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The Centre for Energy Studies, with a financial support by ADEME (French Agency for Environment and Energy Management), has realized a test bench for the measurement of R-134a leak flow rates of Mobile Air-Conditioning) MAC components. The test bench is equiped with an infrared spectrophotometer permitting thorough and fast measurements. The measurement principle is simple. R-134a pressure is generated in gas phase in the component to be tested (in the study, the compressor). This component is located in a leak tight control volume at atmospheric pressure. The control volume is filled in recomposed air as to prevent any external pollution. The control volume is swept by a continuous flow permitting continuous measurement of the R-134a concentration in the measurement cell. Knowing the concentration increase, the control volume and the time, the concentration measure permits the calculation of the leak flow rate.

During summertime, some in-vehicle components can reach very high temperatures, in particular because of solar radiation through windows. The liquid-filled double glazing (LFDGW) window permit the solar gain because of its absorbing properties and consequently permit to maintain the window temperature. The impact of such a window on in-vehicle temperatures is evaluated with the Therm_Cab® software. Results indicate that the temperatures of the in-vehicle component are reduced significantly.