• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.153-159
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• 2012

CFC-12 used in mobile air conditioning(MAC) system has been replaced by R-134a, a type of HFC refrigerant, from 1991 to 1994. R-134a has since been widely used as a refrigerant of a mobile air conditioner. However, it is one of the six main green house gases listed in Kyoto Protocol, which makes it imperative to regulate its emission and develop alternative refrigerants. In this study, the concentration of leaked R-134a was measured using VT(Variable Temperature) shed and Running loss test shed to analyze the level of air conditioner refrigerant leaked in a vehicle. According to the analysis of the concentration of R-134a leaked from a vehicle parked, annual leakage amount of R-134a was in the range of 6.46~13.28 g/yr. The figure was similar with the leakage from the mobile air conditioning system currently used. In a study using the same vehicle model, a vehicle equipped with dual evaporation system had a higher leakage rate of refrigerant than a vehicle with a single evaporation system. It appears that the added fittings and joints of the dual evaporator system led to higher leakage rate. Besides, the analysis of the change in R-134a concentration under various car speed found that more refrigerant leaked under high speed(100km/hr) and but the volume of the wind did not affect to the variation of refrigerant leakage.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.121-129
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• 2011

Hydrocarbons which are the main sources of VOCs from motor vehicles are emitted not only from the engine exhaust gas but also from evaporation of the fuel in storage and supplying systems. Evaporative emissions from gasoline fuel systems could be classified by diurnal, hotsoak and running loss. Diurnal loss test procedures are different as countries. Korea introduced new evaporative regulation in 2009 with 24hour VT-shed test procedure and relaxed emission standards. The estimations on different test procedures in this study show that the new Korean regulation get a little more severe than before and the 2 day diurnal loss test of U.S. is the most severe. So the test procedures as well as the stronger standards should be considered in the next evaporative emission regulation to reduce VOCs from motor vehicles. The important parameters to affect evaporative emissions are air and fuel temperature and fuel vapor pressure. Diurnal loss increases exponentially as rising air temperature and vapor pressure. The effects of vapor pressure on running loss are different as the capacities of canisters. Tests with simulating real temperature and driving conditions show that hydrocarbons in evaporative emissions could be more than those in exhaust gas in summer season because of the higher air temperature.