Power Dense Turbo-Compression Cooling Driven by Waste Heat

The U.S. Navy seeks methods to improve the fuel economy of marine diesel engines through utilization of waste heat. Low temperature engine jacket water, lubrication oil, and aftercooler air are largely untapped streams of thermal energy on these ships, but their utilization circumvents many operation challenges associated with exhaust gases. For example, variable and high exhaust gas temperatures cause thermal cycling of heat exchangers, whereas low temperature engine coolant rarely exceeds 90°C. However, this low temperature makes increasing system efficiency by =10% with a volume increase =4% very difficult due to the large heat exchanger volumes necessary to maximize energy conversion. In this STTR, Mantel Technologies and Colorado State University propose the development of Power Dense Turbo-Compression Cooling Driven by Waste Heat. The proposed approach will address operational challenges and hazards associated with commercially available thermally activated cooling systems, while achieving better performance in a much smaller footprint.