Modern, sustainable and ecological ventilation with plate ground heat exchanger and heat recovery air handling unit

23 of September '24

Ground heat exchanger

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From the series "Air conditioning, ventilation, heating - trends 2024"

We all know that starting in 2030, new buildings will have to be zero-emission and existing buildings will have to be modernized. We understand that we need to look for solutions and devices that will help us achieve this goal. In the context of the air we breathe in buildings, there is another variable - its quality. Growing public awareness and increasingly stringent global and European regulations mean that we need to look at the ventilation system with fresh eyes.

A modern, sustainable and environmentally friendly ventilation system ensures the highest energy efficiency, the highest comfort and the highest air quality. What's more, it makes the operation of the building extremely cheap and fully ecological.

Fortunately, such solutions have been available on the market for years, and their popularity is growing all the time, thanks in large part to the ever-increasing awareness of customers.

The first, basic component of a modern ventilation system is a plate ground heat exchanger.

Pro-Vent's plateground heat exchanger is an airheat exchanger, which means that it is the ventilation air that stores the energy of cooling (in winter) and heat (in summer) in the GWC.

GWC - principle of operation

Ventilation air is sucked in through the field air intake (1), equipped with a filter with a very large active area, and through a distribution duct led under the GWC plates (2), where the exchange of heat, cooling and moisture energy takes place. The ventilation air is routed through a duct to the air handling unit (3). The air handling unit is responsible for the next stage of heat recovery and the second stage of air filtration. Ventilation air with climate parameters tailored to the requirements is distributed throughout the building (4).

Plate ground heat exchangers are installed underground - next to or under the building. Plate GWCs can be installed in the foundation contour or under the foundation slab. Outside the building, the GWC can be located under a green area, as well as under a parking lot, driveway, terrace, etc.

From the diagram, you can see how efficiently a plate GWC eliminates the extremes of outdoor temperatures, which are responsible for the greatest heat losses in winter and gains in summer. The air temperature behind the GWC (green line) is very stable throughout the year.

A plate ground heat exchanger makes it possible to cover a building's cooling demand in summer by up to 70% ÷ 80%. It is worth mentioning that this is the amount of energy (cooling) supplied to the building practically at no cost. Equally important, the building is cooled with fresh outside air, which is healthy. Thus, the use of GWC during the summer provides a double benefit.

Best energy efficiency of the ventilation system

green ventilation

Our products and systems are always consistent with sustainability principles. Energy efficiency is central to our solutions, which enable increasingly lower energy consumption in the building, ultimately leading to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

The energy extracted from the ground heat exchanger is the green, natural, renewable energy of the shallow ground layers of the underground energy storage, which is fully utilized by the air handling unit. What's more, it improves the efficiency of the processes inside the air handling unit, making its efficiency the best.

Check the amount of energy obtained by the PRO-VENT membraneless ground heat exchanger for a given airflow.

PRO-VENT - heat and cold recovery calculator

GWC next to the building

Highest air quality without compromises

Plate ground heat exchanger has unique health-promoting properties. Under the surface of the GWC, natural purification of air from bacteria and fungi takes place. This process is 100% natural, without the need for any chemicals, such as silver ions.

The quality of air in a building is closely related to the quantity of air. Only comfortable ventilation airflows help maintain its highest quality. Using energy-efficient ventilation solutions based on a plate ground heat exchanger and a high-efficiency heat recovery air handling unit, you can ventilate a building with comfortable air volumes.

The electro-ionization air filter CLEAN R filters the air from all particulate matter, smog, pollen with an efficiency of up to 99.95%.

What's more, the PRO-VENT CLEAN R electric air purifier is indispensable in the protection against smog, bacteria and viruses . It is an electro-ionization filter that stops all pollutants, even the smallest ones like viruses. PRO-VENT CLEAN R electric air purifier can also work with selected models of PRO-VENT MISTRAL recuperators through theanti-smog shield function . This innovative functionality creates a barrier that cleans up to 99.95% of the air coming into the house and protects the building from uncontrolled influx of pollutants from outside. The PRO-VENT CLEAN R electrostatic precipitator captures and neutralizes chemicals, dust, bacteria, viruses and allergens. It turns the air into a crisp breeze with its built-in ionization function.