Design for Integration of a Compact Waste Energy Recovery System for Automobile Engine Exhaust Gas and Coolant

In this study, key components of combined cycles designed for waste energy recovery from automobile engines have been virtually designed for being light weight, small sized without compromising strengths, and based on integration with the existing components of an automobile. Originally a simulation was performed to examine the amount of waste energy that could be recovered and the consequential increase in the overall thermal efficiency through the use of Kalina, ethanol and steam cycles using Engineering Equation Solver software under typical engine operating conditions. It was found that steam cycle was better for recovering energy from the exhaust gas at the higher temperature range (689 C to 160 C) and Kalina cycle was better for recovering energy from the exhaust gas and the cooling water at the lower temperature range (122 C to 80 C) among the three cycles. It was found that using this combination of cycles about 5 kW of power could be extracted from the wasted energy. The next thing was to determine the amount of space, weight and design to incorporate a system of cycles like this with an automobile. The combined cycle generation, a process widely used in existing power plants, has become a viable option for automotive applications due to advances in materials science, nanotechnology, and MEMS (Micro-Electro Mechanical Systems) devices. Critical components of the best performing cycles have been designed using computer aided engineering for the minimization of weight and space, and integration with the typical components of an automobile.Copyright © 2014 by ASME