How Air Conditioning Works

It is indeed a wonder how simple machines like air conditioners work to be a cool blessing in the hot season. These are but just indispensable assemblies of steel; yet these perform great work to uplift human bearings.

Air conditioners are refrigerators with no box. Basically, air conditioning systems work by drawing heat and moisture away from the room, contrary to the notion that these add cool air. Like the effect of alcohol that has been swabbed into the skin, air conditioning leaves a cooler state as liquid evaporates. The alcohol does not lower skin temperature but just draws away heat as it converts to a gaseous state. Therefore, the system results in an atmosphere with extensively lesser heat giving its occupants a cooler feeling.

This is possible because air conditioning units make use of a refrigerant, which converts a gas to a liquid quickly. The most common refrigerant being used for air conditioners is Freon. The refrigerant along with a little lubricating oil (for the compressor) is forced into the air conditioning unit.

So that is how it is described, but getting more technical is better. This is good knowledge to acquire, especially before troubleshooting the air conditioning system. Besides, who knows, this simple illustration of how air conditioning works will lead you to be the next manufacturer of another state of the art heating, ventilating, and air conditioning innovation. Let’s get started with the basics.

Typically, the main parts of an air conditioning unit incorporate a closed system of a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and a thermostat. The compressor and condenser are virtually sited outside the air portion of the air conditioner while the evaporator is housed indoors (which is sometimes in the furnace or heater pump). To have a better picture and understanding of the process presented in the first paragraphs; let’s carefully trace how air conditioning works:

First, the refrigerant (as a cool gas) enters into the compressor. The compressor which is the heaviest part in the system (as it has to be tough to bear up under heavy pressure) presses the refrigerant until it turns to a very hot gas which passes through condensing coils located outside of the building. As it passes through these coils, its heat disperses into the outside air. When the refrigerant gets to the coil ends, it is not only cooler but in a liquid form already.

The liquid refrigerant is then immediately pushed through the tiny expansion valve. The refrigerant evaporates even in lower temperatures and draws heat out of the air. Connected to the evaporator is the air conditioning motorized fans which distributes the room air via a cooling device that has metal fins connected to a duct or a pipe. The metal fins act like car radiators letting the heat disperse more quickly. Also, the fan blows across the metal fins causing the cool sensation in the room. The process is a cycle so it repeats the step until the thermostat records a specific temperature, shutting off the compressor.

So that is how air conditioning works – a simple yet complicated process.