Performance Assessment of a Thermoelectric Heat Pump Heat Recovery Ventilator

Heat recovery ventilators (HRVs) are used to conserve energy by transferring heat between exhaust and intake ventilation airstreams in buildings. While conventional HRVs use “fixed-plate” heat exchangers, the addition of thermoelectric modules (TEMs) to act as compact solid-state heat pumps can increase heat transfer between the airstreams. For this study, a TEM-based heat recovery ventilator (TEM HRV) was tested to quantify its performance at a range of operational conditions typical of residential installations. Conventional heat pump Coefficients of Performance (COPs) were calculated for each test and increased significantly with decreasing applied current. However, as total heat transfer across the TEM HRV is due to conduction, as well as the thermoelectric-driven heat transfer, the thermoelectric input factor (TEIF) was found to be a more representative indicator of TEM HRV performance improvement.