Minimising total vehicle energy consumption by balancing the aerodynamic benefit of an active grille shutter and the power consumption of the air conditioning compressor

摘要

An active grille shutter system can reduce the energy consumption of a motor vehicle by reducing or eliminating the portion of the aerodynamic drag that is related to the air flow through the front-end cooling systems and the engine compartment. As the cooling air flow is reduced in order to gain this benefit, the ventilation of the condenser of the air conditioning system is also affected, and thereby the efficiency of the refrigeration cycle. This can result in an increased power consumption of the air conditioning compressor. The resulting optimisation task is to control the active grille shutter in such a way that the total energy consumption is minimised. Data on effects and sensitivities are presented and a conclusion on the control strategy derived.