Work

Advancing Sustainable Refrigeration: In-Depth Analysis and Application of Air Cycle Technologies

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Air cycle systems, once largely replaced by vapour-compression technologies due to efficiency concerns, are now re-emerging as a viable and sustainable alternative for highly dynamic thermal applications and excel in ultra-low temperature. By using air as the working fluid, these systems eliminate the need for synthetic refrigerants and comply naturally with evolving environmental regulations. This study presents the conceptual design and simulation-based analysis of a novel air cycle machine developed for advanced automotive testing environments. The system is intended to replicate a wide range of climatic conditions—from deep winter to peak summer—through the use of fast-responding turbomachinery and a flexible control strategy. A central focus is placed on the radial turbine, which is designed and evaluated using a modular, open source framework that integrates geometry generation, off-design CFD simulation, and performance mapping. The study outlines a potential operating strategy based on these simulations and discusses a control architecture combining lookup tables with zone-specific PID tuning. While the results are theoretical, they demonstrate the feasibility and flexibility of the proposed approach, particularly the turbine’s role within the system.

Source: Thermo

DOI: 10.3390/thermo5040052

Authors: Lorenz Hammerschmidt, Zlatko Raonic, Michael Tielsch

Institution: Montanuniversität Leoben

Language: English

Topic: Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technologies

Subfield: Mechanical Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Industry, innovation and infrastructure, Affordable and clean energy, Climate action

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,207