Development of Internal Heat Exchanger for Truck AC System Application

Global climate changes and High humidity will increase indoor heat loads of vehicle cabin. These environmental conditions are very adverse to drive the vehicle. Due to this driver's fatigue increases & reduces efficiency. Driver fatigue is believed to be one of the main causes of road accidents, air-conditioned cabins are expected to improve driver comfort, reduce fatigue and ensure good visibility. Air conditioning in automobiles is an essential feature nowadays. Almost all the passenger cars are having AC feature and it is gaining popularity in Commercial vehicles also. Fuel economy is major aspect especially in commercial vehicles. India's transportation energy use is growing at the fastest rate in the world and diesel consumption has increased more in the past decade. About 70% of the diesel is consumed by the transport sector. India's crude oil import dependency is at more than 75% today. AC system in automobiles increases the auxiliary load on engine and reduces the fuel economy of vehicle (approx. 10-15%). Optimization of power consumption of AC system can be done by various methods. This study discusses the enhancement of AC system efficiency by implementation of IHX in commercial vehicles. IHX is optimum & sustainable solution to reduce fuel consumption without compromising Cabin AC Comfort. The finding from the experimental test indicated the COP of the system increased by 5% with IHX as compared to the baseline design and ultimately improving FE by ~1-2%.