Critical Review on the Developments and Future Aspects of Adsorption Heat Pumps for Automobile Air Conditioning

Emission and heat rejection from automobiles are largely responsible for urban environmental issues. Adsorption systems driven by engine waste heat exhibit huge potential to meet the demand for cabin thermal comfort while improving fuel economy. However, the mechanical vapour compression (MVC) systems are still the undisputed champions in automobile air conditioning. This paper provides a critical review on the development and progress of adsorption heat pumps specifically for automobile air conditioning. In doing so, some of the progress and development in land-based adsorption chillers (heat pump), which are not realistically relevant to automobile adsorption systems, are explicitly excluded. Matching the energy density, durability, and reliability of the MVC systems remain major hurdles. The importance of improving the energy density based on the overall system weight or volume, real-world tests under various driving modes and durability aspects are discussed.