The heat pipe is a passive device that quietly and efficiently transfers heat between the building exhaust and supply airstreams. In summer when supply air temperatures are high and air-conditioned cool air is being exhausted, the refrigerant in the heat pipe absorbs heat from the supply airstream, effectively pre-cooling it and reducing the building air conditioning load, and transfers this heat into the exhaust. In winter this process is reversed and supply air is preheated, reducing the building heating load. Typically, 65-75 percent of the energy in building exhaust can be cost effectively recovered and reused, says the company. Available with capacities up to 120,000 cfm, the heat pipes are manufactured with 5/8 -, 7/8 -, or 1-inch tubes, and extruded or plate fin construction. The company’s heat pipe coils can be used either in new building design or, in many cases, retrofitted to existing buildings to capture and reuse valuable energy that is otherwise being wasted.

Colmac Coil Manufacturing Inc., P.O. Box 571, Colville, WA 99114-0571; 800-845-6778 or 509-684-2595; 509-684-8331 (fax); www.colmaccoil.com

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