Aerotech Fans
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Aerotech Fans
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Technical answers to common questions about air handling units.
Opposed Blade Dampers (OBD) feature adjacent blades that rotate in opposite directions. Unlike parallel blade dampers which throw air to one side of the duct, OBDs maintain a straight, laminar airflow profile even when partially closed, making them mandatory for precise volumetric balancing in AHUs.
In extreme climates where cooling 100% hot outdoor air requires massive chiller tonnage, an enthalpy heat recovery wheel typically recovers 60-80% of the energy. This aggressive reduction in the required cooling load usually results in an ROI (payback period) of 12 to 18 months.
Industrial Air Handling Units are typically engineered for a chilled water Delta-T (temperature differential) of 10°F to 12°F (e.g., entering at 44°F and leaving at 54°F). Maintaining this exact Delta-T ensures the coil effectively strips latent heat (humidity) without causing the central chiller plant to operate inefficiently (Low Delta-T syndrome).
A Fan Coil Unit (FCU) uses a 2-way or 3-way modulating PICV (Pressure Independent Control Valve) to strictly regulate the flow of chilled water through the coil based on real-time thermostat demands. This precise throttling prevents overcooling and maintains strict sensible heat ratios in the occupied zone.
Electronically Commutated (EC) motors have integrated microprocessors that continuously output rich telemetry via Modbus. The BMS can actively monitor real-time RPM, precise power consumption (Watts), internal stator temperature, and fault codes, enabling a fully digitized, smart-building HVAC architecture.
Yes, retrofitting standard AC motors with Electronically Commutated (EC) plug fans in an Air Handling Unit (AHU) is one of the fastest ways to improve HVAC energy efficiency. EC motors can reduce AHU brake horsepower consumption by up to 50% during partial load conditions.
Dual enthalpy sensors measure both the temperature and humidity of the outside air versus the return air. When the outside air is cooler and drier than the indoor air, the BMS opens the outside air dampers to 100%, providing 'free cooling' and completely shutting down the mechanical chillers.
A fire damper is a passive fire protection device installed where AHU ductwork passes through fire-rated walls. If duct temperatures exceed a critical limit (usually 72°C or 165°F), a fusible link melts, snapping the damper shut to prevent fire from spreading through the HVAC system.
ASHRAE Standard 62.1 dictates the absolute minimum ventilation rates for acceptable indoor air quality. Engineers must size the Fresh Air Unit (FAU) by calculating the combined CFM required per person (occupancy load) and per square foot (building area load) to ensure sufficient CO2 dilution without over-ventilating and wasting energy.
Double-skin Air Handling Units utilize Polyurethane Foam (PUF) injected between two galvanized steel sheets. While primarily designed to prevent thermal bridging, the dense PUF core acts as a massive acoustic dampener, significantly reducing the breakout noise from the high-static centrifugal blowers inside.
While an enthalpy wheel recovers general moisture for comfort cooling, an active desiccant dehumidification wheel utilizes a highly reactive silica gel matrix and a heated regeneration sector to aggressively strip moisture from the air, achieving the ultra-low dew points required for lithium-ion battery or pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Unlike an enthalpy wheel which requires adjacent ductwork, a run-around coil system uses a pumped glycol loop to transfer heat between two physically separated coils—one in the exhaust duct and one in the fresh air intake. It provides sensible heat recovery with zero risk of cross-contamination.
