Mobile Air Conditioning and Thermal Management

Summary

Efficient Heating and Cooling of Electric Vehicles

On behalf of our customers we design, evaluate, and optimize thermal components and systems of electric vehicles. In addition to efficient operating strategies and heating and cooling of the interior, we also focus on the intelligent integration of powertrain components as thermal sources and sinks. For the analysis of the holistic thermal management system, we include measurement data from real vehicles being driven. Increasing energy efficiency and driving range is the focus of our work.

Mobile Air Conditioning

Ventilation, Heating, Cooling & Dehumidification

On behalf of our customers, we simulate heating and cooling, as well as airflow, humidification, and dehumidification for:

  • Passenger cars
  • Commercial vehicles
  • Rail vehicles
  • Ships
  • Aircraft

In the context of the global transition to sustainable energy, we focus in particular on issues and challenges relating to the decarbonization of vehicle drivetrains. This includes topics such as electrification and the use of hydrogen as a fuel. Some of the areas and applications we are working in on behalf of our customers include:

Modeling and simulation of thermal components and systems

  • Developing and extending models of components and refrigeration systems
  • Detailed design of air conditioning systems including refrigeration cycles 
  • Application of different refrigerants (R744, R1234yf, R290 etc.)
  • Steady-state and dynamic simulations
  • Modeling of highly complex, dynamic processes such as transition caused by valve switching and icing/defrosting

Model-based validation, analysis, and optimization

  • Design and optimization of control concepts for air conditioning and heating systems
  • Evaluation of refrigerant and oil charge levels
  • Preparation and comparison of measurement and simulation data, including energy flow analysis
  • Parameter fitting and validation of components and systems
  • Optimization of system structure

Model export and coupled vehicle simulations

  • Preparation of fast, robust models of switchable heat pump processes for coupled vehicle simulation
  • Setup of coupled vehicle models in various software environments (TISC, TLK Simulator, Matlab/Simulink, Dymola, etc.)
  • Plausibility check, verification, validation, and execution of coupled vehicle simulations

Thermal Management in Passenger Cars

Holistic Energy Management and Thermal Management

Together with our customers, we develop innovative solutions for holistic energy management and thermal management in vehicles. We consider the energy distribution in the entire system, as well as the thermal integration of individual components including their environment. When required or appropriate for the application, our analyses utilize specially generated measurement or simulation data.

Our modeling and simulation of vehicles, covers all aspects of the process development chain: from the design of the simulation architecture, through the modeling of individual components, to fully automated simulation, and finally including evaluation and validation. We offer the following specific tasks, for example:

  • Development and maintenance of the entire simulation architecture including definition of the modeling philosophy
  • Creation of all relevant component models from mechanical (e.g. transmission) to electrical components (e.g. high-voltage battery) to air conditioning (PTC and heat pump, passenger compartment), thermal management, and control units
  • Specification of complex, dynamic boundary conditions (e.g. statistical weather data, or legal requirements such as driving cycles and ambient conditions)
  • Development of complete tool chains to perform entire vehicle simulations
  • Simulation validation using data from measurements on a vehicle test bench or collected from a real vehicle under actual driving conditions
  • Execution of simulation studies to evaluate measures for improvement and to develop recommendations for action
  • Preparation and comparison of measurement and simulation results including detailed energy flow analyses
  • Automation of simulation studies, visualization of simulation results, and testing of models with MoBA Automation

For our customers, we identify conflicting objectives such as comfort, efficiency, range, and service life and develop solutions for optimal operation of the overall system. Our customized evaluations enable our customers to better understand complex interrelationships in thermal management. To visualize these interrelationships, we use DaVE, a software program we developed specifically for this application area.

Contact

Your contact partner

If you have any questions regarding mobile air conditioning, please contact:

M.Eng. René Jugert

+49/531/390 76 - 238

Contact

Your contact partner

If you have any questions regarding thermal management, please contact:

Dr.-Ing. Ole Roesky

+49/531/390 76 - 237