Optimizing waste heat recovery for long-haul trucks

CNH Industrial and AVL run a demonstrator vehicle with a WHR system to show significantly reduced fuel consumption.

A waste heat recovery (WHR) system for a long-haul truck application was examined via simulation, test bench, and public road vehicle testing as part of a joint project between CNH Industrial and AVL, with the goal of developing a cost-effective mechanical WHR system for an Iveco Stralis Euro VI truck. The WHR system uses exhaust recuperation only and employs up to 110 kW of exhaust waste heat for the organic Rankine cycle (ORC) in a typical European driving cycle.

For on-road truck application, several waste heat sources were available for the ORC at different temperature levels. Based on thermodynamic calculations, production costs, and complexity, along with total cost of ownership evaluation, the decision was made to focus on the high-temperature sources from the vehicle cooling system for the ORC. This enabled a high overall ORC efficiency with a minimum number of heat exchangers.