Simulation of an Adsorption Machine with Auxiliary Heater for CO2-Neutral Air-Conditioning of Electric Utility Vehicles

Abstract

Air-conditioning of vehicles is important to improve driver comfort and motivate users to invest. The heating and cooling processes required for this are very energy-intensive processes. In conventional battery-operated commercial vehicles, the energy required to operate the air-conditioning system is used from the battery. This reduces the range of the vehicles by up to 30%. One of the greatest challenges in making electric commercial vehicles usable across the board is to increase their driving range. To reduce energy losses through air-conditioning, it is preferable to develop a technology that is independent of the battery. There are a number of options for controlling the temperature of a moving vehicle, but only a limited number that is CO₂-neutral. In this paper, we focus on adsorption chiller technology in combination with an auxiliary heater based on bioethanol. To understand the advantage of an adsorption machine, a simulation model can provide useful data on scaling and ease of use and thus be the basis for design and assembly of a prototype system. Therefore, a mathematical model of the adsorption technology is combined with the known dimensional parameters of electric vehicles, and the results are presented in form of a simulation model.

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