Air Conditioner Mechanism in Operation, Essay Example

Willis H. Carrier, an electric engineer, developed the first of the modern air conditioning system in 1902. While the technology was initially designed to mitigate the humidity problem that the Sackett-Wilhelms Lithographing and Publishing Company was experiencing, its side benefits led to the birth of the modern air conditioner. An air conditioner is a system that regulates temperature in a given area by removing hot air from the area that has high temperatures. A modern-day air conditioner looks much like the one depicted in the figure below. While not all air conditioners may appear as depicted, they are all founded on the basic technology and concepts depicted in the figure. There are a number of variations that draw reference from the basic principles applied in its design and development.

An Air Conditioner in Operation

1. The heat from inside the house is caught by the air conditioner by means of a motorized fan.
2. The hot air is passed over a cold coil
3. The refrigerant is the pumped up to a higher temperature.
4. Heat is transferred from refrigerant to outdoor air
5. Refrigerant loses heat and gets cold.(Vedavarz, Kumar and Hussain)

The Step by Step Process

Step 1: The inner part of the air conditioner, i.e. the section installed inside the room, has a blower that traps all hot air from the room in which it has been installed. The efficiency of this fan is determined by the quality of hardware that is purchased, as well as the size of the air conditioner.

Step 2: The cold coil receives the warm or hot air that has been received from the blower or fan located adjacent to the room. Owing to the fact that the refrigerant within the coils is a cold liquid, it absorbs the incoming heat from the warm air emanating from blower (Kreider). Considering an efficient air conditioning system, the warm air causes the temperature of the air blown over the coils declines by 20° F. The coils at this point are characterized by low temperatures.

Step 3: The coil system directs the liquid refrigerant to a compressor which pumps refrigerants under high pressure. This leads to the rise in temperatures. This is because heat flows from warmer to colder areas.

Step 4: The refrigerant at this point is vaporized and hot. This is the result of the pumping action to wards high temperatures. This liquid is directed towards the outer coils, i.e. those located on the outdoor unit. Outdoor air is directed through the coil system with the aid of an internal fan. Since the coil is much hotter than the outdoor air, heat is transferred from the refrigerant into the air.

Step 5: the refrigerant loses heat to the external environment. As the refrigerant loses heat, it passes from the outside coil system, or external unit into the internal unit. However, it goes through a gadget known as an expansion valve. The expansion valve allows the liquid refrigerant to expand. It basic function is to regulate the flow of the refrigerant into the evaporator (Vedavarz, Kumar and Hussain).

In conclusion, an air conditioner is a modern-day technology that has evolved over the years. However, the essentials remain the same. Air conditioners fundamentally withdraw warm or hot air from a given room to the outside of the room.

Works Cited

Kreider, Jan F. Handbook of heating, ventilation and air conditioning. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2001. Print.

Vedavarz, Ali, Sunil Kumar and Muhammed I Hussain. HVAC : handbook of heating, ventilation and air conditioning for design and implementation. New York: Industrial Press, 2007. Print.