Air conditioners work by circulating refrigerant, which absorbs heat from indoor air and releases it outdoors, effectively cooling the interior space. They use multiple internal components to provide your home with a comfortable temperature. A standard air conditioner or cooling system works by using a specialized chemical called refrigerant, which has three main mechanical components: a compressor, a condenser coil, and an evaporator coil.
As the refrigerant passes through the condenser, a fan delivers ambient air across the coil, causing it to cool. As the process completes, the heat from inside your house is dispersed to the outside air. The air conditioner relies on outside air to exchange heat and maintain proper airflow. It pulls in outside air and uses it to cool the condenser coils.
Refrigerant is responsible for cooling your home and can easily switch from a liquid to a gas (and vice versa). This ability powers the home cooling cycle. The air that is run over the condenser coils is vented to the building exterior and released to the atmosphere. This trip through the condenser causes the vapor to lose a significant amount of heat.
The compressor pressurizes the refrigerant gas and sends the refrigerant into the outdoor unit’s condenser coil. A large fan pulls outdoor air through the condenser coil, allowing the air to absorb heating energy from the home and release it outside. During this process, the refrigerant is converted back to a liquid.
As the refrigerant runs through the condenser coil as it condenses, it naturally dissipates into the air. The refrigerant is compressed to a higher pressure and moved through the outdoor coil known as the condenser. After leaving the compressor, refrigerant flows through the condenser coils, where a fan blows air over them to cool them off.
Air conditioners squeeze a gas, freon, outside your house, which gets hot but is cooled down by surrounding air. The A/C pumps the freon outside, reducing its impact on the environment.
📹 How Air Conditioning Works
A 3D animation showing how central air conditioning works in a split-system setup. Cinema 4D was used to create each individual …
Should an outside AC unit run when heat is on?
Heat pump operation is a crucial aspect of a home’s heating and cooling system. Typically, these units are separate, with a furnace installed inside and an air conditioning system operating both inside and out. However, with a heat pump, the air conditioning and heating system are integrated. The process of heat absorption and release reverses in cooler months, with the refrigerant absorbing heat from the outside air and moving it indoors using a reversing valve and multiple check valves.
This efficient method requires less energy to move heat than generate it. Professional technicians at Bartels Heating and Cooling in Fairfield offer heat pump installation, repair, or maintenance services, offering some of the most efficient systems on the market, resulting in cost savings and desired performance.
Should you cover up your outside air conditioner?
The majority of outdoor air conditioning units are constructed in a manner that enables them to withstand the rigors of winter weather. They are equipped with integrated drainage mechanisms that facilitate the removal of snow and precipitation, rendering them superfluous for the purposes of cover protection during the winter months.
Does the outside AC fan always run?
The answer is no, unless you manually activate your outside fan to run constantly. If your HVAC system is functioning correctly, it should cycle on for 15-20 minutes at a time, with distinct pauses in between each cycle. If your AC fan is constantly running, it’s a significant warning that your air conditioning system needs to be fixed. The cause of AC running constantly and how to fix it are not clear.
How does outside AC fan work?
The compressor in an air conditioner increases the refrigerant’s temperature, facilitating heat transfer during the cooling process. The compressor then moves the refrigerant through the condenser coils, where a fan cools them off and releases heat to the outside air. Refrigerant lines connect indoor and outdoor units, cycling refrigerant and continuing the cooling process. To maintain the efficiency of your air conditioner’s outside unit, it’s crucial to protect it from dirt and debris buildup. Annual maintenance by Hydes is recommended to inspect and clean the condenser unit, ensuring it runs smoothly and prevents buildup of dirt.
Do outdoor air conditioners need to be covered in winter?
Some homeowners believe that covering their air conditioners in winter offers several benefits, including protection from debris, efficient operation, and reducing the risk of electrical faults. However, experts argue that air conditioners should remain uncovered in winter due to their ability to endure extreme weather and operate in the open. Covering the air conditioner can allow moisture to build up, which can damage the unit in the long run.
Additionally, covering the air conditioner can lead to a lack of insulation, which can cause the unit to not cool properly. Therefore, it is essential to consider the pros and cons before deciding to cover your air conditioner in winter.
Do portable air conditioners take in air from outside?
In the case of dual hose portable air conditioners, one hose is utilized for the purpose of circulating fresh air from the exterior, while the opposing hose is employed for the extraction of excess warm air and moisture through the unit, ultimately resulting in their exit.
Do air conditioners exhaust air to outdoors?
The air conditioner pumps hot air outside the home using a heat pump, which can operate in either direction. The compressor captures and releases this heat using a special fluid, refrigerant, enclosed in a closed metal loop. The refrigeration cycle, which involves a series of changes in temperature, pressure, and state (liquid/vapor), removes the heat from the home. The cycle has four stages: inside the house, the refrigerant absorbs heat, gets hot, transfers heat from the house outside, and then gets cold and distributed through the house by other system components. This process helps keep the home cool and maintain a comfortable temperature.
Do window air conditioners circulate outside air?
Window air conditioners are not meant to bring fresh air from the outside, but rather to cool and filter it before recirculating it back into the building. They work by blowing air across a coil, where refrigerant flows, causing the temperature of the air to fall and absorbing heat. The most common type of window AC features ventilation grates on the side to draw in outside air, but they only allow air into the condenser coil to cool the machine, preventing overheating. Hot air is exhausted through the rear vents, ensuring a comfortable and efficient home environment.
Do outdoor AC units pull air from outside?
An air conditioner is not a cooling device that brings fresh air from the outside to the inside of a home. It primarily aims to move unwanted heat out of the air. The heat is pumped outside using a heat pump, which can operate in either direction. The compressor uses a refrigerant to remove warm air from the home, allowing it to cool the home. The process of keeping the air cool is known as the refrigeration cycle.
The heat exchanger undergoes changes in state, pressure, and temperature to remove heat from the home. This process occurs in four stages: the refrigerant absorbs heat, gets hot, transfers heat outside, and finally cools and distributes throughout the house.
How does AC bring in outside air?
Air conditioners do not bring fresh outside air but instead use the air inside the house to undergo a heat exchange process. They move unwanted heat out of the home, lowering the temperature inside. Some air conditioners have a reverse option, providing heating during winter. The process works similarly for ducted and split system air conditioners. Each air conditioner has a heat pump that removes heat from the house. Reverse cycle systems work both ways, moving heat inside the home during winter and drawing it out in summer.
The compressor, also known as an air conditioner pump, absorbs heat from the home and dispenses it outside using a special fluid called “refrigerant”, which is covered by a metal loop and acts as a shuttle to move the heat out of the home.
Can an AC outdoor unit be in the rain?
It is a common misconception that rain causes damage to air conditioning units. In fact, while rain does not typically harm such units, heavy precipitation can cause issues if water accumulates or clogs the drainage holes. In the event of an air conditioner freezing during precipitation, the probable cause is a blockage in the air filters or a buildup of detritus on the coils, which impedes airflow. This phenomenon can occur independently of precipitation, but the cooler, more humid air associated with rain can increase the likelihood of occurrence.
📹 How does your AIR CONDITIONER work?
Danfoss Learning is a free online training and certification hub. You can boost your knowledge on hundreds of cooling topics right …
Thank you. Over the last two days I’ve watched at least a dozen articles. This is the best one, by far, because it did both things I needed: to understand the process, and to see the actual physical layout of a typical home system. For whatever reason no-one seems to understand both of those are needed.
Please for the love of God continue making these educational articles! These are so well done! Can you do one on a water heater?? I am embarrassed to say (as a man) I know very little of how my house actually operates and I hate that I have to call someone to fix everything. Thank you so much for educating us!!
Would you ever consider making a similar article explanation on Heat Pump systems? This article is invaluable in terms of clarity of explanation of these systems, and as a developing HVAC technician a strong grasp of Heat Pumps is a demanding necessity I have come to realize thank you for such great content
I’m an engineer with six patents including an efficient torque-vectoring differential for which I created a 3D animation in SolidWorks, but Matt Rittman’s animations and explanations are way better, the best I have ever seen. I’ve commented on his stunning animation of my favorite shotgun, but our 26 year-old AC unit is failing and I found this article. Wow. It explains ALL of what makes a home air conditioner work, including by inference how evaporator coil freezing is prevented for example. Once again I am blown away, and grateful. Thanks again, Matt!
The one thing I don’t fully understand is how the refrigerant never “runs out?” What I mean is, the process works by heat exchange — the refrigerant absorbs heat energy which is then released outside via the condenser — but as heat is released outside, there must be some “loss” in the refrigerant itself, right? The refrigerant is then cycled back indoors at a “medium temperature” — which couldn’t be cooler than the outside ambient temperature, as that’s where the refrigerant just came from. Then when it reaches the valve, the temperature then drops again. But how can the refrigerant ever return to the same icy temp it was to begin with after it’s absorbed heat energy? Another thing I don’t understand: If the refrigerant is intended to absorb heat from inside the home, why is it pressurized first?! This seems counter-productive to heat up the refrigerant because now it’s got to be cooled before it can be used.
Hey, I am new to this website and I am very young, and by no means I’m gonna say my age but… I will say I am pretty young, and I am a teenager but I am actually trying to figure out hvac works! So thanks for this article! Cause I understand ALOT from this now, before I was like “It’s all magic to me” but now I am like “that’s the blower, and that blows the air and circulates it through the home!” So thanks again!
My apartment has our AC units sharing a maintenance closet with someone else’s. They connect directly to the wall behind the intake vents. He smokes heavily. The smoke has been pushing through my vents. Changing our filter doesn’t seem like it will do much since it filters our outbound air to the blower. The filters are basic low end ones. I’m thinking his smoke is being pulled out of this apartment past the limited filter and filling the room. Maybe the exhaust isn’t working properly? Is it possible since the room is filling with air the blower motor is taking in the smoke? Changing out their filter with a MERV 12 MPR 1500 filter would help? Or is there a way to filter the air after the blower motor? The neighbors across the hall smoke pot and it drifts into our vents too. So I’m thinking it’s something with the blower. Appreciate any insight!
Ребята, я из 2040 года. Фиатные деньги остались только в музеях. Мир перешел на криптовалюты. Доллар упразднен. Биткоин стоит (если перевести на ваши цены) – около 4 млрд. долларов. Китай, РФ, США и другие страны строят майнинг-фермы на Луне, в теневых областях, где никогда не светит солнце, это нужно для работы сверхпроводников квантовых процессоров для майнинга…
Our air handler is in the attic. Mice made a nest by the condensate drain pipe and it became plugged with insulation. The water had no where to go so it just over flowed and went into the ceiling. I came home from work on a 100° day and when I walked in it was raining in my kitchen which is below the air handler. It was such a mess. Tool a week to dry out enough to begin cleanup. So make sure that drain line is clean and clear.
I recently had a used turbo incabulator installed on my a.c. unit, it uses inverse reactive current in unilateral phase detractors, and can automatically synchronizing the cardinal grandmeters. The only problem it had was with side fumbling but I had a local mechanic replace the 2 parallel marzelveins and now it operates with little to no side fumbling.
I live in the 6th floor of an apartment building. My landlord won’t let me install something on the outside wall. This means a mobile AC unit is required. And this means I live in a place with a running compressor inside. ANC Headphones help a lot but I have a hard time sleeping with them. I think I have to move. I can’t live like this anymore.
@mattrittman Great animation and explanation. I would like your opinion on something. My return duct is about 7 feet from an A/C vent. Is that weird? I always thought that was too close. They’re at 90 degrees so the AC isn’t blowing directly into the duct. But it still seems too close. What do you think?
Couple tips in the home make sure return vents are free of dust or any furniture blocking them if air can’t probably return to the furnace the cooling process won’t work properly. Same with the condenser unit outside clear any leafs and cut tall grass away from the unit spray it down with a garden hose make sure it’s clean. If the condenser can’t release the heat cooling won’t work properly. Also change filters regularly as well.
Amazing! I’ve recently started learning Blender and I’m a quick learner and perfectionist so even my first models are up to spec and schematics I find online and are very realistic in my renders. I’ve wanted to do stuff just like you’re doing here, helping people understand how stuff work (since I love researching) and having a challenging project to learn Blender on the way. My first project will be on electrical plugs and sockets since it’s more complicated than most people understand. The distance between the inner socket copper and the plug’s metal part is crucial to prevent small hands (like a small child) from removing a plug and touching live metal parts. The couple pins on the EU are intentionally a little bent towards the middle to create some pressure when they are plugged-in to make them snug and so on. I don’t really know how much time it will take, and since I’m using an open-source tool, I’m not planning on selling any of the project, just making it all CC0 to give back to the open-source community.
This is a serious question… What happens to the heated air that goes outside? Does it add to heating the outdoors in any way? If so thats awful. I guess it wouldnt though, since that hot air inn our houses would be outdoors anyway if we didnt have homes. But then again… Carbon emissions come from us running them, so, yeah… We’re probably better off just adapting to the heat.
I’m sorry but you would think someone making a article like this would run it by someone with experience and confirm that the information is correct. First error is at 49 seconds .Compresses do not pump a fluid . “Fluid” is absolutely the wrong term . The compressor pumps and compressors the refrigerant into a high pressure Vapor.
Omg, this is so interesting. I knew it! A perfect explanation. I’m going to need it because the AC/Heat unit that was put into my house is way too big for it. It’s now caused some serious issues. My floors are paying the price for bad work. It has never worked properly. The main filter had to be replaced twice. I mean the original filter was way too small. The airflow was so bad that it would trip my electrical during my first heat needs. Winter. They replaced it after 9 months. I should’ve look at more stuff and I didn’t realize some other stuff was going on until recently. My insulation to my floors are so bad. Soaked. It has a major leak. I am so shocked. This actually helps so much! I know exactly what went wrong. Thank you.
Some systems have variable speed compressors so the compressor slows down so is the blower and condenser fan and blower as it reaches the set point and once it does it will either run at it’s lowest speed to bring the air down the humidity, runs at the lowest speed that will maintain temperature, or kicks off.
Dude for dummies like me this is great, to know im 15 and, well our ac just had all its life blood bleed out, and all its doing is blowing hot air. this is super useful information in 4 mins and super easy to understand. Ps does the fluid density change the heat conductivity or smtn bc i dont know how but i assume thats how it is
Can you model Climate Change. I’m currently in the Oxford School of Climate Change and the information is both cumbersome (the science of it all) and technical (with a lot of equations). I believe a proper modeling can help… what do you think? Well done. I’m a new subscriber and I’ve been binge-watching the entire website. Starting of course with the Glock and AK!
So wait, after the current indoor room temperature air gets pulled into the duct, and through the evaporator, the air going through is chilled, and the cold refrigerent is heated up, turned into a vapor, then goes back to the condensor to be made into a liquid again. But what in this process cools the refrigerent? I see it goes through the metering device which lowers the pressure of it. So does lowering the pressure of the medium temperature air cool it? Like how liquid carbon dioxide can only exist under extreme pressure?
The only thing you need to know is, there is no such a thing as “cold energy”. Cold is simply the lack of heat. So if you want to know the simple way how your AC works. It doesnt generate cold but simply transfer the heat inside your room to outside. Now with the lack of heat in your room, it will naturaly feel “cold” .
To understand how an AC works, one needs to understand the thermodynamic phenomena that occur : 1.Heat travels from HOT to COLD naturally. 2.Boiling point of a liquid depends on both temperature and surrounding pressure. Water boils at 100 degr C / 1 bar atm pressure. If you lower the atm pressure below 1 bar, it will boil at less than 100 degr C. 3.When a liquid ABSORBS heat it EVAPORATES. When vapor releases heat, it CONDENSES 4.If a liquid is compressed, the pressure increases, temperature increases while volume decreases. So, when the refrigerant (liquid+vapor) gets into the evaporator (inside the house ), it absorbs the heat from that room, hence, it evaporates . Now, in order for condensation to occur in the Condenser(outside the house), the now vapor refrigerant(hot) needs to be hotter than the outside air so that to give away the heat (see point 1 and 3 from above) and condense (become liquid again). For this to happen, the compressor compresses the vapor refrigerant thus increasing its temperature (see point 4 ) . When the compressed vapor refrigerant enters the condenser, it releases some of the heat into the surrounding air which has a lower temperature ( see point 1 ), and transforming into a liquid ( condensation ) . The liquid now passes through an expansion valve,where its pressure is reduced and the liquid begins to boil (SOME vapors form) thus releasing some of its energy (heat) becoming even colder.Now we have a mix of cold liquid+vapor ready to repeat the cycle .
very interesting it really shows how aircondioner works before I thought that the unit will give us cool in every room but the other way around the evaporator just simply absorb or lower the heat temperature inside the room and push it out through the condenser and junk into the sorroundings so that what’s left inside the room is cool 😊
In HVAC School and this article helped a lot. Basically your AC doesn’t make cold air. It simply transports the “hot” air inside the living space to the outside space by using refrigerant as a medium. 1. Compressor inlet receives GASEOUS REFRIGERANT(Refrigerant now hot and under pressure) & Pumps it into the condenser coils. 2. In the condenser coils refrigerant is now liquid. And heat starts to leave (Gas gives off heat when changed from gas to liquid). This giving off of heat is expedited by a fan or blower at the condenser coils. 3. The refrigerant goes through a metering device like an orifice and becomes low pressure again as it enters the evaporator. 4. At the evaporator coils, another state change happens to the refrigerant, going from liquid back to gas (liquid absorbs heat when it changes from liquid to gas). The gas refrigerant is whats absorbing the heat in your home and condenser expels it outside. Your AC does not create cold air, its basically a system that transports heat. 5. The gaseous refrigerant then enters the compressor again where it starts the cycle all over, constantly just removing heat energy from your home. WOW, HVAC School is paying off so far. This stumped me before. Cant wait to graduate and get out there in the field. 40K in student loan debt from college, didt even graduate, now I’m going to trade school to learn skill to make some good money. I shoulda done this straight out of high school. Oh well.
Best job i’ve seen of explaining in clear and concise terms the principles of operation of a mechanism that bewilders most people, even the otherwise “mechanically inclined” among us. the awesome cutaway views of components in operation really reinforced the narrative as well. thanks for sharing this!
I would have liked for the article to also stress the importance of keeping clean filters on the evaporator and clean coils because it exerts a huge influence on the Air Conditioning system functionality and performance!! Otherwise good article!! Also on the diagram shown the system used is a Mini-Split and those type of systems is common to have the Metering Device (TXV or Orifice) at the Condenser!!
sir its my request from bottom of my heart . please make a article on properties of refrigerants sir please by using the refrigerants table of different refrigerants or else many people cant understand what is happening to refrigerants… i am confused very much with the properties of refrigerants…..what is behavior of refrigerants under different temperatures so please make a article on properties of refrigerants sir……
Great article. At some point you may lose the line of reasoning and the physics implied (as each part demands proper assessment) and you end up looking that some device is important because “it does some stuff that helps with other stuff” but you can always get back and tackle each segment or delve deeper into the mentioned concepts.
I am at Monroe Community College in the HVAC degree right now. In the most plain terms, it is all about moving heat from one place to another like in a refrigerator taking the unwanted heat from either the door being open, hot food stuck in, or any heat that finds a way in and extracting it to another place probably being your kitchen. If you want to know more about how pressure and temperature correlate look up Charle’s Law and Boyle’s Law. Compressors don’t die, they are murdered usually. Unlike gas, liquid can’t compress (think of a belly flop into a pool and how the water feels like a solid). The vapor increasing in temperature is called superheat which is a sensible type of heat (can be measured with with thermometer) where the change in state between liquid/gas in the condenser and evaporator is latent heat (phase change). On the contrary, cooling the liquid is subcooling. TXVs are not the simple type of expansion valve (also called metering device), the simple ones are capillary tubes. Where TXVs have a temperature sensor between the evaporator and compressor (discharge line) to regulate superheating to a specified range, a capillary in plain is sight is just a looping coil with no way to control the amount of liquid getting through. The TXV regulates, where the capillary tube just merely keeps pissing refrigerant.
Can someone explain me about the arrorws at 5:43, plz ? Quite a bit too confusing, he explains that the fluid leaves the evaporator in the form of a superheated vapour and then it enters the compressor, but at 5:43 it shows that the hot fluid is entering the evaporator which is then leaving the evaporator in the form of a cold fluid. Can anyone explain me this, plz ?
“Condenser fan makes it easier” to remove heat from condenser coil. Actually, if you didn’t have a fan or it fails, your Conpressor will OVER HEAT AND GO OFF ON THERMO. So, it is necessary to the function, not just an “Aid”. Also a Blower fan for your indoor evaporator, or your coil will end up frozen solid.
I recall on one occasion sitting in a room with a Warmist who explained to me at great length the mechanisms behind Global Warming…trapped heat, radiative physics, infra red etc etc. After he was done I asked him if he knew how an air conditioner worked? The look he got in his eyes…priceless! lol
Compression: The cycle starts when the compressor compresses the refrigerant gas, raising its pressure and temperature. Condensation: The high-pressure, high-temperature refrigerant gas then flows to the condenser coils located outside the building. As outdoor air blows over these coils, it helps to cool down the refrigerant, causing it to condense into a high-pressure liquid. This process releases heat from the refrigerant into the outdoor air. Expansion: The high-pressure liquid refrigerant now moves through the expansion valve, which restricts its flow and causes a sudden drop in pressure. As the refrigerant passes through this valve, it expands rapidly, becoming a low-pressure, cool liquid. This cooling process prepares the refrigerant to absorb heat from the indoor air. Evaporation: The cool liquid refrigerant then enters the evaporator coils inside the building. Indoor air is blown over these coils by a fan, causing the refrigerant to evaporate into a low-pressure gas. As the refrigerant evaporates, it absorbs heat from the indoor air, cooling it down in the process. The now-warm refrigerant gas is then drawn back into the compressor to start the cycle again. Thank me later 🙂
I have some questions Questions: -How does the evaporator suck in heat from the room even thought if you go and stand infront of every air conditioner you feel air hiting you so that mean the evaporator push the air ? -1:32 i searched what happen when a pressure is apply to liquid and it said ”it doesnt heat it up more but it concentrated the heat” so it can be cool off by the fan is that correct? -also if a vapor is hight pressure that mean it will be more soild but it wont turn to a liquid right? the condensor is the one that turn it to a liquid stat right? -Also I am not sure But this is the how the liquid/vapor travel Evaporator ( Liqiud/ Vapor ) –> Compressor (Liquid) –> Condensor ( Liquid) –> Thermal Expansion Valve ( Liquid/Vapor) is this right? -Evaporator Job : Suck in heat ( is this correct ) -Compressor : Make Vapor/Liquid turn into Liquid with high pressure As well as Pushing the Liquid/Vapor Going ( is this correct) -Condensor : Cool off the liquid( is this correct) -Thermal Expansion Valve : Turn the liquid to vapor/liquid as well as making sure the refrigerant is not too cool or hot ( is this correct) Thank for making this article This article help me alot also please answer my questions
I have this doubt please clarify, Q1:All i have ever know is that AC produce cooling, now it has been said that it removes heat ? Q2:If a AC is set to 24degree does it gives of 24 degrees of cold air or does the AC putting on much load to remove the heat to maintain the internal air temperature to 24 degree? please clarify
Fantastic. So, I could understand that inverter technology is designed to handle only vapor, and then, thermostatic expansion valve works to make sure that vapor temperature after the evaporator is equalized as it should be, to prevent vapor becomes liquid before scroll compressor. I used to think that thermostatic expansion valve was in charge to change temperature, but as they explain very well, it’s not true. TEV just make sure that in case of increased room temperature, vapor keeps in adequate temperature bellow critic point of liquefaction, adjusting the amount of vapor through pressure. The more pressure drops, more easily liquid is converted into vapor. Cars air conditioner uses inverter technology, anyone can explain? Thanks in advance
Foarte bine explicat. Eu am un AC. SANYO, ce permite funcţionarea în modul DEZUMIDIFICARE pe care pot să-l selectez de pe telecomandă, dar în cartea tehnică (tradusă în L.română) nu-mi explică ce este de fapt cu acest mod de funcţonare şi chiar m-am întrebat de multe ori, la ce este bună această funcţie ? Până când am dat de expunerea dumneavoastră pentru care vă mulţumesc !:washhands::washhands::washhands:
They keep upgrading the refrigerant allowable for use every 20-30 years to make it both better for the ozone and less pollutant. In fact, we are up for yet another change January 2025. At that point no HVAC units will be allowed to be installed with the current refrigerant. And the old refrigerant from like 30-40 years ago (R22) is very expensive and hard to find now as they stopped making it a long time ago.
the now vapor refrigerant(hot) needs to be hotter than the outside air so that to give away the heat (see point 1 and 3 from above) and condense. this sounds like giving excess heat which we don’t want specific heat capacity increases with pressure and this means it will give away more heat than it receives
I remember reading a headline years back about the impact of global warming on air conditioning. It’s understood that heat needs to be rejected to the surroundings at an ambient temperature that should be lower than that of the coolant in the condenser. So if hypothetically, the ambient temperature keeps rising, does it mean that the compressor will need to increase the pressure of the vapor coolant even further?
So if there isn’t enough heat entering the evaporator for the refrigerant to evaporate into a gas, there’s a system that detects this and cools down the refrigerant even more through greater expansion? How does this not cause a feedback situation where the increasingly cool air in the room causes the TXV to keep making the coolant cooler, leading to even cooler air entering the system?
To be familiar with the concept, you need to understand the law of “Conservation of energy”. Energy cannot be created nor destroyed, it can only be converted from one form to another. Heat is known as thermal energy. So refrigerators and air conditioners don’t just remove heat/thermal energy. They simply take the heat from one place to another. That is why the sides of your refrigerator is warm, because the heat has to go somewhere. Which is why it is always said that you should switch off your appliances when not in use, as they dump alot of heat into the environment, causing global warming blah blah
One consideration only. Let’s assume we use a refrigerant with α boiling point of -26 deg C. Let’s also assume that the indoor air around the evaporator coil has a temperature of about 25~30 deg C and the outdoor air around the condenser coil has a temperature let’s say 35~40 deg C. In both coil cases we are well above -26 deg C. OK heat flows form hotter to cooler as expected. Yet we get 2 totally opposite phase changes of the refrigerant one of which should not happen at these high temperatures. And that is condensation. Above -26 deg C only evaporation seems allowed. So in the first case with the low refrigerant pressure the evaporation occurs naturally without any problem at the indoors temperature of 25~30 deg C > – 26 deg C. It boils naturally. In the 2nd case though WHY CONDENSATION OCCURS AT 40 deg C ? Well it is the high pressure to raise the dew and boiling points enough and thus condense the refrigerant even at outdoors temperatures of 40 deg C >> -26 deg C. The boiling point of the refrigerant is no longer -26 deg C under this high pressure. It is surely well above 40 deg C so that the condensation phase change takes place! The molecules just can’t escape so easily from the liquid phase anymore! The way I see it as a civil engineer is that the compressor forces the refrigerant to perceive the hot sunny weather as a cool stream of air and create dew. Compared to the hellish conditions that rise after the compressor’s work in the part of the pipe between the compressor and the condenser, the outside heat wave seems like a chilly winter morning to the refrigerant.
It’s amazing people come up with this stuff but it’s crazy how significantly more complex this is than a swamp cooler. Simply pour in a few gallons of water, let it saturate the pads, and have a powerful fan blow air through the pads causing evaporation which causes decreased temperature. It’s less effective of course, but much more simple. They even use to have one you could put on your car window and the wind resistance from driving would cause evaporation and blow cool air into the car.
I’ve been assigned to research on how the working of ACs are related to the process of sublimation. So like- could someone write down a short note for the summary of this article or something? Including a little info about the refrigerant, I found out it’s called R-410A and I haven’t found anything related to what I’m s’posed to find.
i usually consider myself more or less a smart person because a read a lot of stuff or things related to science just fot the mere curiosity to know more, im a motorcycle mechanic, i know how the combustion cycle works and for me is very simple, yet for other people is difficult to understand, the other day i was reading how the first nuclear bomb worked, and i understand more or less how and how the nuclear reactors work, at least the simple principle of water heated by nuclear reaction and then converted to vapor and this in turn used to produce electricty, im perplex that i can understand taht in yet i didnt understant one single part of air conditioning works now i feel dumb.
In the Tropics, where I come from, we have a big problem Evacuating the Heat from the Condenser to the Atmosphere because the outside Air Temperature (Atmosphere) is very hot and humid throughout the year. I would like to design/ add an aftermarket Water Sprinkler System or a Water Cooling System to assist the Heat Exchange from the Condenser to the Atmosphere. However, I have a few queries: 1. Which of the following would be the best location to add this additional Water Colling System? a. Is it onto the Condenser itself? or b. In between the Condenser and the Exhaust Fan? or c. Outside (after the Exhaust Fan)? 2. If I choose Option (a), would we still need the Expansion Valve? 3. Are there any existing Aftermarket Condenser System with built in Water Cooling Systems?
If you guys know about the T-s diagram and P-H diagram then it should not be so hard to understand. Basically, the compressor Increases the temperature of the vapor tremendously by increasing its pressure (Since increasing the pressure of a fluid increases its temperature). Then, the condenser lowers the temperature of the fluid through heat transfer (gas to liquid transition) (When a vapor releases heat, it condenses). Then, the expansion valve lowers the pressure of the liquid tremendously and therefore cools the liquid. The fluid is also turned into saturated liquid vapor mixture by lowering the pressure surrounding the fluid which cools the fluid even farther (water boils at 100 degcel at 1 bar atmospheric pressure. So if you lower the pressure below 1 bar, it will boil at a temperature lower than 100 degcel. The energy (heat) from the refrigerant gets released even farther.). The result is a refrigerant which has a temperature lower then the room temperature. The refrigerant is finally sent to evaporator which cools the room through heat transfer and turns saturated liquid-vapor mixture to a vapor by absorbing the heat from the room. Here’s a link to help out: mechdiploma.com/represent-subcooling-and-superheating-p-h-and-t-s-diagram
To me there are some funny statements that aren’t meant to be, like “You may be aware that you can boil a liquid by reducing the pressure around it.” Yeah, I…ummm…sure…I knew this (eye’s rolled and brow furrowed). Actually there are a number of basic science concepts that are just glossed over. There should be reference to at 6 or so of these for peeps to study first (or time taken out to explain).
If you have a can of axe deodorant at room temperature 20c and you spray it the liquid/gas mixture coming out will drop to below 0c. If you spray that deodorant into a pipe it will cool the pipe down. If you get that gas coming out the other end of the pipe it’s going to be well a gas, so you compress it to try turn it into a liquid. But it won’t turn into a liquid because it got heated up from going through that warm pipe, it is also heated up because it got compressed. It’s really hot now so it doesn’t want to be a liquid, it’s about 55c so you push it through a long pipe in ambiant 20c air. It cooled down going through that long pipe and because it’s under pressure it turn back into a liquid. Then it gets put back into the can of axe.
My brain refused to accept most of that but your article did tickle a thought. This condensation you speak of which finds its way to the drain pipe though I’m thinking not quick enough, I’m thinking this might be the big reason for mold and dust blockage in the area where it should be drawing room temperature air through to cool for fan to blow out but when blocked it’s basically useless so have to get conditioning service guy once every six months to prevent that. Yes I own two dogs and a missus There the cause
You forgot that you can adjust the super heating as well by adjusting the valve on the bottom of the txv if too much Freon is flowing into the evaporator as a liquid instead of gas. But if that happens that most likely means your txv is too big for that btu size which can cause your return ( also know as your suction, low pressure line) to freeze even when properly insulated
Very simple explanation, in short terms: The compressor creates a pressure differential which results in flow The superheated refrigerant leaving the discharge of the compressor then passes through the condenser where 3 things happen: 1. Reject superheat (sensible) 2. Condense the refrigerant from vapor to liquid (latent) 3. Subcool (sensible) Leaving the condenser should be 100% liquid refrigerant, which then enters the metering device. A metering device is a restriction. The restriction causes a drop in pressure which also causes the saturation temperature of the refrigerant to decrease. When the refrigerant temperature is higher than the saturated temp, the refrigerant boils/flashes which causes an endothermic reaction of which the latent change in temp causes a change of state which absorbs energy, hence the “cooling” of the refrigerant exiting the metering device As we now have superheated/saturated refrigerant mix entering the evaporator, it absorbs heat to continue boiling/flashing the refrigerant. From which the superheated refrigerant now enters the compressor where the cycle is repeated. I’m 20 and know this by heart
For all of you that are now utterly perplexed by how air conditioning works, I just want to say that this narrator does a poor job of explaining the process to the average person. Take note of all the jargon used in the article and the assumption that you already understand all of the components that are involved in air conditioning. Please just watch another article that explains with more clarity and less jargon and you’ll be fine. I’m thumbs downing this article for sure. Waste of time.
Now a days most manufacturers uses a capillary tube instead of TXVs for smaller systems in the effort of making it more cost effective, that also sits near to the condenser not the evaporator most of the times. TBH i was actually looking for TXV in my evaporator unit when it was being serviced by an engineer, he told me this unit doesn’t has one. Instead it uses capillary tube.
So why are air conditioners so noisy? Surely these components can be quieted down by now. We have silent motors and fans and even if we didn’t, it’s possible to “hide” the motors in a house so that they wouldn’t be located in a place where they could be heard (like just underground for those outside boxes in central heating and air).
Wrong. The gas heats up during compression and cools off during evaporation. The air is passed through the evaporator core which is very cold. Thereby cooling the air. If a unit is place in a below zero environment. The condenser core will still heat up,even though there is no heat to allegedly absorb. Because the gas heats up when condensed.
This description is oh so very wrong. Refrigerant does no make anything cold. Nothing makes it cold. What it is doing is absorbing heat and moving that heat out. All it can do is absorb heat. So an AC takes heat from one place and puts it in another. Like from in your car to out of your car. That’s why on a very hot day and you car isn’t moving it isn’t able to work, it can’t get rid of the heat until air moves over the condenser.
Why didn’t they make it’s own cooler for the compressor ? Instead of oil or water or what so ever around it to cool it? Ahak i understand why. The purpose is to make it live shorter. The shorter compressor life, the better money they make. Thats why we still have no fusion energy in this modern world, greedy
Sir we always use danfoss Expansion Valve but at some place we want to reduce the cost of the machinery so we want to use capillary tube but there was a big problem arises we don’t know what is the formula to calculate the size of capillary tube according to the temperature that we want ? Please sir make a article on this.