Automotive Waste Heat Recovery after Engine Shutoff in Parking Lots

The efficiency of internal combustion engines remains a research challenge given the mechanical friction and thermodynamic losses. Although incremental engine design changes continue to emerge, the harvesting of waste heat represents an immediate opportunity to address improved energy utilization. An external mobile thermal recovery system for gasoline and diesel engines is proposed for use in parking lots based on phase change material cartridges. Heat is extracted via a retrofitted conduction plate beneath the engine block after engine shutoff. An autonomous robot attaches the cartridge to the plate and transfers the heat from the block to the Phase Change Material (PCM) and returns later to retrieve the packet. These reusable cartridges are then driven to a Heat Extraction and Recycling Tower (HEART) facility where a heat exchanger harvests the thermal energy stored in the cartridges. A series of mathematical models are created to estimate the recoverable heat from a standard parking lot configuration. A representative case study that considered 500 cars with periodic traffic flow over a period of 16 hours can heat approximately 25 kiloliters of potable water from 15°C to 50°C. Future development will involve the creation of strategies to extract heat during engine idling at traffic stops and drive through lanes.