skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: An automobile air conditioner design model

Conference ·
OSTI ID:10133121

A computer program has been developed to predict the steady-state performance of vapor compression automobile air conditioners and heat pumps. The code is based on the residential heat pump model developed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Most calculations are based on fundamental physical principles, in conjunction with generalized correlations available in the research literature. Automobile air conditioning components that can be specified as input to the program include open and hermetic compressors; finned tube condensers; finned tube and plate-fin style evaporators; thermostatic expansion valves (TXV), capillary tube, and short tube expansion devices; refrigerant mass; and evaporator pressure regulator and all interconnecting tubing. Pressure drop, heat transfer rates, and latent capacity ratio for the new plate-fin evaporator submodel are shown to agree well with laboratory data. The program can be used with a variety of refrigerants, including R-134a.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-84OR21400
OSTI ID:
10133121
Report Number(s):
CONF-9303104-1; ON: DE93007822
Resource Relation:
Conference: Vehicle thermal management systems,Columbus, OH (United States),29 Mar - 1 Apr 1993; Other Information: PBD: Dec 1992
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English