Impact of optimized gas-liquid separator on temperature and frost distribution in electric vehicle heat pump AC

Abstract

In the context of low temperatures, the outdoor evaporator surface in an electric vehicle's heat pump air conditioning system tends to accumulate frost unevenly. This uneven frosting occurs due to the varying heat exchange capacity of the refrigerant's two phases within the evaporator. Any reduction in the heat exchanger's capacity would lead to a negative impact on system performance. To address these challenges, this study introduces a gas–liquid separator placed in front of the outdoor evaporator. The aim was to enhance both the outdoor evaporator's performance and the overall system efficiency while investigating frost formation and heat distribution in the outdoor evaporator within a heat pump air conditioning system. The research outcomes demonstrate that the gas–liquid separator can effectively enhance evaporating pressure by regulating the opening degree of the gas-phase bypass valve. Optimal performance is achieved with the gas-phase branch bypass valve set between 20% and 30%, ensuring a stable operational condition and higher evaporating pressure. Moreover, the incorporation of a gas–liquid separator could lead to significant improvements in system performance, with increases of 6.9% in heat capacity and 7.4% in COP observed. Additionally, this enhancement extends to the outlet air temperature, showing improvements ranging from 3.6% to 11.2%.