Featured Tata Motors and MAHLE partner to develop a prototype Secondary Loop Mobile Air Conditioning System

Tata Motors and MAHLE partner to develop a prototype Secondary Loop Mobile Air Conditioning System on a vehicle

"Tata Motors Limited and MAHLE have signed a joint development agreement for designing and developing a Secondary Loop Mobile Air Conditioning System (SL-MAC), under the aegis of United Nations Environment.

In the SL-MAC system, the alternative refrigerants first cool a secondary fluid/coolant, which in turn cools the air to comfortable temperatures inside the vehicle cabin. This process allows the safe use of slightly flammable refrigerants that have a low GWP and in turn achieves high cooling capacity, minimizing the losses and achieving an optimized overall thermodynamic efficiency in the process. This is in contrast to the conventional mobile AC system, where the cabin air is directly cooled by the refrigerant HFC-134a, which is ozone safe but has a high GWP.

The new SL-MAC system, which is testing the low-GWP refrigerants, is expected to increase vehicle energy efficiency. This system will turn off the compressor during acceleration and will retain coolness when the compressor is inactive or the engine is turned off for a short duration, allowing rapid cool-down at re-start.

In addition to the expected energy efficiency benefits (fuel saving of up to 3%), the SL-MAC system allows the use of refrigerants that should avoid flow into the vehicle cabin. The refrigerant never enters the passenger compartment and instead stays in the engine area. Only the coolant circulates through the interior air conditioning unit."

 

I really like this design if it works. Imagine replacing lengths of high pressure lines in the interior with low pressure coolant lines. It can use inexpensive and long-lasting PEX piping inside cars to route coolant. These could potentially last the life of the vehicle. Inexpensive solenoid switches that turn off/on cooling/heating to specific areas of the car. Heating/cooling seats on demand. Is this an inexpensive solution for a liquid cooled traction battery?