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The publication "Hybrid Stirling engine-adsorption chiller for truck auxiliary power unit applications" by Barry Flannery, Oliver Finckh, Harald Berresheim and Rory F.D. Monaghan has been recently accepted for publication at the International Journal of Refrigeration. This paper presents preliminary experimental test results for a novel truck auxiliary power unit (APU) design consisting of a 1 kW_e free-piston Stirling engine and 2 kW_tzeolite-water adsorption chiller that is powered via waste heat from the engine's cooling jacket. A prototype system was built and tested to study the interaction dynamics between the Stirling engine and adsorption chiller and to determine the performance of the chiller in extreme ambient temperature conditions. The results show that pulsed thermal loading from the chiller on the engine results in engine power spikes to 110–115% of rated power. The proposed system has many benefits over existing technologies such as low noise, high reliability and clean emissions without any need for additional exhaust treatment. This research was supported by the Irish Research Council and Thermo King Ingersoll Rand via an Enterprise Partnership Scheme Postgraduate Scholarship (Project ID: EPSPG/2013/579).

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You can find this publication online here.