Energy Consumption Optimization for the Electric Vehicle Air Conditioning Using the Condensate Water

In summer, the relatively low temperature water condenses in the evaporator when the vehicle air-conditioning is running. At present, the vehicle air-conditioning condensate water without well utilization is directly wasted. The condenser’s heat transfer performance has a great influence on the air-conditioning performance, and to increase the heat transfer coefficient is the key to its design. In this paper, a method of using atomized condensate water to enhance the condenser’s heat transfer performance is proposed, which can make the most of the condensate water's cold energy. It achieves the reuse of condensate water and increases the condenser’s heat transfer coefficient. First, the calculation model of the condensate water generation flow in the evaporator and the calculation model of the condenser enhanced heat transfer using atomized condensate water are both set up. The influence of the evaporation degree of the atomized condensate water particles in the air on the enhancement effect is comprehensively considered. In the simulation part, the effects of vehicle speed, nozzle installation position, atomized condensate water flow and particle diameter on the condenser’s heat transfer coefficient are analyzed. The installation scheme of the nebulizer nozzle under the different vehicle speed is given. In the experiment part, an electric vehicle air-conditioning experimental bench is built. It is expected that the experimental result can show that this method can reduce the electric vehicle energy consumption to extend the mileage. The method proposed in this paper which can optimize the electric energy consumption of electric vehicle air-conditioning and save water resources will effectively promote the development of new energy vehicles and in line with the trend of energy saving and emission reduction.