Utilisation of Exhaust Heat from Engine for Air Conditioning

Abstract: Chlorofluorocarbon and hydrochlorofluorocarbon refrigerants have been widely used in conventional cooling systems and in vehicle air conditioning. Major commercial refrigerant, Chloro-fluoro carbons (CFCs), are going to be phase out shortly as part of Montreal Protocol since they caused the phenomenon called greenhouse effect and depletion of ozone layer. In the case of automobiles approximately 10% of the energy available at the crankshaft in a gasoline/diesel operated vehicle is used for operating the compressor of the vehicle's air -conditioning system. This is a huge loss if one takes into account the fact that the thermal efficiencies of most gasoline/diesel operated vehicles range from 20-30% when in pristine condition. The bottom line is that a great deal of fuel is consumed for air conditioning. In addition to this is the refrigerant usually R12 or R22 leaks easily. Being a secondary refrigerant, it is also harmful to the environment. Therefore, due to adsorption air-conditioning technology attracted much attention recently as an alternative solution its advantage of environmental friendliness. This system as it powered by waste heat can help to reduce required energy and thermal pollution. In this paper, an exploration has been done to research the possibility of waste heat recovery and its subsequent utilization in air conditioning system of a vehicle. Keywords: Engine Waste Heat-Air Conditioning System-Adsorption cooling-Adsorber bed-Desorption.