ASHRAE Journal - January 2021 - 45

INNOVATION AWARDS

Winners
GREEN BUILDING
Winner Advanced Cooling Technologies PumpAssisted Split Loop Energy Recovery Heat Exchanger
Innovation Advanced Cooling
Technologies' Pump Assisted AAHX
recovers energy from either the
exhaust or supply airstream during
all seasons, allowing AHUs to consume less energy.
It combines traditional air-to-air
heat pipe technology with pumped
two-phase systems that take advantage of both operational modes. In
passive mode (when the warmer airstream is physically below the cooler
airstream), the heat exchanger operates as a heat pipe with no electrical
input required. When the relative
temperature of the two airstreams
is reversed, a small pump maintains
the transfer of energy.
Since the method of heat transfer

INDOOR AIR QUALITY
Winner Des Champs Technologies Des Champs
Technologies Series PLP Air-Trap™
Innovation Des Champs Technologies
Series PLP Air-Trap™ offers a new
concept in condensate trap design
that permits condensate removal
from AC or other condensing equipment while blocking airﬂow all
year and requires only 2.875 in. (73
mm) height for 0 to 40 in. w.g. (0 to
10 kPa) pressure. The trap can never
" dry out " or freeze because it does
not depend on water to seal, only fan
pressure.
The PLP trap is the ﬁrst AC condensate trap to use air pressure

inside the heat exchanger uses the
latent heat of the working ﬂuid,
the amount of ﬂow rate required to
transfer larger amounts of energy
is a fraction of an equivalent glycol
loop. The combination of passive
operation for at least half of the year
and very minimal energy consumption during active operation for the
other half of the year enables such
high overall energy recovery.
The heat exchanger is compatible with large systems or distance.
Optional active control valves
and pump controls allow the heat
exchanger to provide relatively precise temperature control and defrost
capabilities without the need for volume inefﬁcient bypass. This product
allows for clean air with no cross-air
contamination, is highly efﬁcient
and has high-performance ratings
using two-phase heat transfer and
developed by the AC fans to prevent
conditioned air from entering or
leaving the unit. For a hundred years
the P-Trap, a carryover from use on
toilets and sinks, has been used on AC
equipment to prevent air loss. Unlike
the P-Trap, the PLP was designed
speciﬁcally for HVAC equipment and
does not require standing water to
prevent air leakage.
AC equipment produces condensate mostly during summer. The
remainder of the year little or no
condensate is produced, and the
P-Traps are dry most of that time.
When they do have water, the bottom of the trap is prone to develop
sludge and growth. The PLP operates

Pump-Assisted Split Loop Energy Recovery Heat
Exchanger

has added reliability through redundancy and ﬂuid selection.
It also removes the restrictions on
hardware placement, therefore also
removing the need to trade off system
packaging and energy recovery. This
frees up designers to develop new
system layouts for better building air
distribution and return and allows for
the optimization of airﬂow without
having to sacriﬁce energy efﬁciency.
FINALISTS ebm-papst Inc. RESET® Certiﬁed
RadiPac Air-Mover | Enginuity Power Systems
Inc. Enginuity Quadra-Gen

Des Champs Technologies Series PLP Air-Trap™

dry when no condensate is being
produced and uses a levered, horizontal pancake designed ﬂoat-valve
with a mechanical advantage about
a pivot point.
FINALISTS EffectiV HVAC Inc. PLAY-UV Adjustable
UV Diffuser for High-Efﬁciency Filtration and Ventilation
| TSI Inc. Q-Trak™ XP Indoor Air Quality Monitor

JAN UARY 2021

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ASHRAE Journal - January 2021

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