Grant: Automotive Partnership Canada Project

This research program will focus on the development of next generation green sustainable air-conditioning and refrigeration (NC-R) systems featuring new regenerative auxiliary power systems (RAPS) for service vehicles including long-haul trucks, reefers, and buses. The main objectives of this project are to eliminate the need for idling and improve the overall efficiency of NC-R systems and thus the fuel economy of the targeted service vehicles. Long-haul trucks idling consume more than 950 million gallons of fuel annually in the US alone. Idling also emits greenhouse gases and pollutants that have been linked to asthma and lung cancer. The long-term goal is to develop a novel and efficient thermal management system that uses the internal combustion engine waste heat for operating NC-R in service vehicles, which will lead to a significant reduction in harmful gas emissions, operating costs, weight, as well as improve drivers comfort and temperature distribution in the vehicles. State-of-the-art testing facilities will be established at both Simon Fraser University and the University of Waterloo to validate simulations and also facilitate the design and optimization of the prototypes proposed in this research program.The research agenda will establish a collaborative research program between Simon Fraser University and theUniversity of Waterloo, and enjoys the full support and close collaboration with three industrial partners: Cool-It Hi Way; CrossChasm Technologies; and Saputo Canada. The results and experience gained from the proposed project will provide engineering design tools and new efficient energy management systems specifically designed for service vehicles, which will aid Canadian automotive companies such as Cool-It and CrossChasm. Furthermore, the fundamental knowledge and modeling design tools can be employed for a variety of other sustainable energy and automotive applications, including energy storage systems, hybrid electric vehicles, and HVAC, to name a few. Additionally, the unique laboratory and testing facility proposed in this project will be a tremendous resource for future training of personnel and collaboration with many industry and academic partners.