Heating device with condensing counter-flow heat exchanger and method of operating the same

A method, comprising:

• heating air in a heating chamber;
• transferring latent heat from outgoing air exiting the heating chamber to incoming air entering the heating chamber by drying and cooling the outgoing air using a condensing counter-flow heat exchanger so that liquid water condenses from water vapor contained in the outgoing air;
• and
• pre-heating the incoming air using a pre-heating element before the incoming air enters the heating device chamber.

A method of operating a heating device, comprising:

• exhausting outgoing air from a heating device chamber via a first flow path through which the outgoing air flows;
• supplying incoming air to the heating device chamber via a second flow path through which the incoming air flows;
• transferring the latent heat in the outgoing air in the first flow path to the incoming air in the second flow path by cooling the outgoing air as it passes through the first flow path and through a condensing counterflow heat exchanger, thereby condensing water vapor contained in the outgoing air to obtain liquid water from the outgoing air;
• and
• pre-heating the incoming air, additionally to transferring the latent heat, using a separate pre-heating element before the incoming air enters the heating device chamber.