Performance Improvement In Automotive Engines Using Vapour Absorption Refrigeration System for Air Conditioning

The refrigeration units currently used in road transport vehicles are predominantly of the vapour compression refrigeration (VCR) type. In such a unit, the compressor requires an input of energy in the form of work. Although in smaller systems, the compressor can be belt driven from the main propulsion engine, in large systems, it is normally driven by a dedicated internal combustion (IC) engine which demands high load. An alternate system for refrigeration is the Vapour Absorption Refrigeration (VAR) system utilising the waste heat in the exhaust gases from the main propulsion unit of the vehicle. In this case the exhaust gases supply energy to a generator, which along with an absorber replaces the cumbersome compressor and its dedicated IC engine. Efficiency and hence Mileage of the vehicle can therefore be improved significantly. Additionally, the VAR system runs quietly and is almost maintenance-free, and the primary energy used to drive the independent engine of the VCR system can be saved. The study dealt with the effect on the performance of the IC engine on introducing the VAR cycle into the air conditioning system and also the provision of appropriate off-road/slow running cooling systems, in order to take account of the reduction in exhaust gas flow in slow running traffic or stationary situations or when the vehicle is parked and cooling is still required. We feel that this area of our study has been largely neglected and we hope this study would contribute significantly to saving fuels at the consumer end and thereby keeping a check on global fuel consumption.