Energy can be recovered from building exhaust via water vapor transport and heat transfer across gas permeation membranes, thereby reducing latent and sensible loads during both heating and cooling seasons. The process known as membrane-based energy recovery ventilation (ERV) has been commercialized by several HVAC manufacturers, but so far has mostly been offered in flat sheet membrane configurations. In this study, we investigate the use of polydimethyl siloxane membranes packaged into hollow fiber modules, which offer the advantage of high packing density, but which have so far not been commercially adopted due to concerns about parasitic pressure loss. We evaluate here the work required to overcome friction of circulating air through membrane fibers, and we assess the net energy savings that account for these losses relative to the energy saved by water vapor and heat transfer. The concept of normalized net energy savings is introduced to provide a useful metric for comparing performance independent of flow volume and membrane size, and we observe up to 2.75 W/m² of net latent energy savings. Case studies are used to illustrate the potential of this technology, and energy savings of 1.15 and 1.03 kWh/yr/lpm are demonstrated for Detroit, MI, and Houston, TX, respectively.

可以通过水蒸气传输和跨气体渗透膜的热传递从建筑物的废气中回收能量，从而减少供暖和制冷季节的潜在负荷和显着负荷。几家HVAC制造商已经商业化了基于膜的能量回收通风（ERV）工艺，但是到目前为止，大多数工艺都以平板膜结构提供。在这项研究中，我们研究了包装到中空纤维组件中的聚二甲基硅氧烷膜的使用，该膜具有高堆积密度的优点，但是由于担心寄生压力损失，至今尚未在商业上采用。我们在这里评估克服循环空气通过膜纤维的摩擦所需的工作，并且我们评估了净能量节省，这些净能量节省是与水蒸气和热传递节省的能量有关的这些损失。引入了标准化净节能量的概念，以提供一个有用的度量标准，用于比较与流量和膜尺寸无关的性能，我们观察到高达2.75 W / m²净潜积蓄能量。通过案例研究来说明该技术的潜力，并且分别在密歇根州的底特律和德克萨斯州的休斯敦分别证明了1.15和1.03 kWh / yr / lpm的节能量。