Thermodynamic Analysis of Air Conditioning System for a Passenger Vehicle with Suction Line Heat Exchanger Using HFO-1234yf

Abstract

In this study, the experimental thermodynamic performance and environmental impacts of a vehicle air conditioner using HFO-1234yf with a suction line heat exchanger are studied and compared with HFC-134a results. The influences of air flow rate and air temperature at the evaporator inlet, condenser side air face velocity, and the compressor speeds on the thermodynamic performance of the system are investigated. The results showed that HFO-1234yf has a 12% improved coefficient of performance with 8% higher exergy efficiency than HFC-134a. However, HFO-1234yf has marginally poor performance at higher compressor speeds due to more irreversibilities occurred in the compressor and evaporator. The average SLHX effectiveness was observed to be 45% for HFC-134a, while it was 41% for HFO-1234yf. The HFO-1234yf has a 33.9% and 29.4% and 45.1% lower total equivalent warming impact than HFC-134a for petrol, diesel, and liquefied petroleum gas vehicles, respectively. This study paves a way to promote the use of HFO-1234yf instead of HFC-134a without major modifications in the vehicle air conditioner unit.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Center for Research, Anna University, Chennai, for providing an Anna Centenary Research Fellowship (No. CFR/ACRF/2015/4, dated January 15, 2015) to allow doctoral-level research to be conducted. The VAC system components for this study were provided by the Mahindra Research Valley (MRV), Chennai 603204.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Rajendran Prabakaran

Rajendran Prabakaran is currently worked as a Research Professor at the Thermal Management and Energy System Lab, School of Mechanical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea. He obtained his Ph.D. in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning from Anna University, Chennai in 2021. For the past 11 years he has been working in the field of automobile HVAC, solar refrigeration systems, alternative refrigerants, battery thermal management systems and has published 45 research papers in international journals focusing on automobile air conditioning systems, alternate refrigerants, phase change nanocomposites, and thermal management of batteries.

Dhasan Mohan Lal

Dhasan Mohan Lal is working as a Professor at the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Division, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Anna University, Chennai, India. He has been working in the field of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning for the past 25 years. He has published more than 100 research papers in international journals focusing on heat transfer characteristics of refrigerants, heat transfer in nanofluids, performance assessment of refrigerants in commercial and mobile air conditioning system, cryogenic treatment of materials and phase change nanocomposites.

Sung Chul Kim

Sung Chul Kim is working as a Professor at the Thermal Management and Energy System Lab, School of Mechanical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea. He obtained his Ph.D. in the field of Air Conditioning, Heating and Stack Cooling System for Fuel Cell Vehicles from Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea in 2007. He has been working in the field of Thermal Management and Energy System for the past 15 years. He has published 72 research papers in international journals and 23 patents focusing on thermal management and energy systems.