The Challenge

A commercial greenhouse vents warm, CO2-rich air to control temperature. That venting wastes both heat and the very CO2 the plants need, raising fertiliser costs.

The Solution

A sensible plate exchanger recovered heat from the vented air to pre-warm the incoming fresh air. Because only heat was transferred, the CO2 stayed in the growing zone while the temperature was controlled.

Results

• Lower heating demand during cold nights
• Less supplemental CO2 needed to maintain growth rates
• More stable canopy temperature

Lesson

When the transferred species matters, sensible-only recovery is the right call. The plate core moved energy without moving the gas you wanted to keep.