Air conditioning (also known as AC) is a term used for a variety of systems that regulate indoor temperature to ease discomfort. It can be a great help for people with respiratory problems such as asthma.
To do this, the air conditioner uses chemicals that easily convert from a liquid to a gas and back again. This absorbs the heat in the evaporator coil and releases it into the outside air, where it is then cooled down to below room temperature.
The Compressor
The compressor is one of the most important parts of your air conditioner. It increases pressure on the liquid refrigerant and transfers the cooled refrigerant back to the evaporator coils.
An air compressor converts power, such as electric motors and gasoline engines, into potential energy stored in pressurized air. Compressed air is often used for a wide range of applications, including inflating tires, running nail guns or blowers, and driving pneumatic tools such as jackhammers.
Depending on the model, air compressors vary in size from small models for household use to large industrial-sized units that can produce up to 350 horsepower. They generate energy via two internal rotors that turn in opposite directions, causing air to become trapped between them and build up pressure within the housing.
Rotary screw air compressors have a built-in cooling system and are designed for continuous use. They can be either lubricated with oil or run oil-free. They’re commonly used in oil and gas production, as well as in air conditioning and refrigeration facilities.
The Condenser
In the air conditioning system, the condenser is the outdoor unit where the heat gathered from your home is cooled. This is done by a system of coils that convert the refrigerant gas into a liquid form.
The condenser has fans that help to circulate air around the coils in order to dissipate the heat. This helps the refrigerant to cool faster and more effectively.
Depending on the type of condenser, it may be made of copper or aluminum. It may also have fins that increase the surface area of the coils to reduce heat transfer.
There are many different designs of condensers, including plain tube, finned tube and plate, series-pass and rarallel pass units. The shell-and-coil type water-cooled condenser is the most common.
These condensers can be used in systems from 2 TR up to thousands of TR capacity. Refrigerant flows through the coils in lower-capacity condensers while water flows through the shells in higher-capacity condensers.
The Evaporator
Evaporators are a common feature of many heating and cooling systems. They use a fan to draw warm, humid air over an evaporator coil and extract heat from the air.
Several types of evaporators are used, including falling film and long tube vertical (LTV) evaporators. These evaporators are typically used to vaporize concentrated liquids or solutions that have a high viscosity.
They are also frequently used in the chemical, food, and fermentation industries. These evaporators are made of 4-8 m (13-26 ft) tubes enclosed by steam jackets.
The evaporator is designed to meet the needs of its specific application. If a unit is too small for the space it will have to work harder than it should, and it won’t be as efficient.
The amount of refrigerant supplied to the evaporator coils is also an important factor in how well the coils operate. A starved coil is one in which the evaporator coils do not receive enough liquid refrigerant to expand to full capacity. A flooded evaporator, on the other hand, is one in which too much refrigerant is supplied to the coils.
The Filters
An air conditioner has a variety of filters that work to trap the contaminants from the air, so it can produce fresh and clean air. It is important to keep the filters in good condition so that the AC can function efficiently.
The different types of air conditioner filters include fiberglass, pleated, washable, and activated carbon. They all filter out pollen, dust, pet dander, mold, and bacteria from the air.
Pleated filters are made from synthetic or cotton blend materials that are shaped like an accordion. They are more efficient than non-pleated filters at capturing particles, as they create a large surface area for filtering air.
These filters are rated based on the minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV), which ranges from 1 to 16. The higher a filter’s MERV rating, the more effective it is at trapping particles and dirt.