Air Compressor Discharge Line Optimization

Overview

Volvo Trucks is trying to increase the lifespan of the air desiccant in the air dryer of Semi-Trucks. This is of interest to the company as it costs a lot of money every year to have the desiccants replaced. One of the major causes of air desiccant deterioration is the heat of the compressed air from the air compressor. The discharge line can be redesigned to increase the dissipation of heat of the compressed air before it reaches the air dryer.

Objectives

– Determine the largest factor limiting the thermal dissipation of the air compressor discharge line

– Extend the life of the air desiccant by decreasing temperatures in the discharge line below 65 degrees Celsius by redesigning the discharge line.

– Propose solutions backed with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for increasing thermal dissipation performance.

Approach

– Discussions were held with Volvo Trucks sponsors to determine customer needs.

– The team researched various heat exchangers, materials, and existing solutions.

– CFD analysis on the existing discharge line was conducted to validate our model with the existing values provided by Volvo Trucks.

– The team decided on a material and developed a heat exchanger with and increased surface area.

– The first round of CFD simulations with the new heat exchanger found that more changes would need to be made to reach desired temperatures

– Design of the coil heat exchanger to increase the overall surface area of the discharge line

– Determined that surface area was not the limiting factor and turned focus to exterior air flow

– Suggested to move the heat exchanger to the start of the discharge line where there is more air flow.

– Suggested an alternative option of generating airflow with fans.

Outcomes

– Volvo Trucks is given two potential solutions to help decrease temperatures of the compressed air.

– Temperatures in the discharge line decreased by ~20%

– All models were sent to Volvo Trucks for further simulation