Describes an experimental investigation to determine the effect of a heat pipe heat exchanger on the performance of a conventional residential air conditioning system. The aim was to determine the effects of the heat pipe on dehumidification, the amount of auxiliary reheat required to maintain the room conditions and the latent energy efficiency ratio of the HVAC system. In addition conducts a simple economic analysis of the heat pipe. The system was conducted in three modes - an enhanced system with the heat pipe installed, a conventional system with the heat pipe removed and the airflow only subject to typical restrictions, and a dampered system with the heat pipe removed but damping added to return the air flow to the same value as when the heat pipe was installed. Supplies the results which indicate that a heat pipe heat exchanger in a conventional HVAC system is recommended as an efficient method for controlling humidity and reducing the amount of reheat necessary to maintain reasonable room conditions.

KEYWORDS: year 1996, Heat pipes, heat exchangers, air conditioning, domestic, performance, experiment, dehumidifying