FROST MANAGEMENT — A BETTER WAY!
Valent is a leading expert in energy recovery technologies and part of that expertise is knowing how to prevent or treat frost that can accumulate in cold weather. The introduction of high amounts of outside air in cold conditions presents the chance of frost building up on the energy recovery device. When frosted, airflow across the energy recovery device is decreased, reducing the effectiveness of the energy transfer.
MAINTAIN ENERGY RECOVERY EFFICIENCY
Therefore, HVAC manufacturers must include frost mitigation functionality in order to maintain design efficiencies. Many times, activating frost control is based solely on the outside air temperature and does not account for the moisture content within the airstream. This creates many opportunities to enter defrost mode unnecessarily and increases energy costs. Valent has developed better options!
Valent offers aluminum energy recovery wheels with a frost prevention sequence that keeps the unit frost-free and running at 100% efficiency at all times. By measuring the exhaust air temperature, the Valent unit knows when conditions are suitable for frosting and can energize a preheater in the outdoor air stream to avoid frost development on the wheel. This unique approach of avoiding, vs treating, frost creates an operational efficiency advantage with Valent units.
Valent units with polymer wheels include a very effective frost control sequence that does not depend entirely on the outdoor air temperature. Instead, the outdoor air temperature is paired with a wheel differential pressure switch to confirm that frost is occurring. When a wheel is frosted, the differential pressure will increase and by measuring that pressure in conjunction with outdoor air conditions, a more intelligent decision can be made to activate frost control.
The ultimate goal is to keep the energy recovery device working at full capacity and efficiency. Avoiding or minimizing frost is imperative to keeping the energy recovery wheel running at normal design conditions in cold climates. Valent’s approach to avoiding frost or defrosting the wheel only when necessary is key to the success of an energy-efficient system.
Aluminum energy recovery wheels with a frost prevention sequence keep the unit frost-free and running at 100% efficiency at all times.
