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A heating and ventilation unit has a ceramic heat wheel rotatable within a housing between first and second plenums through which fresh and stale air, respectively, are forced to pass in a hot air ventilation system. The heat wheel is made of cordierite material such as is used in catalytic conversi

A heating and ventilation unit has a ceramic heat wheel rotatable within a housing between first and second plenums through which fresh and stale air, respectively, are forced to pass in a hot air ventilation system. The heat wheel is made of cordierite material such as is used in catalytic conversion systems for automobiles. It is formed with non-communicating and axially-extending parallel pores having a pore density of 62 pores per sq. cm. As it rotates the heat wheel transfers to the fresh air both the heat generated by a gas burner in the second plenum, and also low grate heat contained in the stale air. The burner is housed within a combustion housing by means of which the combustion gases are confined to a generally D-shaped area of the heat wheel. The combustion housing is spaced from the walls of the second plenum to form an annular passage through which unheated stale air passes to cool the walls of the second plenum and purge any combustion gases from the pores of the heat wheel entering the first plenum. Humidification of the fresh air may be achieved by water sprayed onto the upstream surface of the heat wheel in the first plenum.

대표청구항 ▼

A heating and ventilation unit for a hot air ventilation system, comprising a housing, a ceramic heat wheel having a multiplicity of gas passages for gas flow therethrough and rotatable within said housing, the housing being subdivided generally axially to form first and second plenums through which

A heating and ventilation unit for a hot air ventilation system, comprising a housing, a ceramic heat wheel having a multiplicity of gas passages for gas flow therethrough and rotatable within said housing, the housing being subdivided generally axially to form first and second plenums through which the heat wheel may rotate, for fresh air to be heated to pass through the gas passages of the heat wheel in one direction in the first plenum, and for stale air to pass through the gas passages of the heat wheel in the opposite direction in the second plenum, a heating means located upstream of the heat wheel in the second plenum for heating most, but not all, of the stale air, and confinement means to confine the stale air heated by the heating means to within a first area of the heat wheel, said first area being surrounded by a second, annular area at which the unheated stale air is directed to pass through the heat wheel, the first area occupying 60 to 95 per cent of the plan area of the heat wheel in the second plenum.