Air conditioning systems are prevalent across the world and the latest innovations give absolute comfort with minimum technical problems. Fascinatingly, the first air conditioners of the 20th century consisted of a “Refrigerant system” that contained harmful gases such as propane, ammonia and methyl chloride. The chlorofluorocarbon gases as we use today came into existence in the year 1928 with the developments made by Thomas Midgley. However, the credit of inventing an electrical cooling system or air conditioning is attributed to Willis Carrier and his invention controlled both temperature and humidity effectively. Since their invention the air conditioners were added with technology and their size is decreased phenomenally. In addition, there developed different types of air conditioners that serve for specific purposes.
Types of Air conditioners
1. Window air conditioner – The most common type of AC used across the world, which is suitable for small to medium sized rooms. The components of the window AC such as condenser, coil, expansion valve, compressor, cooling coil, evaporator, and so on are placed in a single unit so that it can be fitted perfectly into the wall of a room. This is very cheap when compared to other types of air conditioners and the installation process is also simple.
2. Split air conditioner – These are more popular with larger rooms and small office spaces. The AC comprises mainly of two parts namely, the indoor unit and the outdoor unit. The indoor unit can fit inside the room with ease and it contains components like expansion valve, condenser and cooling coil. The external or outdoor unit is placed outside of the house and it has the compressor. The greatest advantage of split AC is that there needs no specific procedure or window sills to install it and it can be placed on any wall.
3. The packaged air conditioner – The unit is used to cool multiple rooms and it can work in two ways. In the most popular way, all the components are placed in a single package and the cool breeze developed in the system is sent through air ducts. The second way works in a similar fashion but the cool air is delivered to each with the help of individual units that contain cooling coil and the expansion valve. The installation process is complicated to this mechanism and if any problem occurs it takes the attention of experts.
4. Central air conditioning – Most suitable for large constructions such as malls, hotels, theaters, etc. the central air conditioning removes the pain of installing individual units across these huge constructions. The unit consists of a massive compressor able to produce tons of cool air constantly across all the rooms. The installation process needs professionals who will understand the infrastructure of the building and plan to install the central air conditioning accordingly.
Apart from these there are many minor variations of air conditioners that work more or less with the same functional aspects as given in the above four major types.
How does an air conditioner work?
The basic principle behind the working of an air conditioner is conversion of gas to liquid and liquid with the help of chemicals. These chemicals take the heat off the inside room environment and the other components help to send cool air into the room. The air conditioner has three major components – compressor, evaporator and condenser – that work simultaneously to maintain the desired temperature.
As the working fluid enters the compressor, it is tightly squeezed so that the molecules attain higher temperature and energy. The hot fluid is sent to the condenser so that the temperature is reduced and all the heat is sent out. The cool liquid is sent to the evaporator through a tiny hole so that the pressure of the liquid drops considerably. As a result, the liquid gets converted into gas it is supplied to the room with the help of a fan. The hot air accumulates at the top and is taken out by a vent. The process repeats itself over and over again so that the temperature inside the room stays intact.
The working principle of an air conditioner is very simple, but the process of attaining the results through various components is very complicated and requires constant checking from the HVAC technicians. With a proper maintenance and taking care of minor repairs an air conditioner can last a life time without troubling the user. Top refrigerant recovery machine
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