KR960004607B1 - High efficiency sensible and latent heat exchange media with selected transfer for a total energy recovery wheel - Google Patents

Abstract

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Description

[Name of invention]

Highly Efficient Detectable Heat and Latent Heat Exchange Media with Selected Transferability for Total Energy Recovery Wheels

[Brief Description of Drawings]

1 is a perspective view of an overall energy recovery wheel using the latent and detectable heat exchange medium of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged exploded view of the latencies of the entire energy recovery wheel and the detectable heat exchange medium portion of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a comparison showing the typical and readily available equilibrium water absorption of various desiccants, including the molecular filtration layer used in the heat exchange medium of the present invention at various relative humidity.

4 is a comparison of the relative water vapor absorption rates of various desiccants, including the molecular filter media used in the latent and detectable heat exchange medium of the present invention.

5 is a comparison of the typical and readily available equilibrium moisture absorption capacity of a molecular filtration layer with a pore size of 3 kPa at various steam partial pressures and desiccant temperatures.

FIG. 6 is a comparison of the typical and readily available equilibrium moisture absorption capacity of silica gel at various steam partial pressures and desiccant temperatures.

7 is a comparison of the overall enthalpy performance of several latent and detectable heat exchange media including heat exchange media formed in accordance with the present invention.

Detailed description of the invention

[Background of invention]

The present invention relates to an energy conservation device for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. The present invention relates in particular to a full enthalpy air to air rotary heat exchanger, also known as a complete heat wheel, and more particularly to a novel total heat exchange medium used for such a wheel.

Rotary air-to-air energy exchangers are used in HVAC systems to recover both detectable energy (temperature) and latent energy (steam) from the exhaust air stream and deliver it to the intake air supply stream. The ability to recover latent energy is expressed in an important relationship with humidity because it can humidify outdoor air during heating cycles and dry outdoor air during cooling cycles to reduce the energy demand needed to harmonize outdoor air by 95%. Because. The frosting and subsequent freezing and clogging problems encountered in the winter operation of a detectable heat exchanger can in most cases be eliminated through the use of a full heat exchanger, thus paying particular attention to this whole heat exchanger.

In the development of such wheels, the entire heat exchange medium has been formed of a substrate of paper or asbestos materials that has penetrated or coated a desiccant, typically a water soluble salt such as lithium chloride. Subsequently such enthalpy wheels included an entire heat exchange medium with an aluminum foil substrate with a dry thin film of silica gel, an oxidized surface or a surface coating of a desiccant consisting of a separate coating of aluminum oxide. These later aluminum wheels showed greater strength and durability than prior art paper and asbestos media, and in some cases also have the advantage of being able to be washed with water or steam without disturbing the desiccant coating.

The latent and detectable heat exchange medium used in the wheels is generally in the form of a matrix that provides an air passage through which air can pass. The matrix can take many forms, such as a fibrous mesh or honeycomb. One form of honeycomb matrix is formed of a plurality of spaced and parallel layers of sheet material, or in particular of alternating layers of flat sheet material and corrugated sheet material. In the latter case, the corrugations are generally parallel and extend along the depth of the wheel and provide a plurality of axially extending passages.

Such a full energy recovery wheel, when disposed between two countercurrent air streams, allows for detectable heat to be transferred between the two air streams. The hot air stream heats the slow rotating wheels and the detectable heat exchange material of the detectable heat exchange medium, which in turn heats the lower temperature air stream. The wheel also transfers latent heat between two airflows of different absolute humidity. The dormant part of the wheel and the desiccant portion of the detectable heat exchange medium absorb moisture from the higher absolute airflow until equilibrium and at equilibrium as a result of the vapor pressure difference between the desiccant and the lower absolute humidity airflow. It emits water vapor at low absolute humidity air flows up to. Absolute humidity is defined as the amount of water vapor per pound of dry air and can be distinguished from relative humidity, which is defined as the ratio of absolute humidity to the maximum possible water density of the air at a given temperature.

Thus, in cooling, the energy recovery wheel cools and dries hot and wet blown air by absorbing the detectable heat and water vapor from the blown air. Sensable heat and water vapor absorbed by the heat exchange medium of the wheel are transferred to the cool, dry exhaust air. As a result, the energy required to cool and dry the blown air to the required temperature and humidity is reduced.

Upon heating, the energy recovery wheel absorbs detectable heat and water vapor from the hot and humid exhaust air to heat and humidify the cold dry blown air. The detectable heat and water vapor absorbed by the dormant and detectable heat exchange medium of the wheel are transferred to the cold dry blown air. As a result, the energy required to heat and humidify the blown air to the required temperature and humidity is reduced.

One problem with the total energy recovery wheels arises from the fact that they rotate at a speed of about 20 revolutions per minute of a conventional wheel. As a result, the wheels come into contact with the airflow only for about 1.5 seconds per revolution. Therefore, the detectable heat exchange material and desiccant must be able to absorb the latent and detectable heat from each of the air streams very quickly and release the absorbed heat.

The problem with the use of the entire energy recovery wheel is that desiccants in the latent and detectable heat exchange medium often absorb and transmit contaminants in the exhaust air stream along with water vapor. The most important reason for continuing to discharge air from the enclosed space and replacing it with fresh air in the enclosed space is to remove contaminants contained in the air in the enclosed space. Such undesirable contaminants are ammonia, hydrocarbons from solvents, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide and the like. Desiccants such as activated alumina (Al ₂ O ₃ ) and silica gel have a very wide pore size distribution, i.e. 8-70 mm 3 and 8-100 mm 3. Oxidized aluminum surfaces have a wider pore size distribution. This wide pore size distribution allows the desiccant to absorb contaminants in the air along with water vapor from the air stream. Desiccants such as lithium chloride decompose to form an aqueous desiccant solution to absorb all water soluble contaminants. These contaminants are released back with water vapor into the blown air stream. Contaminants also reduce the hygroscopicity to absorb the vapor of the desiccant.

It is an object of the present invention to develop a latent and detectable heat exchange medium that is significantly more effective and faster than currently available.

It is also an object of the present invention for the entire energy recovery wheel to absorb water vapor from the air stream without absorbing the contaminants in the exhaust air stream so that the absorbed contaminants are expelled along the exhaust air stream rather than entering and recirculating fresh blow air stream. And develop a detectable heat exchange medium.

[Overview of invention]

The latent and detectable heat exchange medium consists of a matrix through which the gas is permeable. The gas permeable matrix provides a passageway through which air flow can flow through the heat exchange medium. The gas permeable matrix is formed of a detectable heat exchange material that absorbs more detectable heat from the air flow and releases the absorbed detectable heat into the cold air flow as the air flow passes through the heat exchange medium. It can be. The layer of coating composition constituting the molecular filter media is coated on at least a portion of the surface of the detectable heat exchange material. The molecular filter medium has a plurality of pores of uniform size, which absorb the water vapor from the wet air stream flowing through the latent and detectable heat exchange medium and in the dry air flow through the heat exchange medium. It is a pore size that can emit, but cannot absorb large molecules of contaminant from any air stream.

The latent and detectable heat exchange medium of the present invention is particularly useful for the entire energy recovery wheel, which is capable of supporting a heat exchange medium around the hub, the latent and detectable heat exchange medium of the present invention, the circumferential direction of the hub. Means and a drive for rotating the energy recovery wheel.

The latent and detectable heat exchange medium of the present invention is more efficient at absorbing and releasing both detectable heat and latent heat, so that the overall energy recovery wheel using the heat exchange medium of the present invention can be made smaller than present. As a result, they are equal or more efficient at similar pressure loss parameters. Moreover, the molecular filtration layer of the coating composition absorbs water vapor in the air stream but does not absorb any contaminants in the air stream because of the specific size and porosity of the pores. Accordingly, the latent and detectable heat exchange medium of the present invention absorbs contaminants from the discharged air stream and discharges the contaminants into the blown air stream to absorb latent heat without recycling. This selectivity is not possible with the kind of desiccant that has been used so far in connection with latent and detectable heat exchange elements.

The objects, features and advantages of the invention will be fully understood from the accompanying drawings and the description below.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

The latent and detectable heat exchange medium 10 of the present invention is formed of a matrix 12 through which gas can penetrate. The gas-permeable matrix 12 includes a plurality of passages 14 through which airflow can flow through a latent and detectable heat exchange medium 10.

The gas permeable matrix 12 is formed of a plurality of spaced apart layers of sheet material 16. Typically the sheet material 16 is up to 1-3 mils thick. Particularly preferred, the layers of sheet material 16 are alternating layers of flat sheet material 26 and corrugated sheet material 18 forming a honeycomb matrix. The corrugations 22 of the corrugated sheet material 18 are parallel to each other, 50-100 mil in height and 100-200 mil in width. When the airflow flows through the passage 14 of the latent and detectable heat exchange medium 10, the corrugation 22 is minimized to minimize the pressure loss of the air flow and to maximize the transfer efficiencies of the heat and passing material of the heat exchange medium. Is most preferably slightly flat at its apex. However, the pleats 22 may be triangular or rectangular. Moreover, the gas permeable matrix 12 may take other forms, such as a fibrous mesh.

The substrate of the gas permeable matrix 12 is formed of a detectable heat exchange material 26. Suitable as the detectable heat exchange material 26 is a material capable of absorbing detectable heat from the hot air flow and releasing the absorbed detectable heat into the cold air flow as the air flows through the heat exchange medium 10. to be. Preferred as the detectable heat exchange material 26 of the gas permeable matrix 12 is a metal foil such as aluminum or stainless steel. Also possible with detectable heat exchange materials are kraft papes nylon fibres, inorganic fibres, asbestos and plastics and the like. The total surface area of the detectable heat exchange material 26 of the gas permeable matrix 12 and the heat capacity of the heat exchanger material are two factors that determine which material is suitable for the latent and detectable heat exchange medium 10. Of these two factors, the factor of the total surface area of the material was found to be more important, since the time for the airflow to contact the water vapor and the heat exchange medium 10 is short for about 1.5 seconds.

Layer 28 of coating composition is coated on at least a portion of surface 30 of detectable heat exchange material 26 of matrix 12. The coating composition constitutes a molecular filter. Molecular filters are named because of their ability to filter molecules according to their size. Molecular filters differ from other adsorbents, such as silica gel and activated alumina, having a very wide pore size distribution. Suitable molecular filter media have a plurality of pores of uniform size, whereby the molecular filter media can adsorb water vapor from the wet air flowing through the heat exchange medium 10 and also dry air flowing through the heat exchange medium. The adsorbed water vapor may be discharged at, but it may not adsorb contaminants from the blown and discharge air streams. Since the water molecules have a critical diameter of 2.8 mm 3 and small contaminants such as ammonia and hydrogen sulfide have a critical diameter of 3.6 mm 3, the molecular filter medium preferably has a pore diameter of about 3 mm 3. It can be seen that the pore diameter of the molecular filter medium may be greater than 3 kPa, for example 4 or 5 kPa, depending on the type of contaminant to which the heat exchange medium 10 will be exposed and the environment in which the heat exchange medium will be used.

Molecular filters are materials in which atoms are arranged in the crystal lattice such that there are a large number of interconnected uniformly sized pores. The pores can adsorb molecules smaller in size than the pores, such as water. Thus, molecular filter media can be used to adsorb and separate molecules smaller than pores from larger molecules. A kind of molecular filter is zeolites.

Zeolites are hydrated silica salts of aluminum and sodium, potassium and / or calcium and have the general formula NA ₂ O.nSiO ₂ .xH ₂ O. Zeolites may be natural or artificial. Natural filter media include chabazite, tomsonite, hulenite, faujasite, permutite, analsite, erionite, natrolite, steel bite and mordenite. However, these natural zeolites do not all exhibit molecular filtration properties because natural zeolites have a wider pore size distribution than is suitable for effective molecular filter media.

Artificial zeolite molecular filters include zeolites A, D, L, R, S, T, X and Y. Zeolite A is a crystalline zeolite molecular filter represented by the following general formula.

1.0 ± 0.2M _2-n O: Al ₂ O ₃ : 1.85 ± 0.5SiO ₂ : yH ₂ O

Here, M is a metal, n is a valence of M, and y is any of 6 values.

Zeolite X is a crystalline zeolite molecular filter represented by the following general formula.

0.9 ± 0.2M _2-n O: Al ₂ O ₃ : 2.5 ± 0.5SiO ₂ : yH ₂ O

Where M is a metal, in particular alkali and alkaline earth metals, n is the valence of M and y is any value up to 8.

Molecular filters commonly known in the art as 4 'molecular sieves are aluminosilicates of crystal structure A having a pore diameter of about 4 mm and having sodium cations. Molecular filters commonly known in the art as 3 ′ molecular filters are aluminosilicates with sodium and potassium cations. The 3 ′ molecular filter is prepared by replacing most of the sodium cations of the 4 ′ molecular filter with larger potassium cations. Thus, it is prepared by replacing most sodium cations of the 3 ′ molecular filter with smaller calcium cations. Thus, most pores of the 5 micron molecular filter are about 3 microns in diameter, but some of the pores have a diameter of about 4 microns. The molecular filter, generally known in the art as the 5 'molecular sieve, is an aluminosilicate of crystal structure A with sodium and calcium cations. The 5 micron molecular sieves have a diameter of about 5 microns, although most of the pores of the 4 micron molecular sieve have a diameter of about 4 microns.

Another advantage provided by molecular filter media for the selective adsorption of water molecules is the polarity of the molecular filter media. Preferred molecular filters are constructed to attract water molecules preferentially than molecules such as carbon monoxide, which are similar in size but different in polarity to water molecules.

Desiccants suitable for the latent and detectable heat exchanger 10 have been thought to have a large overall ability to adsorb water vapor, especially from air flows in the relative humidity range of 20% -90%. Instead, it was determined that the initial rate at which the desiccant adsorbs water vapor from the airflow is more important when the desiccant is used in the heat exchange medium 10, because the airflow is only in contact with the heat exchange medium for about 1.5 seconds. Because. Molecular filter media have the unique property of adsorbing water vapor from the air stream in a short time among the desiccants commonly used in heat exchange media.

Since the molecular filter media is chemically inert, the presence of the molecular filter media in the layer 28 of the coating composition further increases the corrosion resistance in the heat exchange medium.

The latent and detectable heat exchange medium 10 of the present invention preferably detects the aluminum strip and the necessary binder with a dry thin film thickness of at least 0.2 mils, more preferably 0.2-0.7 mils, and most preferably about 0.5 mils. By coating a strip of possible heat exchange material 26. Suitable binders show good adhesion to aluminum, are compatible with the heat exchange material 26, and remain tacky for a suitable time. For example, the binders are polyurethanes, nitrile-phenolic, water-based binders and alkyd resins having a solid content of 15-25% by weight in methyl ethyl ketone or toluene, preferably in weight percent. The binder may be applied to the heat exchange material 26 which is detectable by any of methods such as dipping, spraying and knife over roller coating. The binder composition comprises a solvent such as toluene so that the surface of the coating layer is tacky for a sufficient time for the use of molecular filter media.

The binder is applied to the detectable heat exchange material 26 and then the binder is blown into hot air and dried until it is slightly tacky. A layer of the required molecular filter medium, such as a 3K molecular sieve, is applied to the coated strip surface of the heat exchange material 26. The coated strip of detectable heat exchange material 26 continues to pass through the fluidized bed of molecular filter media particles so that a uniform layer of molecular filter media is deposited on the surface to which it is bonded. Molecular filter particles have an average particle size of about 200 mesh in fine powder. The finished coating surface of the detectable heat exchange material 26 is dried to a non-tacky state in the same way as using hot air. The same process is repeated to coat the other side of the detectable heat exchange material 26.

Alternatively, the coating composition contains a molecular filter medium and a binder in a 5-15% weight ratio, the binder being those described above. The binder and molecular filter should be applied to the heat exchange material 26 so that the binder does not block the pores of the molecular filter and inhibit its function.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the latent and detectable heat exchange medium 10 of the present invention is particularly useful for the entire energy recovery wheel 30. The energy recovery wheel 30 includes a hub 32 and a heat exchange medium 10 around its circumference.

Layer 28 of coating composition is washable with steam or water when disposed as part of heat exchange medium 10 of energy recovery wheel 30.

In a preferred embodiment, the heat exchange medium 10 is formed of a plurality of alternating layers of corrugated sheet material 18 and flat sheet material 20, and extended adjacent the corrugated sheet material 18 of the elongated strip. The flat sheet material 20 of the strip is wound around the spool until the wound strip forms a cylinder of the appropriate diameter. The sheet material 18 corrugated with the flat sheet material 20 in order to bond the flat sheet material 20 and the corrugated sheet material 18 together and to increase the structural integrity of the heat exchange medium 10 and the energy recovery wheel 30. A suitable adhesive may be applied to the flat sheet material 20 before pairing with. The strip wound in the form of a cylinder is cut axially into eight pie-shaped pieces 32. Pi-shaped pieces 32 are secured to hub 34 to extend axially outward from hub 34 between spokes 36 to form an energy recovery wheel 30. Rim 38 is secured around the outer circumferential surface of energy recovery wheel 30. The energy recovery wheel 30 is installed in the frame 40 through the hub 34 so as to rotate freely. The rotor 42 is mounted to the frame 40 to rotate the energy recovery wheel 30 through an endless belt (not shown) that engages the rim 38 of the energy recovery wheel 30.

The energy recovery wheels 30 will have a thickness of one foot at eight inches and a diameter of two feet at 14 feet.

In use, the energy recovery wheel 30 is mounted in the frame 34 so that it can rotate freely. The frame 34 is arranged between the intake and exhaust air flows of the heating and cooling device, and the corrugation of the corrugated sheet material 18 of the heat exchange medium 10 of the energy recovery wheel 30 is passed through the heat exchange medium 10. Arranged to provide an axially extending passageway 14. Thus, the airflow may flow from one side of the wheel to the other side. Typically, the inlet and outlet airflows can flow simultaneously in the opposite direction through the energy recovery wheel 30. When the energy recovery wheel 30 rotates at about 20 revolutions per minute, portions of the energy recovery wheel 30 alternately contact the intake and exhaust air flows. Portions of the energy recovery wheel 30 contact two air streams at different times during each revolution. When the airflow flows through the heat exchange medium 10 of the energy recovery wheel 30, the heat exchange medium absorbs heat and water vapor from the warmer and humid air flow and releases it to the cooler and dry air flow.

In the form of cooling, the energy lake wheels 30 cool and dry the blown warm and humid air stream. The heat exchange medium 10 portion of the energy recovery wheel 30 in contact with the blower air absorbs heat and water vapor from the warm, wet blown air stream. When the energy recovery wheel 30 is rotated such that the heat exchange medium 10 is in contact with the exhaust air stream, the heat and water vapor absorbed by the heat exchange medium 10 of the energy recovery wheel 30 are transferred to the cool dry exhaust air stream. . This process is repeated over and over as the energy recovery wheel continues to rotate. As a result, the energy required to cool and dry the blown airflow to the required temperature and humidity is reduced.

In the form of heating, the energy recovery wheel heats and humidifies the cold, dry blown air stream. The heat exchange medium 10 portion of the energy lake wheel 30 in contact with the exhaust air stream absorbs heat and water vapor from the hot and humid exhaust air stream. As the energy lake wheel 30 rotates such that the heat exchange medium 10 contacts the blown air stream, the heat and water vapor absorbed by the heat exchange medium 10 of the energy lake wheel 30 are transferred to the cold dry blown air stream. . This process is repeated as the energy lake wheel 30 continues to rotate. As a result, the energy required to heat and humidify the blown air stream to the required temperature and humidity is reduced.

As shown in FIG. 3, the total capacity of the molecular filter medium to absorb moisture does not increase significantly between 20-90% relative humidity. In contrast, the total capacity of silica gel to absorb moisture is almost three times between 20-90% relative humidity. However, as can be seen in FIG. 4, the molecular filter medium reaches an equilibrium capacity at a very fast rate compared to other desiccants such as silica gel and activated alumina used in heat exchange media 10 currently available. In more detail, 3 μs and 5 μs molecular filters reach 100% of their equilibrium capacity in less than 5 seconds, while silica gel and activated alumina take more than 30 seconds. More importantly, silica gel and activated alumina reached only about 10% of their equilibrium capacity within the first three seconds.

The data shown in FIG. 4 was prepared by a coated aluminum substrate with a 3mm molecular sieve, 5mm molecular sieve, silica gel and a coating of activated alumina. The weight and coating thickness of the desiccant per pound of aluminum were similar. Coated aluminum was formed in a heat exchange medium having a thickness of one inch of alternating flat and corrugated strips. The test samples reached equilibrium at 95 ° F DB / 78 ° F WB, 47% relative humidity, 0.78 inch Hg vapor pressure and 9.3 mmHg steam partial pressure. Air was passed through the sample at a rate of 600 feet / min at 7 ° F DB / 61 ° F WB, 60% relative humidity, 0.45 inch Hg vapor pressure and 6.86 mmHg vapor partial pressure. The weight of the sample was measured after several periods of time.

The percentage of equilibrium capacity of the desiccant reached by a certain time was calculated by first dividing the weight increase of the sample by the initial weight of the dry desiccant to determine the weight increase of the sample per pound of dry desiccant. The percentage of equilibrium capacity of the desiccant reached by a certain time was then determined by dividing the weight gain of the sample per pound of desiccant in the dry state by the equilibrium capacity of the desiccant as determined in FIGS.

5 and 6 show equilibrium moisture capacities of the 3 kPa molecular filter and the silica gel at various water vapor partial pressures and temperatures. From FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the silica gel showed a larger increase in equilibrium capacity than the 3 kPa molecular filter when the water vapor partial pressure in the air increased.

The overall efficiency of the 3K molecular sieve as a desiccant for energy recovery wheels was compared with that of silica gel by combining the data of 4, 5 and 6 degrees. As can be seen from FIG. 6, the capacity of the silica gel to adsorb water is 95 ° F DB / 78 ° F WB, 47% relative humidity, vapor pressure 0.78 inch Hg, water vapor partial pressure 9.3 mmHg and 70 ° F DB / 61 ° WB, Increased 0.041 pounds of moisture per pound of dry desiccant between 60% relative humidity, 0.45 inch Hg vapor pressure, and 6.86 mmHg steam partial pressure. Desiccant temperature is approaching the average temperature of the air stream or 82.5 ° F. On the other hand, as can be seen in Figure 5, the capacity of the 3 μs molecular filter medium increases only 0.008 pounds of water per pound of dry desiccant under the same conditions. After 1.5 seconds, the percentages of the capacity of 3 Å molecular filter and silica gel to adsorb moisture were 70% and 5%, respectively. The actual delivery capacity of the silica gel and 3mm molecular sieve is 0.00205 pounds per pound of dry desiccant and 0.0056 pounds per pound of dry desiccant, respectively. Thus, under conditions in which the energy recovery wheels are exposed, the 3K molecular sieve has better latent heat transfer capability than silica gel.

A comparison of the total efficiency percentage to the total capacity reached for the various face velocitie of the heat exchange medium using various desiccants, including the molecular filter media of the present invention, is shown in FIG. Samples using the molecular filtration desiccant of the present invention were prepared and evaluated according to ASHRAE (American Society of Heat Freezing and Air Conditioning Engineers) Test 84-78P. The performance of heat exchange media using silica gel and aluminum oxide was derived from readily available literature evaluating conventional heat exchange media using such desiccants. The heat exchange medium of the present invention showed superior latent heat and detectable heat transfer capability compared to that of heat exchange media using a desiccant such as silica gel and aluminum oxide.

The heat exchange medium 10 of the present invention adsorbs contaminants from the exhaust air stream and adsorbs water vapor without recycling it to the blown air stream. The molecular filter media of the coating composition does not adsorb any contaminants in the air stream because of the pore size of the molecular filter media that is smaller than the critical diameter of the contaminant molecules. The polarity of the molecular filter media provides affinity for water molecules than molecules of similar size for other materials that are less polar than water molecules. Thus, the heat exchange medium 10 of the present invention is more efficient in absorbing and releasing both detectable and latent heat, so that the heat exchange wheel 30 using the heat exchange medium 10 of the present invention is more than currently available. It can be miniaturized. Although the present invention has been described primarily by way of example for an HVAC system, the present invention can be used in other industries where moisture removal and detectable heat recovery from airflow are required.

Claims (16)

It provides a passage through which airflow can flow through a lurking and detectable heat exchange medium and includes a matrix through which gas can penetrate, which matrix detects heat from the hot air flow as it flows through the heat exchange medium. Formed of a heat exchange material capable of absorbing and releasing the absorbed heat into the cold air stream, the layer of coating composition comprising a molecular filter medium applied to at least a portion of the surface of the heat exchange material, the molecular filter medium being latent and A uniform, capable of adsorbing water vapor from the humid air stream flowing through the detectable heat exchange medium and releasing the adsorbed water vapor into the dry air stream flowing through the heat exchange medium, but unable to adsorb contaminants from the air streams. Latency and persimmon consisting of multiple pores of size Possible heat exchange medium. 2. The heat exchange medium of claim 1 wherein the detectable heat exchange material is in the form of a sheet material and the gas permeable matrix is comprised of a plurality of spaced layers of sheet material. 3. The heat exchange medium of claim 2 wherein the sheet material of heat exchange material is 1-3 mils thick. The heat exchange medium of claim 1 wherein the heat exchange material is a metal. 5. The heat exchange medium of claim 4 wherein the heat exchange material is aluminum. The heat exchange medium of claim 1 wherein the molecular filter medium is selected from the group of 3 ′, 4 ′ and 5 ′ molecular filters. 7. The heat exchange medium of claim 6 wherein the molecular filter medium is a 3 kPa molecular filter. The heat exchange medium of claim 1, wherein the molecular filter medium is zeolite. The heat exchange medium of claim 8, wherein the zeolite is aluminosilicate. A total energy recovery wheel comprising a hub, a latent and detectable heat exchange medium having a permeable matrix, the matrix providing a passage through which the air flow can flow through the heat exchange medium and formed of heat exchange material. Wherein the heat exchange material is a material capable of absorbing detectable heat from the hot air flow and dissipating the heat into the cold air flow as the air flow flows through the heat exchange medium, wherein the layer of coating composition comprises at least a surface of the heat exchange material surface. And a molecular filter medium applied to the portion, wherein the molecular filter medium can adsorb water vapor from the wet air flow flowing through the heat exchange medium and release the adsorbed water vapor into the dry air flow flowing through the heat exchange medium. But unable to adsorb contaminants from the air streams Genie said multiple pores of the same size, energy hoeswi wheel comprising a drive device for rotating the means for supporting the heat exchange media circumferentially about said hub and an energy recovery wheel. The energy volatilization wheel of claim 10, wherein the detectable heat exchange material is a metal. 12. The energy recovery wheel of claim 11 wherein the heat exchange material is aluminum. The energy recovery wheel of claim 10, wherein the molecular filter media is selected from the group of 3 ′, 4 ′ and 5 ′ molecular filters. The energy recovery wheel of claim 13, wherein the molecular filter media is a 3 ′ molecular filter media. The energy recovery wheel of claim 10, wherein the molecular filter medium is a zeolite. The energy recovery wheel of claim 15 wherein the zeolite is aluminosilicate.

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