A test setup was designed and built to test energy recovery ventilator membranes. The purpose of this test setup was to measure the heat transfer and water vapor transfer rates through energy recover ventilator membranes and find their effectiveness, with air conditions that resemble residential use. Two test chambers were constructed with different channel heights above the membrane; one was 1mm and the other 2mm. The 2mm setup gave measureable results, but small air leaks in the system of 7.0% and 6.2% left room for error. The 1mm setup also had air leaks but they were smaller than the 2mm setup, with leak rates of 1.0% and 5.1%. The permeance of the membrane was found to be 2.58x10^-5 g/(m2*s*Pa) for the 2mm test chamber and 9.90x10^-54 g/(m2*s*Pa) for the 1mm test chamber.

<p>Energy recovering techniques for air conditioning has increased in recent years and new prod- </p><p>ucts have been introduced to the market where the Membrane-based Energy Recovery Ventilator </p><p>(ERV) is one promising product. The aim of this study was to evaluate a new type of membrane </p><p>material for an ERV and give an analysis of the need for digital control of the air flow rate to </p><p>improve efficiency. A prototype counter-flow ERV was used in the test to validate the performance under different </p><p>flow conditions. The result was promising for the tested membrane material with high moisture </p><p>and heat transfer. The optimisation of the flow rate was found to be superfluous, since the relation </p><p>between the energy transferred by the ERV and the air flow rate was almost linear.</p>

<p>The main objective of this thesis is to investigate the energetic, economic and environmental impact of utilizing a novel Run-Around Membrane Energy Exchanger (RAMEE) in building HVAC systems. The RAMEE is an energy recovery ventilator that transfers heat and moisture between the exhaust air and the fresh outdoor ventilation air to reduce the energy required to condition the ventilation air. The RAMEE consists of two exchangers made of water vapor permeable membranes coupled with an aqueous salt solution.</p> <p>In order to examine the energy savings with the RAMEE, two different buildings (an office building and a health-care facility) were simulated using TRNSYS computer program in four different climatic conditions, i.e., cold-dry, cool-humid, hot-humid and hot-dry represented by Saskatoon, Chicago, Miami and Phoenix, respectively. It was found that the RAMEE significantly reduces the heating energy consumption in cold climates (Saskatoon and Chicago), especially in the hospital where the required ventilation rate is much higher than in the office building. On the other hand, the results showed that the RAMEE must be carefully controlled in summer to minimize the cooling energy consumption.</p> <p>The application of the RAMEE in an office building reduces the annual heating energy by 30% to 40% in cold climates (Saskatoon and Chicago) and the annual cooling energy by 8% to 15% in hot climates (Miami and Phoenix). It also reduces the size of heating equipment by 25% in cold climates, and the size of cooling equipment by 5% to 10% in hot climates. The payback period of the RAMEE depends on the air pressure drop across the exchangers. For a practical pressure drop of 2 cm of water across each exchanger, the payback of the RAMEE is 2 years in cold climates and 4 to 5 years in hot climates. The total annual energy saved with the RAMEE (including heating, cooling and fan energy) is found to be 30%, 28%, 5% and 10% in Saskatoon, Chicago, Miami and Phoenix, respectively.</p> <p>In the hospital, the RAMEE reduces the annual heating energy by 58% to 66% in cold climates, and the annual cooling energy by 10% to 18% in hot climates. When a RAMEE is used, the heating system can be downsized by 45% in cold climates and the cooling system can be downsized by 25% in hot climates. For a practical range of air pressure drop across the exchangers, the payback of the RAMEE is immediate in cold climates and 1 to 3 years in hot climates. The payback period in the hospital is, on average, 2 years faster than in the office building). The total annual energy saved with RAMEE is found to be 48%, 45%, 8% and 17% in Saskatoon, Chicago, Miami and Phoenix, respectively. The emission of greenhouse gases (in terms of CO₂-equivalent) can be reduced by 25% in cold climates and 11% in hot climates due to the lower energy use when employing a RAMEE.</p>

Energy recovering techniques for air conditioning has increased in recent years and new prod- ucts have been introduced to the market where the Membrane-based Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV) is one promising product. The aim of this study was to evaluate a new type of membrane material for an ERV and give an analysis of the need for digital control of the air flow rate to improve efficiency. A prototype counter-flow ERV was used in the test to validate the performance under different flow conditions. The result was promising for the tested membrane material with high moisture and heat transfer. The optimisation of the flow rate was found to be superfluous, since the relation between the energy transferred by the ERV and the air flow rate was almost linear.

<p>The main objective of this thesis is to investigate the energetic, economic and environmental impact of utilizing a novel Run-Around Membrane Energy Exchanger (RAMEE) in building HVAC systems. The RAMEE is an energy recovery ventilator that transfers heat and moisture between the exhaust air and the fresh outdoor ventilation air to reduce the energy required to condition the ventilation air. The RAMEE consists of two exchangers made of water vapor permeable membranes coupled with an aqueous salt solution.</p> <p>In order to examine the energy savings with the RAMEE, two different buildings (an office building and a health-care facility) were simulated using TRNSYS computer program in four different climatic conditions, i.e., cold-dry, cool-humid, hot-humid and hot-dry represented by Saskatoon, Chicago, Miami and Phoenix, respectively. It was found that the RAMEE significantly reduces the heating energy consumption in cold climates (Saskatoon and Chicago), especially in the hospital where the required ventilation rate is much higher than in the office building. On the other hand, the results showed that the RAMEE must be carefully controlled in summer to minimize the cooling energy consumption.</p> <p>The application of the RAMEE in an office building reduces the annual heating energy by 30% to 40% in cold climates (Saskatoon and Chicago) and the annual cooling energy by 8% to 15% in hot climates (Miami and Phoenix). It also reduces the size of heating equipment by 25% in cold climates, and the size of cooling equipment by 5% to 10% in hot climates. The payback period of the RAMEE depends on the air pressure drop across the exchangers. For a practical pressure drop of 2 cm of water across each exchanger, the payback of the RAMEE is 2 years in cold climates and 4 to 5 years in hot climates. The total annual energy saved with the RAMEE (including heating, cooling and fan energy) is found to be 30%, 28%, 5% and 10% in Saskatoon, Chicago, Miami and Phoenix, respectively.</p> <p>In the hospital, the RAMEE reduces the annual heating energy by 58% to 66% in cold climates, and the annual cooling energy by 10% to 18% in hot climates. When a RAMEE is used, the heating system can be downsized by 45% in cold climates and the cooling system can be downsized by 25% in hot climates. For a practical range of air pressure drop across the exchangers, the payback of the RAMEE is immediate in cold climates and 1 to 3 years in hot climates. The payback period in the hospital is, on average, 2 years faster than in the office building). The total annual energy saved with RAMEE is found to be 48%, 45%, 8% and 17% in Saskatoon, Chicago, Miami and Phoenix, respectively. The emission of greenhouse gases (in terms of CO₂-equivalent) can be reduced by 25% in cold climates and 11% in hot climates due to the lower energy use when employing a RAMEE.</p>

The work presented in this thesis focuses on reducing the energy demand of a residential building by using a coupled ground-source heat pump/energy recovery ventilation (GSHP-ERV) system to present a novel approach to space condition and domestic hot water supply for a residence. The proposed system is capable of providing hot water on-demand with a high coefficient of performance (COP), thus eliminating the need for a hot water storage tank and circulation system while requiring little power consumption. The necessary size of the proposed system and the maximum and normal heating and cooling loads for the home were calculated based on the assumptions of an energy efficient home, the assumed construction specifications, and the climate characteristics of the Blacksburg, Virginia region. The results from the load analysis were used to predict energy consumption and costs associated with annual operations.The results for the predicted heating annual energy consumption and costs for the GSHP-ERV system were compared to an air-source heat pump and a natural gas furnace. On average, it was determined that the proposed system was capable of reducing annual energy consumption by 56-78% over air-source heat pumps and 85-88% over a natural gas furnace. The proposed GSHP-ERV system reduced costs by 45-61% over air-source heat pump systems and 52-58% over natural gas furnaces. The annual energy consumption and costs associated with cooling were not calculated as cooling accounts for a negligible portion (6%) of the total annual energy demand for a home in Blacksburg. / Master of Science

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