The air to air

energy recovery
in the Gulf
region climate
Il recupero di calore dall'aria espulsa nel
clima degli Emirati Arabi Uniti e del Qatar
The air to air energy recovery in the UAE and
Qatar climate
MICAELA RANIERI1, MICHELE VIO2
1
Rhoss, Irsap Group Codroipo (Ud)
2
HVAC Designer, Rhoss Irsap Group R&D consultant ,

SUMMARY
Air to air heat recovery is an essential aspect for air-conditioning systems in United
Arab Emirates (UAE), not only for the environmental condition but also for the features
of used HVAC systems.
Indeed, heat recovery units have to guarantee supply airs post-heating in addition
to reduce energy costs.
This paper compares energy performance of 10 different solutions.

Key words: air to air energy recovery, energy efficiency, HVAC systems

SUMMARY
The air to air energy recovery is a key aspect in the buildings climatization in the
UAE, not only for the climate, but also for the peculiarities of the used HVAC systems.
In fact, the heat recovery units must ensure the post-heating of supply air, in addition to
reducing energy costs
The paper compares the energy performance of 10 different solutions..

Key words: air to air energy recovery, energy efficiency, HVAC systems

1. INTRODUCTION
Exhaust airs heat recovery have an important effect on energy performance of air-
conditioning systems, especially in regions with extreme weather condition either warm-
er or colder than Mediterranean weather.
To the UAEs hot weather its added a more widespread of air conditioning system
with completely different features from Europeans type.
In the UAE there is an higher spread of all-air-conditioning systems and also they
are completely different from those which are utilized in the old country.
The air to air energy recovery in the UAE and Qatar climate

Furthermore, UAEs indoor condition are extremely different from ours. They are
used to having 22C 23C indoor temperature with 50% of relative humidity for all the
year, without take care of energy consumption with the use of outdoor air.
Therefore, the design of heat recovery system which utilize outdoor air have to be
considered carefully to optimize energy efficiency.

2. UNITED ARAB EMIRATES WEATHER

It is important to know exactly the weathers region to select in the correct way the
type of heat recovery system [Vio, 2015, slides from 345 to 361].
All the weather data which are shown below have been obtained from statistic
website Weatherbase.com, which is probably the most complete database ever.

2.1 Outdoor Air Temperature

Figure 1 shows percentages of outdoor air temperature within bands of 10C for 3
different cities: Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha.

Figure 1: Percentage of annual ours within some temperature bands

In Figure 1 there are no distinction between night and day values because usually
in UAE night temperatures arent too much lower than daily temperatures. The two dif-
ferent charts for daily and night temperatures havent been shown only for space reason.
Outdoor air temperature never decreases over 10C, with the exception of Doha where it
is reached 9C only for few hours per year during the night.
The air to air energy recovery in the UAE and Qatar climate

The most frequent average temperatures are included between 20C and 30C,
with a symmetrical extension on the two adjacent bands (10C-20C and 30C-40C)
and exceeding 40C for at least 1% or 2% of the time.
If we decide to do a comparison with a city like Bari of the south of Italy, the out-
door air temperature exceed 30C only for the 4% of the time, meanwhile for the 20%
of the time it never reachs 10C, for the 46% it is included between 10C and 20C, and
for the remaining 30% it is included between 20C and 30C (these values are extracted
from Enea and CTI data)

2.2 Outdoor air relative humidity

It is the relative humidity trend that makes unique the UAEs weather. The three
cities that we have mentioned before are very close to the sea, therefore their RU is
higher than desert areas.
Figure 2 shows the annual average relative humidity trend as a function of outdoor
air temperature with a distinction between night and daily value for the increasing of rel-
ative humidity during the night.

Figure 2: Trend of outdoor air relative humidity in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha
The air to air energy recovery in the UAE and Qatar climate

For space reason Figure 2 shows annual average value without any distinction for
single month which values have been utilized during the following energy analysis.
This figure shows that during night hours and when outdoor air temperature is
higher than 30C Dubais weather is the dampest one. During night hours and until 35C
Abu Dhabis relative humidity becomes more similar to Dubais and it becomes higher
when outdoor air temperature decrease over 28C.
When outdoor air temperature exceeds 27C Dohas weather is drier.
Figure 3 shows the percentage of hours during the year when a certain specific
humidity occurs within interval of 5g/kg and it is useful to know the different problems
connected to the air conditioning in UAE.
It is incredible the amount of hours during the year that occur with an outdoor air
specific humidity higher than 15g/kg, which is rare even in the hottest Italian cities
(15g/kg correspond to 35C with 42% relative humidity or 30C with 56% relative hu-
midity).
Furthermore, if we consider that during all the year inside the buildings 23C and
50% relative humidity (x=8.7g/kg) are maintained against ours 26C and 55%
(x=11.6g/kg), it is clear that x between outdoor air and indoor air are often higher than
7 g/kg and they reach even 22g/kg, against the Italian maximum of 6 g/kg which is
reached only for few hours per year.
As an example, in Bari the specific humidity is lower than 10g/kg for about the
55% of the time, it is higher than 15g/kg for a percentage of hours lower than 1% and for
the remaining 45% it is included between 10 and 15g/kg (these values would be extract-
ed from Eneas and CTIs average years data).

Figure 3: Percentage of annual ours within some specific humidity bands

The air to air energy recovery in the UAE and Qatar climate

3. THE MOST UTILISED AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMS

Especially in the biggest buildings, the most common HVAC systems are all-air-
conditioning systems. In Europe and in some area of USA, the most widespread all-air-
conditioning systems are VAV type (Variable Air Volume) or those with post-heating
coils in ducts where it is no possible to modify the airflow. This type of system is charac-
terized by one water system that delivered hot water to the different post-heating coils
which are located nearby the areas that have to be supplied, and it is useful when there
are either area to be heated during the winter season or area to be cooled and area to be
heated at the same time. Usually, the hot water production for the post-heating coils is
obtained from heat recovery of air to water chillers condensation.
In UAE there arent periods of the year where there is the necessity to heat indoor
ambient. Therefore, the post-heating which is needed to control indoor air relative hu-
midity is made inside the Fresh Air Handling Unit (FAHU) and the control of the supply
air temperature is made by local mixing. This is the common practice for all the systems
that are used in hot weather area, from FAB (Fan Boxes Assisted), to double conduit,
until double duct: the first one are characterized by a mixing between ambient air and
return air, in double duct there is an air mixing between cold ducts air and hot
ducts.For energy reasons, its convenient to post-heating the supply air with an heat re-
covery from exhaust air.

4. HEAT RECOVERY UNITS ROLE

In accordance to what it has been said in the previous paragraph, heat recovery
units that are used on UAEs systems have two distinct roles: pre-cooling the supply air
before it arrives to the cooling coil and also post-heating supply air before it is delivered
into indoor area. These two action are made by two different heat recoveries which are
positioned in series

4.1 The heat recovery for the post-cooling of supply air

Figure 3 is clear: in UAE, where high value of x are needed between outdoor and
indoor air, rotary heat recoveries are the best heat recovery units ever.
Unfortunately, with rotary heat recovery there is an inevitable transport of contam-
inants from exhaust air and supply air.

4.1.1 Contaminant transport on rotary heat recoveries

With rotary heat recoveries there is always a transport of contaminants particle be-
tween exhaust air and supply air. The amount of this transport is defined by an index
which is called Carry Over and which depends on the kind of heat recovery units ma-
terials that are used, in equal terms of air velocity and wheels rotary velocity.
Traditional heat recovery wheels on silica gel have a molecular sieve between 10
and 20, which isnt enough dense to stop contaminants particle. In the last years, it has
The air to air energy recovery in the UAE and Qatar climate

been spread rotary heat recovery units made by different materials which are able to re-
duce potential contamination drastically with molecular sieve of 3.
Experiment made in SUVA (Swiss Accident Insurance Institute) have shown that
Carry Over decrease from 24% to 3% during summer season and from 36% to 4% dur-
ing winter season [Schreck, 2012]. These low values permit to extend rotary heat recov-
erys application. However, Carry Overs value isnt zero, therefore for those critical ap-
plications that require to avoid supply airs contamination alternative solution has to be
found.

4.1.2 Alternative solutions to enthalpy heat recovery units

With or without indirect adiabatic cooling, sensible static heat recovery allow to
avoid supply air contamination.
Static heat recovery could be either plate heat exchanger or twin recovery coils.
With counter-flow heat exchanger there would be air supply contamination if there were
plates break, instead it isnt possible to have this kind of contamination with twin re-
covery coils.
Indirect adiabatic cooling allow to improve only sensible heat recoveries especially
for area with Mediterraneans weather [Vio, 2015, 63 to 78 and 581 to 587 slides] and it
brings some advantages also in severe weather condition like UAEs.
One possible counter-argument to this technology would be the higher amount of
waters consume in area with lack of water. In reality this problem doesnt occur because
only the exhaust air is humidified and not the supply air, moreover it isnt necessary to
use high quality water.
Indeed, when the weather condition are characterized by high level of specific hu-
midity, it is possible to use the condensing water from the cooling coil for the indirect
adiabatic humidification, which is usually higher than the amount of water needed by the
humidifier [Vio, 20015, 76 to 78 slides]. If there is the necessity to erase completely wa-
ter consumption, it is possible to stock the cooling coils condensing water in a tank
where it could be treated and then sent to the exhaust airs humidifier: this allow also to
avoid the consumption of water during these rare period of time when the needed water
for the humidifier is higher than the water that is condensing by the cooling coil.
All the information about thermodynamic heat recovery are postponed to Para-
graph 5.3.

4.2 Heat recovery for the supply airs post-heating

It is possible to recovery the heat for the post-heating of the air which has to be
sent inside the building through either heat recovery of the exhaust air or directly from
the same supply air.

4.2.1. Heat recovery for the supply airs post-heating from exhaust air
The heat recovery for the supply airs post-heating it is usually made by heat re-
covery sensible wheels in series and before the main heat exchanger, as it is shown in the
2a solution of Figure 5. In this way it is allowed the heat transfer from exhaust air to the
The air to air energy recovery in the UAE and Qatar climate

supply air after the cooling coil. For furthermore information look at the bibliography
[Vio, 2015, 314 to 321 slides].

4.2.2. Heat recovery for the supply airs post-heating from supply air
The heat recovery from the same supply air consists on the hydraulic combination
between two coils: one located after the main heat recovery unit and the other after the
cooling coil.
This kind of system is known as RAC (Run Around Coil) and it could be made
through hydraulic connection either as it is shown in 2b and 4b solution of Figure 5 or
through pipe connection that uses phase changing fluid. The second solution called
Horse Pipe Shoe for the typical horseshoes shape of the pipe connection around the
cooling coil its used in UAE but has a very low efficiency. For furthermore information
look at the bibliography [Vio, 2015, 301 to 313 slides].

4.2.3. Comparison of the two kind of technology

Heat recovery from supply air (RAC) is more efficient than heat recovery from ex-
haust air. The first one has better performance even without take care of the pressure
losses differences between one sensible wheel and two twin recovery coils (which usu-
ally have 3 rows to ensure UAEs weathers necessities) because with RAC all the heat
recovery for the post-heating is deducted from the cooling coil.
Vice versa, with the sensible wheel only a little percentage of this heat recovery is
deducted from the cooling coil, as it is shown in Figure 5 for 1000m3/h of air flow (ex-
haust air and supply air too) for the worst Dubais night weather condition in July (40C
with RU=56%).
With heat recovery from exhaust air the enthalpy wheel takes advantage from the
pre-cooling of the exhaust air which is made by the first sensible wheel, recovering
148kW. Instead, with heat recovery from supply air the recovered capacity is only
130kW. However, the outdoor supply air from the enthalpy wheel obtains a further pre-
cooling from the first of the two RACs coils. Indeed, supply airs enthalpy before cool-
ing coil decreases to 60kJ/kg against the 68kJ/kg obtained with the heat recovery from
exhaust air. As a consequence, with the RAC the cooling coil has to transfer only 105kW
against the 132kW needed with the heat recovery from exhaust air. For furthermore in-
formation look at the bibliography [Vio, 2015, 301 to 313 slides].
Even if heat recovery from supply air (RAC) is always more efficient, it has a limit
at low outdoor temperature. Indeed, the sensible wheel is always able to recover all the
energy that is needed for the post-heating even during total free-cooling with inactive
cooling coil, instead RAC is able to recover the needed capacity only when the cooling
coil is working and the temperature after the main heat recovery unit is sufficiently high.
If not, it is impossible to post-heat.
This problem doesnt exist with Europes air-conditioning systems which are made
also to heat the indoor spaces: RAC system can be integrated with any heating source
like also the heat recovery of chillers condenser [Vio, 2015, slide nr. 312].With UAEs
weather condition there is no necessity to provide this heat integration, also because this
necessity occurs only for few hours during the year, however it is correct to mention it.
The air to air energy recovery in the UAE and Qatar climate

Heat recovery from exhaust air

Heat recovery from supply air

Figure 4: Comparison between heat recovery for the post-heating from exhaust air and supply air
The air to air energy recovery in the UAE and Qatar climate

5. ENERGY ANALYSIS
Figure 4 shows energy power needed in punctual condition. Only an energy analy-
sis allows to consider all the different solutions.

5.1 Method which has been used

This energy analysis has been based on Bin Method, dividing hours frequencies for
all the months of the year in night hours and daily hours. The month division is very im-
portant because the air humidity changes considerably with the variation of outdoor air
temperature during the different months of the year.
Synthetically, it has been used the method described on [Aicarr, 2001, paragraph
2.4]. The energy analysis has been made only for Dubais weather condition and Dohas
because Abu Dhabis weather condition are intermediate of the previous two.
It has been used 10 solutions which are described on paragraph 5.2, with fixed in-
put condition for all the year (ait temperature after cooling coil 9,9C, ait temperature
after post-heating 14C, supply air specific humidity 7,4g/kg, indoor ambient tempera-
ture 23C, indoor ambient relative humidity 50%). These values coincide more or less
with 0,8 of ambient load line. In addition, for the three solution that are shown in Figure
5, it has been made further analysis depending on variations of ambient load line and air
to water chillers efficiency which has been chosen equal to 3.1 for EER and 4.58 for
ESEER.

5.2 Considered solutions

It has been considered 10 solutions with 5 types of main heat exchanger between
exhaust air and external air (Table 10) and two types of heat recovery units for the post-
heating (Table 2).

Table 1: Exhaust air external air heat exchangers

efficienza efficienza perdite di carico

soluzione Tipologia scabiatore
scambiatore umidificatore totali [Pa]

1 Flussi incrociati s = 65% rin = 150 ex = 150

2 Ruota entalpica s = 65% l = 65% rin = 150 ex = 150

2 ruote entalpiche totale s = 78%

3 rin = 300 ex = 300
in serie l 78%

4 Flussi incrociati + RAI s = 65% l = 65% 85% rin = 150 ex = 200

Doppio stadio flussi in-

5 2 * s = 65% 2 * 85% rin = 150 ex = 400
crociati + RAI

Table 2: Post-heating heat exchangers

The air to air energy recovery in the UAE and Qatar climate

perdite di carico
Soluzione Tipologia scambiatore efficienza scambiatore
totali [Pa]

a Ruota sensibile 60% rin = 150 ex = 150

b Run Around Coil 45% rin = 60 ex = 60

It hasnt been considered Horse Pipe Shoes because their efficiency is too low.
The solutions registered name is the combination of the two tables, Figure 5
shows the three solutions which have been used to made further analysis:.
- 2a solution: enthalpy heat recovery wheel (type 2 of Table 1) and heat recovery
for the post-heating with sensible wheel (type a of Table 2)
- 2b solution: enthalpy heat recovery wheel (type 2 of Table 1) and heat recovery
for the post-heating with Run Around Coil (type b of Table 2)
- 4b solution: sensible heat recovery with indirect adiabatic recovery (RAI) (type 4
of Table 1) and heat recovery for the post-heating with Run Around Coil (type b of Ta-
ble 2)
The air to air energy recovery in the UAE and Qatar climate

Figure 5: Some considered solutions

In Paragraph 4.2 it has already seen a lot about the two kind of heat recovery which
are utilized for the post-heating (Table 2) but it is useful to explain the reasons to have
chosen the 5 heat recoverys types of Table 1:

solution 1 static heat recovery unit, either plate heat exchanger or twin recovery
coils, which has to be used when there is the necessity to avoid leakage
between exhaust air and supply air
solution 2 enthalpy wheel which is the most common solution that is adopted with
UAEs weather through series of two enthalpy wheels to improve total
efficiency
solution 3 series of two enthalpy wheels to improve total efficiency
solution 4 solution 1 with the addition of indirect adiabatic recovery
solution 5 double indirect adiabatic recovery [Vio, 2015, 72 to 73 slides] which is
made with the series of two solution 2s systems

5.2.2 Heat recovery units efficiencies and pressure losses

For all the heat recovery units of Table 1 the efficiency has been maintained to a
constant value.
The choice has been made to not jeopardize the analysis results and considering
values that depend on a huge number of factors included the quality of heat recovery
unit. It is important to underline the fact that the new European legislation introduce the
use of heat recovery units with high efficiency and low pressure losses from 2016.
Therefore, on the market in this period of transition it is easy to find old type of heat re-
covery units and new generation of heat recovery units. In UAE it is still common to use
heat recovery units with high pressure losses. Heat recoverys efficiency of 65% would
seem too high for twin recovery coils and probably it is. However, it is probable that
these efficiencys values would be reachable in the next future in accordance to the men-
tioned European legislation and considering that in UAE there isnt the necessity to add
glycol to the water. For heat exchangers that are fitted to work in cooling mode, the sen-
sible efficiency of enthalpy wheels is equal to the latent efficiency.
The air to air energy recovery in the UAE and Qatar climate

5.2.3 Fans efficiency

Fans efficiency has been assumed equal to 67%, this value is reachable with Plug
Fans and fans with belt and backward blades as it is shown in Figure 6.

Figure 6: Fans efficiency lines

Nowadays, fans with forward blades which have lower efficiency than the previous
are mainly used in UAE. This is not the argument of this paper, however it seems energy
worthless try to optimize the heat recovery and ruin everything choosing fans with low
efficiency.

5.3 Thermodynamic heat recovery

Thermodynamic heat recovery is considered in the energy analysis couple only
with sensible heat recovery unit. Results are not shown because too mediocre. The rea-
son has to be researched on what it is explain on [Vio, 2015, 332 to 339 slides]

6. COMPARISON BETWEEN THE RESULTS

The analysis results would be examined based on the percentage of recovered en-
ergy compared to the required energy to process supply air and based on COPs system.
In this way the analysis results would be valid for any airflows value when exhaust air
flow volume is equal to the supply one (neutral condition).

6.1 Percentage of recovered energy in respect to the required energy for the sup-
ply airs treatment
Figure 7 shows the percentage of recovered energy in respect to the required ener-
gy for the supply airs treatment.
The air to air energy recovery in the UAE and Qatar climate

Figure 7: Percentage of recovered energy in respect to the required energy for the treatment

Dubais values are similar to Dohas: in Qatars capital where the weather is the
dampest of UEAs cities only sensible heat recovery units performance increase and la-
tent heat recovery units performance decrease. However, the second type is always the
one which has the best performance in both the areas as a consequence of high level of
outdoor air specific humidity.
It is possible to recovery more than 50% of supply airs cooling, which is impossi-
ble with Mediterranean weather conditions [Vio, 2015, 109 to 113 slides].
Solutions 3 and 5 increase the heat recoverys percentage with an higher complexi-
ty for series of heat recovery units.

6.2 Comparison made on COPs system

COPs system is the main parameter to analyse exhaust airs heat recoverys per-
formance. Postpone to [Vio, 2015, 167 to 177 slides] for further information, it is im-
portant to remember that COPs system is the ratio between needed energy for airs
treatment and the total of chillers power plus the higher fans power due to the heat re-
covery and all the heat recoverys accessories power (like for example pumps RAC).
Afterwards, a worsening of fans efficiency makes worse COPs system but leaves intact
the percentage of heat recoverys energy: this is the importance of COPs system.
Analysiss results are shown on Figure 8. GF value represent chillers season effi-
ciency without any heat recovery and it is used as a base for the comparison.
The air to air energy recovery in the UAE and Qatar climate

Figure 8: COPs system for the different solutions

Rotary wheels are the heat recovery units which gave the best results and it is
shown that RAC system is always a positive choice. When it is impossible to use enthal-
py wheels, adiabatic indirect heat recovery systems (solution 4 and solution 5) give bet-
ter performance than the only sensible hear recovery (solution 1)
Solution 3 and solution 5, which consider heat recoverys stages in series, improve
energy performance with an higher complexity than the other.

6.3 Obtainable improvements with Run Around Coil

In Dubai and Doha, Run Around Coils heat recovery for the supply airs post-
heating definitely improves energy performance of all the systems with a better result in
Doha than in Dubai for the driest weather.
These improvements are shown in Figure 9.
The air to air energy recovery in the UAE and Qatar climate

Figure 9: Improvements obtained with Run Around Coil

6.4 RACs performance variation

The energy analysis has been made in particular working conditions which have
been described previously. It could be useful to analyse how the obtained performance
change depending on the ambient load line (and so how they change depending on sup-
ply airs temperature and specific humidity) and on the chillers efficiency.
This analysis has been made just for the solutions of Figure 5.
In particular, the most common solution 2a has been chosen as reference and it has
been compared solutions 2bs and 4bs energy savings.
Negative values represent COPs system worsening.

Figure 10: Solution 2as energy saving depending on ambient load line and chillers efficiency (Dohas weath-
er)

Figure 10 shows results for Dohas weather which however is similar to Dubais.
As it is shown, the use of RAC in combination to the enthalpy wheel (solution 2b)
is always more convenient than the use of sensible wheel for the post-heating (solution
2a). This convenience increases with the ambient load lines reduction and therefore
with the increase of latent endogenous load in comparison to the sensible load.
This result is explained with the higher temperature which is needed after the post-
heating.
The air to air energy recovery in the UAE and Qatar climate

After a certain point with the increase of ambient load line, air temperature after
the cooling coil starts to increase and air temperature after post-heating decreases.
The advantages that occur with the variation of chillers efficiency are almost the
same.
Solution 4b is the best choice when it is impossible to use enthalpy wheels. Energy
performances are always lower in UAEs weather (it is the opposite with Mediterrane-
ans) but they are always higher than the sensible heat recovery units performance.
These performance become closer to solution 2as performance as lower ambient load
lines values are and as higher chillers efficiency is.

CONCLUSION
United Arab Emirates have a particular weather, it is hot and damp simultaneously
and so completely different from Mediterraneans weather. Also the common types of
air-conditioning systems are different; therefore heat recovery units from exhaust air
have to be adopted.
The energy analysis has confirmed importance of enthalpy heat recovery units in
UAE. Meanwhile, it has shown the huge possibilities to improve the situation using heat
recovery systems for supply airs post-heating which are more efficient than the common
sensible wheel, like for example the heat recovery Run Around Coil with hydraulic con-
nections. It has shown that the performance increase over 10%.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
M. Vio, 2015: "Heat recovery on the exhaust air", Delfino edition, available for consul-
tation on the Aicarr website
T. Schreck, 2012: "Carry over Test in Eventus HM1 Molecular Sieve 3 vs. Silica Gel",
Eventus technical documentation
AiCARR, 2011, " AiCARR position paper on D.Lgs. 28/11 for the issue regarding the
renewable thermal sources, downloadable from AiCARR website.
THE AIR TO AIR
ENERGY RECOVERY
IN THE GULF REGION
CLIMATE