Earth, Atmosphere & Environment Sciences
Title : | Performance optimization of air conditioning system for automotive sector using new low GWP R1234yf refrigerant |
Area of research : | Earth, Atmosphere & Environment Sciences |
Focus area : | Air Conditioning System for Automotive Sector |
Principal Investigator : | Dr Ashok Dhirajlal Parekh, Associate Professor, Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology (NIT) Surat |
Timeline Start Year : | 2019 |
Details
Executive Summary : | The car manufacturers are encountering more and more pressures from the legislature not only on energy consumption but also on environmental concern. The most urgent issue for mobile air conditioning (MAC) industry is to find the suitable alternative refrigerant for R134a. At present world is facing problem of global warming. Air conditioning in automotive sector uses R-134a refrigerant which has high global warming potential (GWP). HFO refrigerants, or Hydrofluro-Olefins, are a new class of refrigerants that have a much less GWP than it’s HFC alternatives. 2,3,3,3-Tetrafluoropropene, or HFO-1234yf, is a hydrofluoro olefin (HFO) with the formula CH2=CFCF3. This colourless gas has been proposed as a replacement for R-134a as a refrigerant in automobile air conditioners. HFO-1234yf is the first in a new class of refrigerants acquiring a global warming potential (GWP) rating1?335 that of R-134a and only 4 times higher than carbon dioxide. Main characteristics of HFO-1234yf: Low toxicity, Low GWP; GWP = 4, Zero ozone-depletion potential, Low total contribution to climate change. Same operating pressures as current HFC-134a system HFO-1234yf has the potential to be used in current HFC-134a automotive air-conditioning systems with minimal system modifications. Results show that HFO-1234yf has improved performance as compared with HFC-134a. With further efficiency improvements, indirect contribution to climate change can be reduced further. It has very low direct contribution to climate change and lower indirect contribution to climate change versus the current refrigerant HFC-134a. Many automobile manufacturers have already begun to switch to the new HFO alternative 1234yf refrigerant which has low GWP. General Motors has even announced that all of it’s new vehicles will be switched over to 1234yf refrigerant. This refrigerant meets the EU F-gas regulation for use in automotive air-conditioning. So, it is important to study and develop efficient the automotive air conditioning system using new HFO R-1234yf refrigerant which has very low value of global warming potential (GWP). The objective of this research is to design and test air conditioning system for automotive sectors e.g car to find optimal performance using new HFO R-1234yf refrigerant. The performance simulation of system components like compressor, heat exchangers and other accessories is to be carries out with simulation tool for maximizing energy efficiency. |
Total Budget (INR): | 21,45,000 |
Achievements : | Details review of the literature regarding R134a and its alternative R1234yf refrigerant for automobile air conditioning has been made. The thermodynamic analysis of automobile air conditioning system has been carried out to find the effect of operating parameters on the performance parameters of the system using simulation tool Engineering Equation solver (EES). |
Publications : | 1 |
Organizations involved
