Air-conditioning system for a motor vehicle
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Solution Overview
Problem
Air conditioning systems for vehicles struggle to maintain comfortable temperatures in low ambient conditions and hybrid or electric vehicles, where traditional systems fail to efficiently heat or cool due to limited heat sources, leading to increased emissions and reduced fuel efficiency, and lack a reheating mode with sufficient performance.
Innovation Solution
An air conditioning system with a housing featuring two flow conduits and a coolant circuit with multiple heat exchangers, allowing for independent operation in refrigerating, heat pump, and reheating modes, including an outer heat exchanger that can function as either an evaporator or condenser, and air conduction devices to direct conditioned air into the vehicle or environment, optimizing heat exchange and energy use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If heat is withdrawn from the coolant circuit to heat the air mass flow, then heating performance is improved, but the internal combustion engine operates at low temperatures longer, increasing emissions and fuel consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the operational parameters of the heat exchangers by switching between refrigerating system mode and heat pump mode. In heat pump mode, the roles of evaporator and condenser are reversed, allowing the system to extract heat from the coolant circuit at different temperature levels and transfer it to the air mass flow, thereby optimizing heating performance while reducing the negative impact on engine operating temperature
Solution Approach 2:
The heat exchangers are designed to perform multiple functions: they can operate as evaporators or condensers depending on the operating mode. This multi-functionality allows the same components to serve both cooling and heating purposes, enabling the system to adapt to different thermal requirements without additional components, thus improving heating efficiency while managing coolant heat extraction
2Use of energy by moving object
If the internal combustion engine is stopped for start-stop operation, then fuel consumption is reduced, but no sufficiently high coolant temperature is reached, preventing effective heating
Solution Approach 1:
The air conditioning system serves itself by utilizing the coolant circuit as a heat source in heat pump mode. Even when the engine is stopped or operating at low temperatures, the system can extract available heat from the coolant and transfer it to the passenger compartment air, reducing the need for additional heating power and maintaining comfort during start-stop operation
Solution Approach 2:
The heat exchangers act as intermediaries between the coolant circuit and the air mass flow. They facilitate heat transfer from the coolant to the air, enabling the system to bridge the temperature gap between the low-temperature coolant (during start-stop operation) and the required heating temperature for the passenger compartment
3Device complexity
If a single heat exchanger is used in the flow conduit, then device complexity is reduced, but the system cannot efficiently operate in both refrigerating and heat pump modes
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchangers are designed with multi-functionality, capable of operating as evaporators in refrigerating mode and as condensers in heat pump mode. This allows the system to achieve versatile operation in both cooling and heating modes using the same physical components, avoiding the need for additional heat exchangers while maintaining efficient performance across different operating conditions
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This system provides efficient heating and cooling, reduces energy consumption, and allows for reheating performance, enhancing comfort in vehicles with limited heat sources while minimizing emissions and energy use, and enabling the use of waste heat for battery heating in electric vehicles.
Implementation Method 1
a coolant circuit with at least two heat exchangers... a first heat exchanger is arranged in the first flow conduit and a second heat exchanger is arranged in the second flow conduit
Data Source
AI summary
An air conditioning system for conditioning the air of a passenger compartment of a motor vehicle comprises a housing with a first and a second flow conduit for conducting air and a coolant circuit with at least two heat exchangers, wherein a first heat exchanger is arranged in the first flow conduit and a second heat exchanger is arranged in the second flow conduit. The first heat exchanger can be operated independently of the operating mode as an evaporator and the second heat exchanger can be operated independently of the operating mode as a condenser. The housing comprises at least one air conduction device with which an air mass flow conditioned in the air conditioning system can be discharged into the environment. The coolant circuit is constructed with a heat exchanger which is arranged outside of the housing and can be operated as an evaporator or as a condenser.