vehicle
The vehicle integrates ammonia as refrigerant and fuel, sharing components to reduce costs and enhance efficiency by using ammonia for both cooling and propulsion, addressing high costs in conventional vehicles.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- AISAN IND CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2023-01-10
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-02
AI Technical Summary
Existing vehicles incur high costs due to the need for separate systems and components for refrigeration and propulsion, lacking an integrated system that efficiently utilizes ammonia as both refrigerant and fuel.
A vehicle design that integrates an ammonia tank, compressor, air-conditioning system, and engine, where ammonia is used as both a refrigerant for cooling and fuel for propulsion, sharing the compressor and eliminating the need for a dedicated fuel pump.
Reduces costs and enhances efficiency by utilizing ammonia as both refrigerant and fuel, sharing components and achieving high cooling efficiency with a shared compressor, and efficient refrigeration cycle.
Smart Images
Figure 0007869156000001
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to vehicles.
Background Art
[0002] In recent years, the development of various systems using ammonia as a refrigerant has been progressing. Patent Document 1 discloses a refrigeration and air-conditioning system using ammonia as a refrigerant.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0003]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0004] In this specification, a technology is proposed that can reduce costs more than before by using ammonia for multiple purposes in a vehicle.
Means for Solving the Problems
[0005] This specification discloses a vehicle as a first aspect. The vehicle includes an ammonia tank for storing ammonia, a compressor for compressing the ammonia supplied from the ammonia tank, an air-conditioning system using the ammonia as a refrigerant, and an engine using the ammonia as fuel. The air-conditioning system has a condenser for condensing the ammonia, an expansion valve for decompressing the ammonia, and an evaporator for evaporating the ammonia. The engine has a combustion chamber for burning the ammonia. The ammonia compressed by the compressor is configured to be supplied to the condenser and the combustion chamber.
[0006] In the above-described vehicle, ammonia compressed by the compressor is configured to be supplied to the condenser of the air conditioning system. The ammonia supplied to the condenser exchanges heat with air via the condenser, pressure reducer, and evaporator, supplying cool air to the vehicle's interior. In this way, the ammonia supplied from the compressor to the air conditioning system is used as a refrigerant. Furthermore, in the above-described vehicle, the ammonia compressed by the compressor is also configured to be supplied to the engine's combustion chamber. The combustion of the ammonia supplied to the combustion chamber drives the engine. In this way, the ammonia supplied from the compressor to the engine is used as fuel. In other words, in the above-described vehicle, the compressor can be shared between the air conditioning system and the engine, thus reducing the number of parts. Also, the ammonia supplied to the combustion chamber is under high pressure due to the compressor. Therefore, a dedicated fuel pump for supplying ammonia to the combustion chamber is not required. In this way, the above-described vehicle can reduce costs compared to conventional vehicles.
[0007] In a second embodiment, the ammonia that has passed through the evaporator may be supplied to the compressor in the first embodiment. In such a configuration, the refrigeration cycle is composed of a compressor, condenser, vacuum cleaner, and evaporator, allowing for efficient circulation of ammonia. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0008] [Figure 1] A schematic diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle in the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0009] (Examples) The vehicle 10 of the embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In Figure 1, the vehicle 10 is shown as an ellipse. The vehicle 10 is equipped with an ammonia tank 20, a compressor 22, an air conditioning system 30, and an engine 40.
[0010] The ammonia tank 20 is mounted on the vehicle 10. Inside the ammonia tank 20, ammonia is stored for supply to the air conditioning system 30 and the engine 40. The ammonia is used as a refrigerant in the air conditioning system 30 and as fuel in the engine 40.
[0011] The compressor 22 is connected to the ammonia tank 20. The compressor 22 compresses the ammonia supplied from the ammonia tank 20. By compressing the ammonia, the compressor 22 changes the gaseous ammonia from low temperature and low pressure to high temperature and high pressure. However, the compressor 22 may change some of the ammonia into a liquid. As will be described later, the compressor 22 is configured to supply the ammonia compressed to high temperature and high pressure to the condenser 32 of the air conditioning system 30 and the combustion chamber 41a of the engine 40.
[0012] The air conditioning system 30 includes a condenser 32, a storage tank 34, a pressure reducer 36, and an evaporator 38.
[0013] The condenser 32 is connected to the compressor 22. The condenser 32 cools and condenses the high-temperature, high-pressure ammonia supplied from the compressor 22, for example, through heat exchange with cooling water or the atmosphere, and converts it into a low-temperature, high-pressure liquid.
[0014] The storage tank 34 is connected to the condenser 32. The storage tank 34 stores the low-temperature, high-pressure liquid ammonia condensed by the condenser 32. The storage tank 34 has the function of removing excess water and impurities from the ammonia.
[0015] The pressure reducer 36 is connected to the storage tank 34. In this embodiment, the pressure reducer 36 is an expansion valve. The pressure reducer 36 expands the ammonia supplied from the storage tank 34 and sprays it as a low-pressure mist. When the pressure reducer 36 is open, the ammonia expands, heat is removed, and the temperature drops further.
[0016] The evaporator 38 is connected to the pressure reducer 36. The evaporator 38 evaporates and vaporizes the ammonia sprayed from the pressure reducer 36 through heat exchange with the air blown into the vehicle 10 (interior) by a fan. As a result, air cooled by the ammonia is supplied to the interior.
[0017] The low-temperature, low-pressure ammonia that has passed through the evaporator 38 is supplied back to the compressor 22. In this way, the air conditioning system 30 constitutes a refrigeration cycle by circulating the ammonia supplied from the compressor 22 through the condenser 32, the pressure reducer 36, and the evaporator 38.
[0018] The engine 40 includes a cylinder 41 having a combustion chamber 41a inside, an ammonia supply device 42 that supplies ammonia into the combustion chamber 41a, an intake device 44 that supplies air into the combustion chamber 41a, an ignition device 45 that generates a spark in the combustion chamber 41a, and an exhaust device 46 that discharges exhaust gas after combustion from the combustion chamber 41a.
[0019] The cylinder 41 includes a cylindrical cylinder liner 41b, a cylinder head 41c covering the upper opening of the cylinder liner 41b, a piston 41d reciprocating within the cylinder liner 41b, and a crank 41e connected to the piston 41d. The space enclosed by the cylinder liner 41b, the cylinder head 41c, and the piston 41d is the combustion chamber 41a. Therefore, the combustion chamber 41a is compressed to a high-pressure state when the piston 41d moves upward in the figure. Furthermore, the combustion of ammonia in this combustion chamber 41a causes the piston 41d to reciprocate, which transmits the driving force that rotates the crank 41e.
[0020] The intake system 44 includes an intake pipe 44a, one end of which is fixed to the cylinder head 41c, and an intake valve 44b provided inside the intake pipe 44a. The intake valve 44b is configured to be opened and closed by a drive mechanism (not shown), and by opening the intake valve 44b, the inside of the intake pipe 44a and the combustion chamber 41a are connected, and air is supplied from the intake pipe 44a into the combustion chamber 41a.
[0021] The exhaust device 46 includes an exhaust pipe 46a with one end fixed to the cylinder head 41c, and an exhaust valve 46b provided in the exhaust pipe 46a. The exhaust valve 46b is configured to be opened and closed by a driving means not shown. By opening the exhaust valve 46b, the inside of the exhaust valve 46b communicates with the combustion chamber 41a, and the exhaust gas after combustion in the combustion chamber 41a is discharged from the exhaust valve 46b.
[0022] The ignition device 45 is, for example, an ignition plug, and is fixed in a state where the tip is disposed inside the combustion chamber 41a at substantially the center of the cylinder head 41c. An ignition part 45a that generates a spark at the upper central part inside the combustion chamber 41a is provided at the tip of the ignition device 45.
[0023] The ammonia supply device 42 is, for example, an injector and is connected to the compressor 22. The ammonia supply device 42 is fixed to the cylinder head 41c in a state where the tip is disposed inside the combustion chamber 41a. An injection part 42a that injects ammonia into the combustion chamber 41a is provided at the tip of the ammonia supply device 42. Note that the ammonia supply device 42 is fixed to the cylinder head 41c in a state where the injection part 42a is disposed inside the combustion chamber 41a, but instead of this, or in addition to this, it may be fixed to the intake pipe 44a in a state where the injection part 42a is disposed inside the intake pipe 44a.
[0024] In the engine 40 having the above-described configuration, the high-pressure ammonia supplied from the compressor 22 is injected from the injection part 42a, and burns with air inside the combustion chamber 41a due to the spark generated by the ignition part 45a, thereby rotating the crank 41e.
[0025] A valve 50 is provided in the pipe 60 from the compressor 22 to the condenser 32. Also, a valve 52 is provided in the pipe 62 from the compressor 22 to the ammonia supply device 42. A controller (not shown) of the vehicle 10 adjusts the amount of ammonia supplied to the air-conditioning system 30 and the engine 40 by controlling the valves 50 and 52.
[0026] As described above, in the vehicle 10 of this embodiment, the ammonia compressed by the compressor 22 is configured to be supplied to the condenser 32 of the air conditioning system 30. The ammonia supplied to the condenser 32 is subjected to heat exchange with air via the condenser 32, pressure reducer 36, and evaporator 38, thereby supplying cool air to the interior of the vehicle 10. In this way, the ammonia supplied from the compressor 22 to the air conditioning system 30 can be used as a refrigerant. Furthermore, in the vehicle 10 of this embodiment, the ammonia compressed by the compressor 22 is configured to be supplied to the combustion chamber 41a of the engine 40. The combustion of the ammonia supplied to the combustion chamber 41a drives the engine 40. In this way, the ammonia supplied from the compressor 22 to the engine 40 can be used as fuel. That is, in the vehicle 10 of this embodiment, the compressor 22 can be shared between the air conditioning system 30 and the engine 40, thus reducing the number of parts. Also, the ammonia supplied to the combustion chamber 41a is under high pressure due to the compressor 22. Therefore, a dedicated fuel pump for supplying ammonia to the combustion chamber 41a is not required. In this way, the vehicle 10 of this embodiment can reduce costs compared to conventional vehicles.
[0027] Furthermore, because ammonia has a relatively high heat of vaporization, it easily absorbs heat from the surroundings when it evaporates in the evaporator 38 of the air conditioning system 30. Therefore, high cooling efficiency can be achieved.
[0028] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the ammonia that has passed through the evaporator 38 is supplied to the compressor 22. Therefore, since the refrigeration cycle can be formed by the compressor 22, condenser 32, vacuum reducer 36, and evaporator 38, ammonia can be circulated efficiently.
[0029] Although specific examples of the present invention have been described in detail above, these are merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and changes to the specific examples illustrated above. Below, we list some variations of the embodiments described above.
[0030] In the embodiment described above, the ammonia that passed through the evaporator 38 was configured to return to the compressor 22. However, for example, the ammonia that passed through the evaporator 38 may be configured to return to the ammonia tank 20, or it may be stored in a separately provided storage tank.
[0031] The technical elements described herein or in the drawings demonstrate technical usefulness individually or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. Furthermore, the technologies illustrated herein or in the drawings can achieve multiple objectives simultaneously, and achieving even one of these objectives constitutes technical usefulness in itself. [Explanation of Symbols]
[0032] 10: Vehicle, 20: Ammonia tank, 22: Compressor, 30: Air conditioning system, 32: Condenser, 34: Storage tank, 36: Pressure reducer, 38: Evaporator, 40: Engine, 41a: Combustion chamber
Claims
1. It is a vehicle, Ammonia tanks for storing ammonia, A compressor connected to the ammonia tank for compressing the ammonia supplied from the ammonia tank, The air conditioning system is connected to the compressor via a first valve and uses the ammonia as a refrigerant. The compressor is connected to the engine that uses ammonia as fuel via a second valve different from the first valve, It is equipped with, The aforementioned air conditioning system includes a condenser for condensing the ammonia, a vacuum reducer for reducing the pressure of the ammonia, and an evaporator for evaporating the ammonia. The engine has a combustion chamber for burning the ammonia, A vehicle configured such that the ammonia compressed by the compressor can be supplied to the condenser and the combustion chamber.
2. A vehicle according to claim 1, A vehicle configured such that the ammonia that has passed through the evaporator is supplied to the compressor.