Development of Frost Threshold Temperature Model in Energy Recovery Ventilator regarding Indoor and Outdoor Air Conditions

Abstract

The main aim of the study is to develop a temperature model for pre-heat coil operation in energy recovery ventilator regarding energy consumption. Due to the concern about redundant energy consumption of pre-heat coil, the proposal for installing pre-heat coil in energy recovery ventilator and its operation temperature was withdrawn in Korea, which made the frost problem keep continuing. To suggest an alternative operation method for less energy consumption of pre-heating, appropriate temperature model was developed from theoretical heat and moisture exchange equation between exhaust air and outdoor air through Design-Expert 11 and verified with additional sample points. Applying proposed frost temperature model on pre-heat coil operation reduced required coil capacity by 44% and total energy consumption by 77%, compared to the constant temperature operation. Consequently, it is recommended to apply proposed model in pre-heat coil operation for energy saving.