HEAT WHEEL

MOHAMMAD YUSUF
13PKB380

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 Introduction
• A heat wheel is a type of energy recovery
heat exchanger positioned within the
supply and exhaust air stream of an air
handling system or in the exhaust gases
of the process, to recover the heat
energy.
• It transfers heat between gasses and the
basic purpose is to utilize the heat from
waste flue gases to heat the cold air.
• A heat wheel is finding increasing
applications in low to medium
temperature waste heat recovery
systems.

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 TYPICAL WASTE HEAT TEMPERATURE FROM VARIOUS SOURCES

Medium Temperature High Temperature Low Temperature

Type of Device Temperature, oC Types of Device Temperature, oC Source Temperature, oC

Steam boiler 230-480 Aluminium refining 650-760 Process steam 55-88
exhausts furnace condensate
Gas turbine exhausts 370-540 Zinc refining furnace 760-1100 Cooling water from: 32-55
Furnace doors
Reciprocating engine 315-600 Copper refining 760- 815 Bearings 32-88
exhausts furnace
Reciprocating engine 230- 370 Steel heating 925-1050 Welding machines 32-88
exhausts (turbo furnaces
charged)
Heat treating 425 - 650 Copper reverberator 900-1100 Injection molding 32-88
furnaces furnace machines

Drying and baking 230 - 600 Open hearth furnace 650-700 Annealing furnaces 66-230
ovens
Catalytic crackers 425 - 650 Nickel refining 1370 –1650 Forming dies 27-88
furnace
Annealing furnace 425 - 650 Glass melting 1000-1550 Air compressors 27-50
cooling systems furnace 3
 Structure and Mechanism
• It is a sizable porous disk, fabricated with material having a fairly high heat capacity,
which rotates between two side-by-side ducts: one a cold gas duct, the other a hot gas
duct.
• The heat exchange matrix may be made of aluminum, plastic, or synthetic fiber.
• The axis of the disk is located parallel to, and on the partition between, the two ducts.
• As the disk rotates, heat is picked up from the exhaust air stream in one half of the
rotation and rejected to the fresh air stream in the other half of the rotation.
• The overall efficiency of sensible heat transfer for this kind of regenerator can be as high
as 85 percent.
• Heat wheels have been built as large as 21 meters in diameter with air capacities up to
1130 m3 / min.
• Heat exchange is most efficient when the streams flow in opposite directions, since this
causes a favorable temperature gradient across the thickness of the wheel.

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• Because of the nature of thermal wheels in the way that heat is transferred from the
exhaust air stream to the supply air stream without having to pass directly through an
exchange medium, the gross efficiencies are usually much higher than that of any other
air-side heat recovery system.
• The heat transfer raises the temperature of the supply air stream by an amount
proportional to the temperature differential between air streams.
• The shallower depth of the heat exchange matrix, as compared to that of a plate heat
exchanger, the pressure drop through the device is normally lower in comparison to
plates heat exchanger.
• Thermal wheel will be selected for face velocities between 1.5 and 3.0 meters per
second (4.9 and 9.8 ft/s), and with equal air volume flow rates.

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Energy Transfer Process

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 Technology Description
• If moisture or relative humidity levels in the return air stream are high enough to allow
condensation to take place in the device, then this will cause latent heat to be released.
• Latent heat or moisture is transferred using the desiccant coating of silica gel, which is
applied on the wheel’s surface.
• Due to the moisture, the heat transfer material will be covered with a film of water
which will reduce the thermal resistance of the boundary layer of the heat exchanger
material and thus improve the heat transfer coefficient of the device.
• The energy exchange comprises of both sensible and latent heat transfer, in addition to a
change in temperature, there is also a change in moisture content of the air streams.
• Its main area of application is where heat exchange between large masses of air having
small temperature differences is required.
• Heating and ventilation systems and recovery of heat from dryer exhaust air are typical
applications.

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 Advantages Disadvantages
Quite compact and can achieve high heat-transfer For optimal performance optimal performance of the
effectiveness. overall system, the enthalpy wheel requires two air
streams be adjacent to each other.

Typically they cause a relatively low air pressure drop. The air streams must be relatively clean so it does not
clog the wheel’s small air passages and may require
filtration.

Size of the equipment can be modified as per need. The rotating mechanism be periodically inspected and
maintained throughout the life.

Ability to control humidity with the help of desiccants. Overall maintenance is expensive.

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Refrences
• Mirela Radov, Jessica Vasquez, San Jose State University (2008), The Enthalpy
Wheel.
• Heat Recovery Systems by D.A.Reay, E & F.N.Span, London, 1979.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_wheel

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THANK YOU

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