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ROVACS: A New Rotary-Vane Air-Cycle Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration System
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English
Abstract
The ROVAC unit is a rotary vane combination compressor-expander-circulator, which is the key element in a new air-cycle refrigeration system. Results of an analytical and experimental feasibility study of the system are reported here. The objective of the study was to develop and verify a mathematical model of the system, including heat-exchanger pressure loss and mechanical friction. A parametric study was made to determine the geometry for a unit capable of cooling a passenger car, and a conservatively designed prototype was built and tested. The prototype system produced a cooling capacity of 5400 Btu/h and generally verified the accuracy of the mathematical model.
The coefficient of performance of the prototype system is somewhat lower than that of a typical vapor-cycle system.* However, the ROVAC system is much simpler and will most likely be cheaper to build. The system response time is very short (approximately 10 s), so immediate passenger comfort could be provided in an automotive application.
Although a passenger car application is used as an example in the paper, the mathematical model could be used for computer-aided design of any ROVAC system.
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Citation
Edwards, T. and McDonald, A., "ROVACS: A New Rotary-Vane Air-Cycle Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration System," SAE Technical Paper 720079, 1972, https://doi.org/10.4271/720079.Also In
References
- Edwards T. C. “A Rotary Vane Open Reversed Brayton Cycle Air Conditioning and Refrigeration System.” School of Mech. Engrg., Purdue University June 1970
- “VESPEL-Precision Parts from DuPont Polyimide.” E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc. Plastics Division, Engineering Brochure 14-60614 5 6
- Edwards T. C. “The Positive Displacement Turbine.” Dept. of Mech. Engrg., New Mexico State University June 1966
- Forrest P. G. “Fatigue of Metals.” Reading, Mass. Addison-Wesley Publishing Co. 1962 150