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Electric Air Conditioning for Class 8 Tractors
Technical Paper
2006-01-0165
ISSN: 0148-7191, e-ISSN: 2688-3627
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English
Abstract
Air conditioning and heating of heavy-duty truck cabs is an important contributor to engine efficiency, fuel economy and driver comfort. The air conditioner condenser coil and engine radiator typically share a common cooling fan, making it necessary to run the large engine cooling fan to provide condenser cooling. Engagement of the radiator cooling fan consumes a large amount of energy, further contributing to engine exhaust and noise emissions. Even under moderate temperature conditions, when the conventional engine-driven air conditioning compressor is not in use, the belt drive system adds a small speed-dependent parasitic load to the engine.
Electrically driven air conditioning systems have the potential for lower energy consumption than their mechanical counterparts: Electrically driven air conditioning systems can reduce engine idle time by decoupling the air conditioner system from the engine cooling fan while offering near zero parasitic load when not in use.
This paper covers the design, integration, and testing of an electric air conditioning system for a Class 8 tractor for day cab cooling and is a continuation of the efforts initially published in SAE paper 2004-01-1478 [1]. A 42 VDC electric air conditioning system consisting of a variable speed compressor, remote condenser with a variable speed cooling fan, and a thermostatically controlled expansion valve was integrated into an existing Class 8 tractor. The OEM evaporator, in-vehicle ducting, and air speed control were unmodified. The electrical power for the electrified air conditioning system is supplied by a fuel cell auxiliary power unit. The Class 8 tractor has been in-service in the desert of Southern California.
Included in the paper is a detailed description of the different control schemes examined and the control scheme implemented. Energy consumption and driver comfort for each scheme is evaluated. Future system improvements and possible system enhancements are also identified.
All work has been performed at Southwest Research Institute and SunLine Transit Agency and is funded by the US Army RDECOM TARDEC National Automotive Center (NAC).
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Authors
- Bapiraju Surampudi - Southwest Research Institute
- Joe Redfield - Southwest Research Institute
- Alan Montemayor - Southwest Research Institute
- Gustavo Ray - Southwest Research Institute
- Gregory Ostrowski - Southwest Research Institute
- Heather McKee - U.S. Army RDECOM TARDEC National Automotive Center
- Tommy Edwards - SunLine Transit Agency
- Anthony S. Carstensen - Masterflux
- James C. Lawrence - Applied Electronics Corporation
Topic
Citation
Surampudi, B., Redfield, J., Montemayor, A., Ray, G. et al., "Electric Air Conditioning for Class 8 Tractors," SAE Technical Paper 2006-01-0165, 2006, https://doi.org/10.4271/2006-01-0165.Also In
References
- Surampudi, Bapiraju Walls, Mark Redfield, Joe Montemayor, Alan Ingold, Chips Abela, Jim “42-Volt Electric Air Conditioning System Commissioning and Control For a Class-8 Tractor.” SAE Paper 2004-01-1478 2004
- Kaynakli, Ö. Horuz I. “An Experimental Analysis of Automotive Air Conditioning System.” International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer 30.2 2003 273 284
- Rajat, Shah Rasmussen Bryan P. Alleyne Andrew G. “Application of a multivariable adaptive control scheme to automotive air conditioning systems.” International Journal of Adaptive Control and Signal Processing 18.2 2004 199 221
- Li, Xuquan Chen Jiangping Chen Zhijiu Liu Weihua Hu Wei Liu Xiaobing “A new method for controlling refrigerant flow in automobile air conditioning.” Applied Thermal Engineering 24.7 2003 1073 1085
- Utkin, Vadim I. Chang Hao-Chi Keyhani Ali “Automobile Climate Control using Sliding Mode.” IEEE International Electric Machines and Drives Conference 2001 612 617