HEAT PIPE TYPE EXHAUST HEAT RECOVERY SYSTEM FOR HOT AIR HEATER

Area of greenhouse increases rapidly up to 45,265ha by the year of 1998 in Korea. Hot air heater with light oil combustion is the most common heater for greenhouse heating in the winter season. However, exhaust gas heat discharged to atmosphere through chimney reaches up to 10~20% of total heat of the oil combusted in the furnace. In order to recapture the heat of this exhaust gas and to recycle for greenhouse heating, the heat pipe type exhaust heat recovery system was manufactured and tested in this experiment. The exhaust heat recovery system was made for space heating in the greenhouse. The system consisted of a heat exchanger made of heat pipes, ${\emptyset}15.88{\times}600mm$ located in the rectangular box of $600{\times}550{\times}330mm$, a blower and air ducts. The rectangular box was divided by two compartments where hot chamber exposed to exhaust gas in which heat pipes could pick up the heat of exhaust gas, and by evaporation of the heat transfer medium in the pipes it carries the heat to the cold compartment, then the blower moves the heat to greenhouse. The number of heat pipe was 60, calculated considering the heat exchange amount between flue gas and heat transfer capacity of heat pipe. The working fluid of heat pipe was acetone because acetone is known for its excellent heat transfer capacity. The system was attached to the exhaust gas path. According to the performance test it could recover 53,809 to 74,613kJ/hr depending on the inlet air temperature of 12 to $-12^{circ}C$ respectively when air flow rate $1,100\textrm{m}^3/hr$. The exhaust gas temperature left the heat exchanger dropped to $100^{circ}C$ from $270^{circ}C$ by the heat exchange between the air and the flue gas, the temperature difference was collected by the air and the warm air temperature was about $60^{circ}C$ at the air flow rate of $1,100\textrm{m}^3/hr$. This heat pipe type exhaust heat recovery system can reduce fuel cost by 10% annually according to the economic analysis.