One HVAC system covers three zones on 2014 Acura MDX

 02-Jul-2013 05:04 EDT

Ductwork layout for the integrated system is complex. Note separate

ducts at each side to second row for heat, center ducts for HVAC to
second row center, and heat duct to third row.
Can just one under-dash HVAC system provide climate control to three
seat rows in a full-size crossover vehicle that previously had a separate
rear system? Such an approach would seem to require a major
compromise in cooling and heating performance. As a result, a single
system invariably had been limited to smaller two-row vehicles—until
the new Acura MDX.
The MDX is a three-row crossover that for the 2014 model year
incorporates a novel approach to a three-zone layout. It uses a
partitioned evaporator and heater core in a partitioned under-dash
HVAC case that feeds an external multiple rear duct system, where a
strategically located second blower motor maintains the auxiliary
airflow.
The partitions are for front and rear, with the sizing bias toward the
front as would be done with a dual-zone system, but the zoning
approach itself is totally new. So although it's a system with just one
evaporator and heater core, Honda claims performance is equal to
HVAC with a separate rear system, plus with notable advantages.
The A/C evaporator and heater airflow splits are 65% front, 35% rear,
explained Kevin Cheung, Senior Engineer for Interior Design at Honda
R&D Americas in Raymond, OH. In front there are two HVAC zones, as
expected, one for driver and a second for right-side passenger, but
with supplemental delivery from each for heated air, via floor ducts to
the left and right seats in the second row.
The second and third rows form the third HVAC zone. The controls for
floor, upper register, and bi-level, plus blower speed and air mix to
regulate temperature for second and third rows, are on a panel at the
second-row center location. A third-row floor duct is for heat only.
CAFE credits
This system configuration reduces the number of refrigerant line
connections by a third, to equal the lower leakage rate of a single
evaporator system, which of course it is from a refrigeration system
design standpoint. There is 40% more heat transfer area vs.
conventionally sized front-only evaporator and heater cores, to provide
the thermal performance for rear HVAC. The refrigerant charge was
reduced (compared with the previous system that had rear HVAC) by
50 grams to 700.
The U.S. EPA has a CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) carbon
credits program to evaluate new technology that increases A/C fuel
efficiency and reduces refrigerant leakage per SAE J2727. This SAE
standard features a spreadsheet for estimating system leakage
according to the components and sealing technologies used and, where
appropriate, with verification with helium leak testing. Low-leakage
systems earn credits toward CAFE.
MDX is classified by EPA as a light-duty truck, a category with higher
CAFE credits. The maximum EPA credit for a low-leakage truck system
is 7.8 g/mi; for high system fuel efficiency, it's 7.2 g/mi. Extra credits
may be granted by EPA if a manufacturer can demonstrate that it has
an innovative HVAC design that improves fuel efficiency.
There is another example of engineering for A/C fuel efficiency: the
MDX uses a smart HVAC control module that incorporates the high-
occupancy-rate front seats, which are heated and cooled, in its overall
regulation of heating and air-conditioning. The second-row seats are
heat-only, passenger-controlled.
The integration concept originated at Honda R&D Americas, noted
Bradley Errington, HVAC Manager, and Acura engineering approached
potential suppliers with a structure and construction method Honda
had patented. This led to a new HVAC supply relationship with Delphi,
which developed the heat exchanger partitions and also is supplying its
CVC seven-cylinder variable-displacement compressor for the MDX.
As the illustrations show, the integrated system has a complex layout
of ducts, both within the HVAC case and out to the second- and third-
row seats. A side view of the HVAC case makes it seem as if the rear
airflow, which flows in a U-pattern within it, might be restricted. But
because rear airflow is only 35% of the total, Cheung explained that
"the cross-section is sized appropriately for the airflow volume and
does not impose a large pressure drop inside the HVAC case." He added
that this was confirmed both by CFD and actual performance testing.
Ducts integrated with dashboard
Within the HVAC case itself, the Acura and Delphi engineering teams
were able to provide the needed separation and minimized thermal
bleed between airflow passages with specifically designed seals, some
of which are covered by patents. Further, there is a major design
feature that helps package the in-dash system: integration of much of
the HVAC case ductwork with the substrate of the dashboard. That is,
the ductwork is C-sectional and is infrared welded to the substrate,
which forms the closing side. This not only serves as a major space
saver, but it also increases the structural rigidity of the dashboard.
The evaporator's significant mounting angle was a key part of the
design of the case to manage airflow and package the system, noted
Errington, and it posed a challenge to ensure effective condensate
drainage to prevent evaporator icing. This required a careful balancing
act with the evaporator fin design and count needed for good heat
transfer (evaporator is rated at over 6000 W of cooling power) and the
drainage requirements. Honda designed the Acura MDX seal and drain
system and holds a patent for it.
Although there is a multiduct system from the integrated front unit, it
is lightweight plastic and results in a 10 lb (4.5 kg) overall HVAC saving
in weight vs. HVAC with a rear unit. There also is an obvious cost-
saving from the integrated system, which Cheung said was 18%. The
new design also clears a huge storage space in the console—at 12,500
cm³ (762.8 in³) it has 250% more volume than in the 2012 MDX.