Analysis of the anti-icing system used in air handling units with a counterflow heat exchanger

Abstract

The present paper examines one of the most popular anti-icing solutions on the system performance. Different ratios of flowing fresh air to exhaust air were applied in order to heat the exchanger's iced surface with warm air. The analysed system demonstrated that the system efficiency significantly dropped down under unfavourable conditions in winter. The results show that this type of solution is insufficient and should not be applied. A long operation with the iced surface can cause irreversible permanent damage to the heat exchanger unit and a serious system failure.