Review - Design of Adsorption Refrigeration System Driven by Engine Exhaust Gas for Vehicles
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Journal of Information and Computational Science ISSN: 1548-7741 REVIEW - DESIGN OF ADSORPTION REFRIGERATION SYSTEM DRIVEN BY ENGINE EXHAUST GAS FOR VEHICLES 1 2 3 VINEETH P. BABU , R. VASANTH , VARUN BABU M K 1Post Graduate in Thermal Engineering, R.V.S College of Engineering And Technology, Coimbatore, TamilNadu. 2Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, R.V.S College of Engineering And Technology, Coimbatore, TamilNadu. 3Post Graduate in Thermal Engineering, R.V.S College of Engineering And Technology, Coimbatore, TamilNadu. Abstract Heat generated cooling is a technique of refrigeration where the required cooling effect is obtained by using heat energy as input. At present, the conventional cooling systems used in automobiles are engine driven Vapour Compression Refrigeration (VCR) systems. Some of the alternative heat generated cooling technologies suggested by researchers in their work, which can replace engine driven systems are - solid adsorption cooling systems, absorption cooling, Sterling cycle cooling, thermo acoustic refrigeration etc. In this study, a comparison of vapour compression, vapour absorption and vapour adsorption refrigeration systems is carried out. Literature review suggests that the adsorption refrigeration can be a suitable option for mobile applications and for smaller capacities. The vapour adsorption system has a strong potential to be used as an alternative cooling system. The estimated availability of exhaust gas energy suggests the capacity of cooling which can be greatly enhanced for a dedicated system. This thesis proposes an innovative, compact, and improved adsorption refrigeration system design review, powered by engine exhaust heat. 1. Introduction In India road transportation is a major mode of transport for goods over large distances using trucks. In summer the atmospheric temperature in some parts of India touches 45oC. In such a condition, the temperature inside the cabin of a transport truck can even exceed 50oC and it becomes extremely difficult to operate for the driver and the other operators. It may affect the driver’s health as well as may cause accidents. It affects the economy as transportation time increases. So there is a need for a cooling system to keep the temperature of the cabin in control. But presently the transport trucks in India and in most parts of the world are not provided with system for cabin cooling, as it is not economically viable with current technology. At present, the conventional cooling systems used in automobiles are engine driven Vapor Compression Refrigeration (VCR) systems. The cycle runs on engine power and consumes around 10 to 15% of the total power produced by the engine and thereby increases Volume 9 Issue 12 - 2019 1505 www.joics.org Journal of Information and Computational Science ISSN: 1548-7741 the fuel consumption also by 10 to 15% and thus increases the per kilometer running cost [1, 2]. At present no cooling technology is commercially d e v e l o p e d , w h i c h can provide cooling in automobiles w i t h o ut a f f e c t i n g f u e l consumption. This is a major reason for which the cabin cooling of the truck is avoided presently. Considering present energy crises all over the world, it is very much necessary to explore new technologies and potential to satisfy the need of society. At the same time, the efficient management of production and energy conservation is also equally important. Therefore, a solution for cabin cooling of truck is required without increasing fuel consumption. Cabin cooling of truck or air conditioning in automobiles is just an application, there are many other applications where cooling can be provided using energy available in waste heat. Therefore, from energy conservation point of view also there is need for a technology which can provide solution of cabin cooling of trucks using waste heat thereby saving a large amount of energy required for cooling and refrigeration [2, 3]. 1.1 Engine Exhaust Heat as a Source of Energy From heat balance calculations it is clear that in automobiles, around 30% of the total heat energy supplied is going away with exhaust gases at very high temperature and around 30% of the total heat supplied is going away with cooling water. The breakup of energy consumption is shown in Fig. 1.1. In automobiles, the exhaust gas temperature is in the range of around 200 to 600oC. A part of this heat energy can be used to produce the required refrigerating effect for cabin cooling. The literature in the field of refrigeration and air conditioning suggests that there are some systems, which run on heat to produce a cooling effect [3]. The trucks which are used for transport generally have engine capacities more than 100 kW. The heat required for operating a heat powered cooling system for capacity of 1 TR (3.5 kW), with a minimum Coefficient of Performance (COP) of 0.25 is 14 kW. The COP for a heat generated cooling system is defined as the ratio of cooling effect to the heat supplied. The useful available heat in engine exhaust is more than 50 kW, so it is clear that the required heat for running a heat operated cooling system is very less as compared to the available heat in the engine exhaust. Thus it can be stated that there is enough potential for the development of a system that runs on heat rather than engine power for cabin cooling of the truck. By solving the problem of cabin cooling of the truck, the truck driver will be provided with better working conditions, which will result in a reduction in fatigue to the driver and ultimately reduction of transportation time. And this can be achieved with a small initial cost and small addition of weight to truck. As the system is using the heat available in exhaust the temperature of exhaust gases going to atmosphere is reduced and thereby the reduction in global warming can be an additional advantage. Ammonia is proposed to be the refrigerant which is an environmentally friendly refrigerant so it may replace the Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerants, used in vapor compression refrigeration. The solution of the problem can further be used as a model for development of cooling system operated by waste heat for other applications. This system can solve many energy conservation problems and has the potential to become a technology of the future [4]. Volume 9 Issue 12 - 2019 1506 www.joics.org Journal of Information and Computational Science ISSN: 1548-7741 (a) Losses of energy along with exhaust and proposed cooling system 35% 30% 25% 20% S . 15% I 10% C 5% . 0% I POWER COOLANTEXHAUSTRADIATION (b) Losses of energy (heat balance) Fig. 1.1 Breakup of energy supplied to the engine and proposed cooling system [40] Volume 9 Issue 12 - 2019 1507 www.joics.org Journal of Information and Computational Science ISSN: 1548-7741 1.2 Vapour Adsorption System as Alternative Technology The cabin cooling of the truck can be achieved by using Vapour Compression Refrigeration (VCR) system, Vapour Absorption Refrigeration (VAR) system or by using Adsorption Refrigeration (AR) system. The dependence on engine power and the use of Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerants are the two main limitations of vapour compression refrigeration systems, which make it an unacceptable solution for cabin cooling of the truck. So there is a need for the development of a cooling system for truck which can operate on the available engine exhaust heat. From literature review it is observed that vapour absorption refrigeration and adsorption refrigeration are the two heat generated cooling technologies, which have potential to become alternatives of vapour compression refrigeration. The use of vapour absorption refrigeration or adsorption refrigeration system can solve the problems associated with vapour compression refrigeration. A comparison of vapour compression refrigeration, vapour absorption refrigeration with adsorption refrigeration is presented in Table 1.1. The working principle and the main features of these three systems are as follows: The systems which have been used over the years for automobile air conditioning are based on vapour compression refrigeration technology. Vapour compression refrigeration system mainly comprises four principal components namely compressor, condenser, evaporator and expansion valve. The working fluid which flows through these components is called refrigerant. The refrigerant changes its phase from liquid to vapour and vapour to liquid and thereby transfers heat to develop the required refrigerating effect. The working principle is explained with the help of a schematic diagram as shown in Fig.1.2 (a). The compressor of the vapour compression refrigeration system is driven by the power of the engine. Many developments have taken in automobile air conditioning but most of them are concentrated towards improvement in the system or system components. No alternative technology could come up which can replace vapour compression refrigeration system for automobile air conditioning. Efforts to address the problem of dependence on engine power for air conditioning in automobiles motivated researchers towards heat generated cooling systems. Vapour absorption refrigeration system is one of the potential alternatives, which can replace the vapour compression refrigeration. Vapour absorption refrigeration system is a refrigeration system, where the compressor of the vapour compression refrigeration system is replaced by a combination of an absorber and a generator. In vapour absorption refrigeration a combination of liquid absorbent and refrigerant is used. Volume 9 Issue 12 - 2019 1508 www.joics.org Journal of Information and Computational Science ISSN: 1548-7741 Table 1.1 Comparison of vapour compression, vapour absorption and vapour adsorption refrigeration system Vapour Vapour Absorption Adsorption Compression Refrigeration Refrigeratio Refrigeration (VCR) (VAR) system n (AR) system system 1. The VCR system is The VAR system is a The AR system is driven by mechanical heat driven system.