Investigation on the performance of a heat recovery ventilator in different climate regions in China

In recent years, haze becomes a choking problem in northern China in winter. A HRV (heat recovery ventilator) is an effective device to provide clean indoor environment by supplying fresh outdoor air to residential and commercial buildings, but the HRV system must be combined with an air filter to remove the fine particular matter of the outdoor air. There is limited information regarding this integrated system. This paper investigates the influences of an air filter on the performances of the HRV system in three modes by experiment and the application potential is also reported for this integrated system in five climate zones of China. The experimental results show that the integrated system can meet the required threshold value of 75 μg/m3, but the installation of an air filter reduces the air flow rate and increases the power of the fan. Compared to the HRV system, the sensible heat efficiencies of the integrated system are increased; and the total sensible heat transfer capacities are slightly decreased in the three modes. The case study shows that in Harbin and Beijing, the integrated system can recover more energy than that in other three cities in winter.