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Energy saving in automotive air conditioning system performance using SiO2/PAG nanolubricants

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Abstract

The use of automotive air conditioning (AAC) nowadays is essential because of the hot climate and global warming. The AAC increases the overall fuel consumption in order to cool down the car cabin, hence releases more CO2 into the atmosphere. Nanotechnology can be implemented into the lubricant of the AAC compressor which can aid in reducing the power consumption. Therefore, this paper investigates the effect of SiO2/PAG nanolubricants on the AAC performance and energy saving. The SiO2/PAG nanolubricants were prepared using the two-step method. The sedimentation observation and UV–Vis spectrophotometer evaluation confirmed the stability of the nanolubricants. The tribology analysis revealed the coefficient of friction of SiO2/PAG nanolubricants better than the original PAG lubricants. The performance parameters and power consumption (energy saving) of AAC system using SiO2/PAG nanolubricants were compared with PAG lubricants. The condenser pressure and the pressure ratio of the AAC system decreased by an average of 10.8% and 5.6%, respectively. The volumetric heat absorb increased up to 3% and the coefficient of performance increased by an average of 21%. The compressor work and power consumption of the AAC system reduced by 16.5% and 4%, respectively. As a conclusion, it was recommended to use 0.05% volume concentration of SiO2/PAG nanolubricants in AAC compressor for optimum system performance and energy saving.

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Abbreviations

\( \bar{A} \) :

Final absorbance

\( \bar{A}_{\text{o}} \) :

Initial absorbance

\( \bar{A}_{\text{r}} \) :

Absorbance ratio

A/C:

Air conditioning

AAC:

Automotive air conditioning

Al2O3 :

Aluminium oxide

COP:

Coefficient of performance

COF:

Coefficient of friction

CO2 :

Carbon dioxide

CNT:

Carbon nanotube

Cp:

Specific heat for water at 30–40 °C

EDM:

Electrical discharge machining

FESEM:

Field emission scanning electron microscopy

HFC:

Hydrofluorocarbon

m :

Mass (kg)

\( \dot{m} \) :

Water mass flow rate

\( \dot{m}_{\text{r}} \) :

Refrigerant mass flow rate

MO:

Mineral oil

m RC :

Initial refrigerant charge (g)

n :

Number of sample

PAG:

Polyalkylene glycol

Q L :

Heat absorb (kJ kg−1)

\( \dot{Q}_{\text{L}} \) :

Cooling capacity (kW)

POE:

Polyolester

RAC:

Resident air conditioning

RPM:

Revolution per minute

RSE:

Relative standard error (%)

S err :

Standard error

SiO2 :

Silicon dioxide

SAE:

Society of Automotive Engineers

T :

Temperature (°C)

TEM:

Transmission electron microscopy

W in :

Compressor work (kJ kg−1)

W eff :

Power consumption (kW)

V L :

Volumetric heat absorb

V S :

Specific volume at the suction port

ϕ :

Volume concentration (%)

ρ :

Density (kg m−3)

σ :

Standard deviation for sample

L :

Lubricant

P :

Nanoparticle

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the Universiti Malaysia Pahang (www.ump.edu.my) and the Automotive Engineering Centre (AEC) for financial supports given under RDU1603110. This research also partially supported by UMP Flagship Research Grant under RDU172204. The authors also thank the research team from Advanced Fluids Focus Group (AFFG) and Advanced Automotive Liquids Laboratory (A2LL), who provided insight and expertise that greatly assisted in the present research work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, 26600, Pekan, Pahang, Malaysia

    M. Z. Sharif, W. H. Azmi, A. A. M. Redhwan & R. Mamat

  2. Faculty of Manufacturing Engineering Technology, TATI University College, 24000, Kemaman, Terengganu, Malaysia

    A. A. M. Redhwan

  3. Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

    G. Najafi

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  1. M. Z. Sharif
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Correspondence to W. H. Azmi.

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Sharif, M.Z., Azmi, W.H., Redhwan, A.A.M. et al. Energy saving in automotive air conditioning system performance using SiO2/PAG nanolubricants. J Therm Anal Calorim 135, 1285–1297 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-018-7728-3

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