Thermoeconomic Analysis of a Mobile Air Conditioning Unit Using the Specific Exergy Cost (SPECO) Method

Abstract

In recent years, many researchers have used exergy-based analysis and assessment methods such as exergy, exergoeconomic and exergoenvironmental as powerful tools to solve practical problems in the design and to improve energy-related systems. The main objectives of this contribution are to analyse and assess the performance of a mobile air conditioning (MAC) system from the thermoeconomic point of view that combines energy quality and economic issues. We used the specific exergy cost (SPECO) method to calculate exergy-related parameters and display cost flows for all streams and components in the whole system. In this context, we considered a vapour compressed MAC unit (utilizing R134a as a refrigerant) of a public bus with a capacity of 99 passengers and a volume of 69 m3. In the analysis, we utilized the real data obtained from the measurements. Based on the exergetic analysis, while the highest exergy destruction rate was determined to be 3.7 kW for the compressor, with a minimum value of 0.15 kW due to the condenser unit. Furthermore, through the SPECO method, the highest and lowest exergoeconomic factors belonged to the condenser with 0.63 and the expansion valve with 0.05, respectively.