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Regular service of the vehicle is to be done with high precision service equipment, to ensure the factory performance of the vehicle over the entire life of product usage. However, complex nature of the physical processes involved in the service of the vehicle subsystems makes it costly for optimizing the service equipment performance for entire range of operation. Air-conditioning service (ACS) equipment is one such product in the diagnostics domain which deals with compressible, transient and two phase flow in open loop systems. Development of control system for the service equipment to perform optimally over the entire operational range requires accurate mathematical model of the system under study. Application of mathematical model based approach requires calculation of geometrical details, environment information and fluid properties during the process for estimating the process behavior.

Mobile Air Conditioner's (MAC) are becoming part of every mobility solution, both for goods and people. Developed nations have started reigning in the side effects for inevitable use of refrigerants during usage and service. The most stringent and current regulation related to servicing of MAC is SAE J2788 for R134a refrigerant. This paper will discuss the parameters influencing AC service and challenges there by. The SAE J standard mandates recharge accuracy of ±15°g at 21 to 24°C temperature on Chevy Suburban for a target charge quantity of 1360 g. Though the standard is limited to testing condition at laboratory temperature, actual conditions in a service workshop would demand higher degree of fine tuning to meet efficient functioning of MAC, despite many controllable and uncontrollable variables. This paper would examine some of such variables and technological approaches adopted in achieving the above requirements.