Laboratories & Research Facilities
Recover energy without compromising airstream separation — engineered for the high exhaust and strict containment demands of lab environments.
Energy Recovery Without Compromise.
Laboratories are among the most energy-intensive buildings to ventilate. Labs typically require 100% outdoor air at high ventilation rates, primarily for safety, and the heating, cooling, and fan energy needed to condition that air can be substantially greater than in a typical office.
That makes energy recovery valuable — but laboratory exhaust is not ordinary air. Fume-hood exhaust is considered among the most hazardous exhaust classifications and is not suitable for recirculation or transfer to any other space. This limits which recovery technologies can be used on lab exhaust. Innergy Tech manufactures heat pipes and plate exchangers — devices that keep the supply and exhaust airstreams physically separated — so energy can be recovered from laboratory ventilation while respecting the separation requirements that govern lab exhaust.
High Airflow, Contaminated Exhaust, Continuous Operation
100% Outdoor Air at High Air-Change Rates
Laboratory guidance and standards generally call for once-through, 100% outdoor air (no recirculation of contaminated air) at elevated air-change rates. The governing rate for a given lab depends on the hazard assessment and the authority having jurisdiction.
Fume Hoods Drive Exhaust Volume
Fume hoods and other exposure-control devices exhaust large volumes of air to maintain safe face velocities. Their design is governed by applicable safety standards, which require that hood exhaust not be recirculated to the space.
The Exhaust Is Contaminated
Because lab exhaust can carry chemical vapors and other contaminants, fume-hood and chemical-storage exhaust falls under the most restrictive exhaust classification. This is the crux of the energy-recovery challenge, addressed in Section 5.
Energy Intensity
Conditioning large volumes of 100% outdoor air year-round represents a major energy load, with a substantial share of laboratory energy cost associated with heating and cooling makeup air. Energy recovery can reduce this load and may allow heating and cooling equipment to be downsized.
Recovery Devices That Keep the Airstreams Apart
Innergy Tech offers a comprehensive range of air-to-air energy recovery technologies, including energy recovery wheels, sensible and enthalpy plate exchangers, and heat pipes. For laboratory applications, separated-airstream technologies are often the most relevant.
- Heat Pipes (Thermogain): Passive thermosiphon devices with no moving parts and no external power required. The two airstreams pass on opposite sides of a partition, making heat pipes a common choice where limiting cross-contamination between supply and exhaust air is a priority. A U-shaped configuration is available for dehumidification applications.
- Sensible Plate Exchangers: Fixed-plate, sensible-only recovery with no moving parts and physically separated airstreams. These devices are often selected when airstream separation is important and moisture transfer is not desired.
- Enthalpy Plate Exchangers (IPE6-PM): Total-energy fixed-plate exchangers featuring a washable polymer membrane. These units are designed for applications where both sensible and latent energy recovery are desired.
- Energy Recovery Wheels (I4, I4R, I4-D): Rotary energy recovery devices that can be applied where total-energy recovery is desired. Options include a field-installed sectional wheel (I4R) and a passive dehumidification wheel (I4-D).
Recovery Technology Fit
Benefits & Value Drivers
Airstream Separation for Lab Exhaust
Heat pipes and plate exchangers keep supply and exhaust airstreams physically separated, which is why they are frequently applied where laboratory exhaust cross-contamination is a concern.
Meaningful Energy Load Reduction
Because laboratories condition large volumes of outdoor air, recovering exhaust energy can help reduce heating and cooling loads associated with ventilation.
Equipment Downsizing Potential
By reducing heating and cooling loads, energy recovery may help optimize the sizing of HVAC equipment and improve overall system efficiency.
Technology Matched to the Application
Because Innergy Tech offers heat pipes, plate exchangers, and energy recovery wheels, the technology can be selected to align with the ventilation and energy recovery needs of each space.
Certified Performance
Innergy Tech provides certified performance data to support equipment selection and specification.
Reliability in Continuous Operation
Heat pipes and plate exchangers have no moving parts, making them a dependable choice for continuously operating laboratory environments.
Designed for High-Performance Laboratory Ventilation
From research labs to life-science facilities, Innergy Tech helps engineers balance energy efficiency, airstream separation, and system performance.