Title: Performance evaluation of a mobile air conditioning unit: an exergetic approach

Authors: Huseyin Gunhan Ozcan; Arif Hepbasli; Huseyin Gunerhan

Addresses: Department of Energy Systems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Yasar University, Bornova/Izmir, 35100, Turkey ' Department of Energy Systems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Yasar University, Bornova/Izmir, 35100, Turkey ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ege University, Bornova/Izmir, 35100, Turkey

Abstract: This study considers a public bus (having a capacity of 99 passengers and a volume of 69 m3) along with its vapour compressed mobile air conditioning (MAC) unit (utilising R134a as a refrigerant) together as a low exergy (so-called LowEx) system. The LowEx analysis, which has been mostly applied to buildings, and conventional exergy analyses method are utilised together (coupled up analysis method) to assess the performance of this system for the first time to the best of the authors' knowledge. Based on the LowEx analysis, total exergy efficiency and exergy flexibility factor are calculated to be 11.92% and 0.56 for the heating mode and 3.41% and 0.19 for the cooling mode, respectively. Furthermore, through on the conventional exergy analyses, the highest exergy efficiency belongs to condenser with 93.08% in the cooling mode, while it is 93.20% for the water heat exchanger in the heating mode, respectively.

Keywords: low exergy; LowEx; conventional exergy; public bus; mobile air conditioning; MAC; heating and cooling; system performance; exergetic efficiency; exergy flexibility factor.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEX.2019.097980

International Journal of Exergy, 2019 Vol.28 No.2, pp.183 - 208

Received: 31 May 2018
Accepted: 30 Oct 2018

Published online: 25 Feb 2019 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article