VEHICLE AIR CONDITIONER (VAC) CONTROL SYSTEM BASED ON PASSENGER COMFORT: A PROOF OF CONCEPT

The air conditioning system (AC) in passenger cars requires precise control to provide a comfortable and healthy driving. In an AC system with limited manual control, the driver has to repeatedly change the setting to improve comfort. This problem may be overcome by implementing an automatic control system to maintain cabin temperature and humidity to meet passenger's thermal comfort. Therefore, this paper presents the development of a laboratory-scale prototype air conditioning control system to regulate temperature, humidity and air circulation in the cabin. The experimental results show that the control system is able to control air temperature in the range of 21 °C to 23 °C and cabin air humidity between 40% to 60% in various simulated environmental conditions which indicate acceptance for comfort and health standards in the vehicle. In conclusion, this method can be applied to older vehicles with reasonable modifications. ABSTRAK: Sistem penyejuk udara (AC) pada kenderaan penumpang memerlukan ketepatan kawalan bagi menyediakan keselesaan dan kesejahteraan pemanduan. Melalui sistem AC dengan kawalan manual terhad, pemandu perlu berulang kali mengubah penyesuaian latar bagi meningkatkan keselesaan. Masalah ini dapat diatasi dengan menerapkan sistem kawalan automatik bagi menjaga suhu dan kelembapan kabin agar memenuhi keselesaan suhu penumpang. Oleh itu, kajian ini merupakan pembangunan prototaip sistem kawalan AC skala laboratari bagi mengawal suhu, kelembapan dan peredaran udara dalam kabin. Hasil eksperimen menunjukkan sistem kawalan ini mampu mengendali suhu udara pada kitaran 21 °C hingga 23 °C dan kelembaban udara kabin antara 40% hingga 60% pada pelbagai keadaan persekitaran simulasi yang menunjukkan penerimaan standard keselesaan dan kesejahteraan kenderaan. Sebagai kesimpulan, cara ini dapat diaplikasi pada kenderaan lama dengan modifikasi bersesuaian.

Research on New Cleaning Method of Automobile Air Conditioner

on the car air conditioning cleaning market at present there are some problem of cleaning method has been widely criticized, simple and convenient cleaning method, in particular, the so-called clean air conditioning is “only spray cleaner, no water washing”, this will cause the pipeline internal dirt clean is not complete, easy to internal damage other parts of automobile air conditioning, affect the normal operation of the air conditioning, the remaining part of the chemical substances will also produce secondary pollution to the air inside the car, seriously affects people’s health and safety.

The Survey of Fungal Contamination in the Air Flowing Out of Air Conditioners (Coolers) in a Car

Background: Fungi are among the most important microorganisms in the air. The air conditioner (cooler) in a car can be an important reservoir for infectious agents, especially fungal species. The present study aimed to measure the fungal contamination in the air flowing out of air conditioners. Objective: In this study 138 cars including 69 Iranian-made cars and 69 cars made by foreign companies were examined. Methods: The plating technique was used. In this study, in each car, 2 plates were placed for 5 minutes when the air conditioner was on and also 2 plates were placed for 5 minutes when the air conditioner was off. Results: A total of 2442 colonies were isolated. The most common isolated fungi were Cladosporium spp. (25.55%), Penicillium spp. (6.14%) and Aspergillus niger (3.03%). The highest number of isolated fungal elements was observed in the Iranian-made cars during summer season (P-value<0.05). Furthermore, the growth rate of colonies on the plates placed on the front and rear seats of cars did not vary considerably (P-value > 0.05). Conclusion: Air conditioners of Iranian-made cars can be an important source for fungal transmission to the human respiratory system that is important, especially in susceptible people to allergic diseases and patients with immunodeficiency.

RESEARCHES ON THE TESTING IN LABORATORY CONDITIONS OF AN ECOLOGICAL CLIMATE SYSTEM USED FOR SELFPROPELED AGRICULTURAL MACHINES

Nowadays, cooling the air by means of climate maintenance systems is achieved, in most cases, using installations based on freon or other substances that cause pollution. Taking into account the fact that the EEC standards and regulations increase the emphasis on ensuring the quality, labour safety, health and environment, finding a solution for air conditioners that do not use a substance that causes pollution, has become a necessity. As a great part of farming work is done in the warmest periods of the year, temperatures being frequently over 35oC, it is necessary to equip the agricultural machines with air conditioners in order to achieve a thermic comfort in the cab. For this purpose, an air conditioner based on the process of water evaporation was designed, made and tested. The installation is able to cool the air that enters into the cab through the evaporation process that takes place in the special filling, with an efficiency of the mixing process more than 90%. Air passing sections are calculated so that they can assure both the quantity needed for climate maintenance in the cab (about 3.5 - 4 m3/min) and the relative speed between air and water in the filling, in order for the evaporation process to be conducted in the best conditions that were theoretical established.

MENGURANGI LOSS TIME UNTUK MENINGKATKAN OUTPUT PRODUK EVACOND AREA BUSINESS UNIT AIR CONDITIONER PT. ABC

PT. ABC merupakan perusahaan yang bergerak di bidang elektronik. Salah satu produk yang dihasilkan adalah AC (Air Conditioner) yang merupakan suatu alat yang digunakan untuk mengatur atau mengkondisikan kualitas udara yang meliputi sirkulasi udara, mengatur kelembaban udara, mengatur kebersihan udara dan untuk memurnikan udara. Salah satu business unit yaitu Business Unit Air Conditioner memproduksi AC berupa indoor unit dan outdoor unit. Pada proses produksinya dibagi menjadi 5 area antara lain press shop (M1), evacond area (M2), assembly CU line, assembly CS line, dan assembly CB line. Evacond Area (M2) adalah area manufaktur untuk memproduksi evaporator dan kondensor, salah satu station kerja di evacond area adalah fin press. Pada mesin fin press belum tercapainya target produksi, dimana target produksi sebesar 243.375 unit sedangkan aktualnya hanya mencapai 193.855 unit. Hal tersebut disebabkan oleh loss time yang terjadi di mesin fin press sebesar 34.061 menit dengan loss time terbesarnya adalah breakdown loss sebesar 10.056 menit. Akar permasalahan breakdown loss yang besar adalah belum melaksanakan metode preventive maintenance sesuai jadwal, dikarenakan mesin harus selalu on untuk mengejar target produksi. Maka dari itu, penulis membuat jadwal khusus untuk menerapkan metode preventive maintenance untuk mesin fin press, dikarenakan permintaan produksi yang tinggi maka pelaksanaan preventive maintenance dilaksanakan pada hari libur sehingga tidak akan mengganggu produksi yang sedang mengejar target. Dengan pelaksanaan preventive maintenance sesuai jadwal dapat mengurangi waktu sebesar 31.228 menit dan diharapkan produksi mencapai 243.375 unit