
In fact, on the territory of the Russian Federation and countries former USSR This technique is only used for non-residential premises- shopping centers, warehouses, industrial facilities, various institutions, government service buildings, and so on.
Advantages:
The main disadvantages of models with plastic and metal heat exchangers:
Disadvantages of models with cellulose plates:
The main characteristics that influence the calculation include:
In the territory of the former USSR you can find devices of the following brands:
Here is the approximate cost of some models:
Since prices for such equipment start from $300-400, and the device itself is relatively simple, you can make it yourself.
We will consider the stages of work step by step below.
First, a homemade heat exchanger is created:
We got 3 plates glued together with the same gap between each other. Since the gap is created by thin strips - there is free space between these strips - it is through it that air will pass.
Since the holes between plates 1 and 2 “look” in one direction, and the gaps between plates 2 and 3 look in the other (perpendicular to the first), air flows will pass through different air ducts without mixing.
