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 (AC) is running. At present, the vehicle AC condensate water without well utilization is directly wasted. The condenser’s thermal transfer performance has a great influence on the AC performance, and to increase the convective heat transfer coefficient (CHTC) is the key to its design. In this paper, a method of using atomized condensate water (CW) to enhance the condenser’s thermal transfer performance is proposed, which can make the most of the CW's cold energy. It achieves the reuse of CW and increases the condenser’s CHTC. First, the CW flow calculation model in the evaporator and the calculation model of the condenser enhanced thermal transfer using atomized CW are both set up. The influence of the evaporation degree of atomized CW particles in the air on the enhancement effect is comprehensively considered. In the simulation part, the reduction of the compressor power consumption using this method is calculated, and the effects of vehicle speed and air temperature on the condenser’s CHTC are analyzed. In the experiment part, an electric vehicle AC 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 driving range. The method proposed in this paper can optimize the electric energy consumption of electric vehicle AC and save water resources. It will effectively promote the development of new energy vehicles and be in line with the trend of energy saving and emission reduction.