Sanhua Leads the Drafting of Industry Standards for Electronic Expansion Valves in Automotive Thermal Systems: Successful Seminar Held

On January 10th, the "Automotive Thermal System Standards Seminar," organized by the Automotive Thermal System Branch of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers and hosted by Sanhua, was successfully held in Hangzhou. This seminar follows the "Automotive Air Conditioning Aluminum Plate Heat Exchanger" industry standards seminar, once again hosted by Sanhua. The seminar focused on in-depth exchanges on topics such as industrial policies, product and technological innovation, clarifying ideas, building consensus, and planning layouts, further promoting the construction and industrial development of automotive thermal system standards.

Xue Qingfeng, Secretary-General of the Automotive Thermal System Branch of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, and Sun Lei, head of the Secretariat of the National Automotive Standardization Technical Committee’s Car Body Sub-Technical Committee, attended the seminar. Additionally, about 40 experts from vehicle manufacturers, automotive air conditioning manufacturers, automotive air conditioning component manufacturers, and automotive air conditioning test equipment manufacturers participated in the seminar. The seminar was chaired by Dr. Zhang Rongrong, Chief Technology Officer of Sanhua R&D Center.

Dr. Zhang Rongrong first extended a warm welcome and heartfelt thanks to all the experts on behalf of Sanhua, expressing the hope that through this exchange platform, technical order can be established through standards, product applicability can be improved, and industry technical exchanges and cooperation can be promoted, contributing wisdom and strength to the standardization of automotive thermal systems.

During the seminar, Secretary-General Xue Qingfeng provided a detailed explanation of the drafting principles, framework of the industry standard, "Electronic Expansion Valve for Automotive Thermal Systems", the work plan, and specific requirements to ensure the quality and progress of the standard drafting. Secretary-General Sun Lei introduced the development process and background of the industry standard, "Electronic Expansion Valve for Automotive Thermal Systems" and conveyed the requirements of the National Automotive Car Body Standardization Management Committee for the drafting of industry standards.

In the standard discussion session, adhering to the philosophy “establishing the perfect order, achieving win-win through cooperation”, industry experts and representatives from drafting units actively offered suggestions on how to promote the generalization, compatibility, and sustainable development of products, focusing on the scope, normative reference documents, terms and definitions, classification, rated working conditions, technical requirements, and test methods of the industry standard for electronic expansion valves applied on automotive thermal systems. Dr. Zhang Rongrong answered technical questions about the drafts from experts and representatives.

The seminar determined the main framework, text structure, main technical requirements, test methods, and schedules for the drafting work, providing direction for the next steps in the standard revision.

With the global promotion of the new energy vehicle industry, the market for electronic expansion valves is steadily growing. In 2022, global electric vehicle sales reached 10.522 million units, with a year-on-year increase of 55.47%. Currently, the GB/T 37123-2018 "Electric Drive Air Conditioners for Automobiles" standard only involves the whole air conditioner, lacking requirements for electronic expansion valves. With technological advancements, electronic expansion valves continue to innovate in micro-step control, digital communication, and low power consumption.

As an important component to improve the performance and energy efficiency of automotive air conditioning systems, the standardization of electronic expansion valves plays a positive role in promoting technological progress and regulating product quality in the industry. This seminar not only provided a platform for exchanges but also injected momentum into the technical planning and standardization process.

Vice President Zhou Jiangfeng and his team from Sanhua R&D Center also participated in the discussion of the association standard, "Performance Requirements and Test Methods for Heat Pump Air Conditioning Systems for New Energy Vehicles" on the afternoon of the 10th.