How does air conditioner work?
Main parts of air conditioner
- Evaporator coil – The evaporator coil is located inside the building. It is filled with a liquid refrigerant. As the warm air from the building passes over the coil, the refrigerant absorbs heat from the air. This causes the refrigerant to turn into a gas.
- Compressor – The compressor is located outside the building. It compresses the refrigerant, which makes it hot.
- Condenser coil – The condenser coil is located outside the building. It is filled with the hot, compressed refrigerant. As the gas cools, it turns back into a liquid.
- Expansion valve – The expansion valve is located between the compressor and the condenser. It reduces the pressure of the refrigerant, which makes it cool.
Here are some other parts of an air conditioner that are important:
Fan: The fan moves air over the condenser and evaporator coils. This helps move heat from the building’s inside to its outside.
Thermostat: The thermostat tells the air conditioner what temperature to run at. It turns on and off the air conditioner to keep the room at the right temperature.
Air filter: The air filter gets rid of dust and other things that float around in the air. This makes the air conditioner work as well as possible.
Condenser fan: The condenser fan moves air over the condenser coil. This cools the condenser coil and keeps it from getting too hot.
Evaporator fan: The evaporator fan moves air over the evaporator coil. This helps get the cool air to all parts of the room.
The basic idea behind how an air conditioner works
Have you ever wondered how an air conditioner works? It’s actually pretty cool .
An air conditioner works by moving heat from inside a building to the outside. It does this using a refrigerant, which is a special type of chemical that can change from a liquid to a gas and back again.
The refrigerant starts out as a liquid in the evaporator coil, which is located inside the building. As the warm air from the building passes over the coil, the refrigerant absorbs heat from the air. This causes the refrigerant to turn into a gas.
The gas then travels to the compressor, which is located outside the building. The compressor compresses the gas, which makes it hotter.
The hot gas then travels to the condenser coil, which is also located outside the building. The condenser coil cools the gas, which causes it to turn back into a liquid.
The liquid refrigerant then travels to the expansion valve, which is located between the compressor and the condenser. The expansion valve reduces the pressure of the refrigerant, which makes it cool even more.
The cool liquid refrigerant then travels back to the evaporator coil, where the cycle starts all over again.
As the refrigerant moves through the air conditioner, it absorbs heat from the inside of the building and releases it to the outside. This process cools the air inside the building.
Here is an example to help you understand how this works:
Imagine you have a balloon filled with air. The air inside the balloon is a gas. If you put the balloon in the sun, the air inside the balloon will heat up. The hot air will expand, and the balloon will get bigger.
Now, imagine you put the balloon in a freezer. The air inside the balloon will cool down. The cold air will contract, and the balloon will get smaller.
The same thing happens with the refrigerant in an air conditioner. As the refrigerant absorbs heat from the inside of the building, it expands and turns into a gas. As the refrigerant releases heat to the outside, it contracts and turns back into a liquid.
This process of expansion and contraction is what allows an air conditioner to move heat from inside a building to the outside.
The laws that govern how an air conditioner works?
The laws that govern the operation of an air conditioner are:
Charles’ law states that the volume of a gas is directly proportional to its absolute temperature, as long as the pressure is constant. This means that if the temperature of a gas is increased, its volume will also increase.
Boyle’s law states that the pressure of a gas is inversely proportional to its volume, as long as the temperature is constant. This means that if the volume of a gas is increased, its pressure will decrease.
The second law of thermodynamics states that heat always flows from a hotter object to a colder object. This means that the refrigerant in an air conditioner will always flow from the evaporator coil, which is located inside the building, to the condenser coil, which is located outside the building.
These laws allow an air conditioner to move heat from inside a building to the outside.
Charles' law
As long as the pressure stays the same, Charles’ law says that the volume of a gas is directly related to its absolute temperature. This means that if you raise the temperature of a gas, it will also get bigger.
For example, if you fill a balloon with air and put it in the sun, the air inside the balloon will warm up. The hot air will cause the balloon to grow in size.
Also true is the opposite. If you put the balloon in a freezer, the air inside will get colder. The cold air will make the balloon smaller because it will shrink.
Charles’ law can be written in numbers as:
V1 / T1 = V2 / T2
where V1 is the volume of the gas at the beginning, T1 is the temperature of the gas at the beginning, V2 is the volume of the gas at the end, and T2 is the temperature of the gas at the end.
Here’s an example of how Charles’ law can be used:
Let’s say you have a balloon that is full of air that is 20 degrees Celsius. 100 cubic centimetres is how much space the balloon takes up. If you raise the balloon’s temperature to 40 degrees Celsius, what will the balloon’s new volume be?
Charles’ law can help us figure this out. We know that V1 is 100 cubic centimetres, that T1 is 20 degrees Celsius, and that T2 is 40 degrees Celsius. We can solve for V2 by plugging these numbers into the equation.
V1 / T1 = V2 / T2
100 / 20 = V2 / 40
V2 = 100 * 40 / 20
V2 = 200 cubic centimetres
So, the balloon will now have a new volume of 200 cubic centimetres.
Charles’ law is a good way to figure out how gases act. It can be used to figure out what will happen to the volume of a gas if the temperature changes.
Boyle's law
Boyle’s law says that, as long as the temperature stays the same, the pressure of a gas is the opposite of its volume. This means that if a gas’s volume goes up, its pressure will go down.
For example, if you have a balloon full of air and squeeze it, the air inside the balloon will have a higher pressure. The air will get more squished together, and the balloon will shrink.
Also true is the opposite. If you let go of the balloon, the air inside will get less compressed. The air will get bigger, and so will the balloon.
Mathematically, Boyle’s law can be written as:
P1 * V1 = P2 * V2
where P1 is the pressure of the gas at the start, V1 is the volume of the gas at the start, P2 is the pressure of the gas at the end, and V2 is the volume of the gas at the end.
Here’s an example of how Boyle’s law can be used:
Let’s say you have a balloon with 100 pascals of air pressure in it. 100 cubic centimetres is how much space the balloon takes up. If you squeeze the balloon until the volume drops to 50 cubic centimetres, what will the new pressure of the air inside the balloon be?
Boyle’s law can help us figure this out. We already know that P1 is 100 pascals, V1 is 100 cubic centimetres, and V2 is 50 cubic centimetres. We can solve for P2 by plugging these numbers into the equation.
P1 * V1 = P2 * V2
100 * 100 = P2 * 50
P2 = 200 pascals
So, the air inside the balloon will now have a pressure of 200 pascals.
Boyle’s law is a good way to figure out how gases act. It can be used to figure out what will happen to the pressure of a gas if its volume changes.
The second law of thermodynamics
The second law of thermodynamics says that heat always moves from things that are hotter to things that are cooler. This means that if you put a cup of hot coffee next to a cup of cold water, the heat from the hot coffee will flow into the cold water, making the hot coffee cooler and the cold water warmer.
According to the second law of thermodynamics, you can’t make a perfect heat engine. A device that turns heat into work is called a heat engine. A car engine is an example of a heat engine. It turns the heat that comes from burning gas into work that turns the car’s wheels.
No matter how well a heat engine is made, it will always lose some of the heat it is trying to turn into work. This lost heat will always move from the part of the engine that is hotter to the part that is cooler.
The second law of thermodynamics is one of the most important physical laws. It is based on the idea that the universe is always getting more chaotic. Entropy is the name for this chaos. Entropy always goes up, says the second law of thermodynamics.
Here’s a real-life example of how the second law of thermodynamics can be used:
Let’s say you have a room that is clean. If you don’t clean up the room, it will get messy over time. This is because there will be more chaos in the room. According to the second law of thermodynamics, this has to happen.
It’s impossible to keep the room from getting messy. Cleaning the room often is the only way to keep it clean. This means you have to work hard to keep the room tidy. According to the second law of thermodynamics, this work will never be finished perfectly. Some of your body heat will always escape into the room, and eventually the room will get messy again.
The second law of thermodynamics is one of the most important physical laws. It’s the law, and we can’t change it. We have to figure out how to live with it.
The steps behind how an air conditioner works
In the evaporator coil, the refrigerant starts out as a liquid. As warm air from the building moves over the coil, the refrigerant soaks up the heat from the air. The refrigerant turns into a gas as a result. The gas is then sent to the compressor, where it is squeezed into a smaller space. So, the petrol gets even hotter. The hot gas is then sent to the condenser coil, which cools it down. When the gas cools down, it goes back to being a liquid. The liquid refrigerant then goes to the expansion valve, where its pressure is lowered. This makes the coolant cooler still. The cool liquid refrigerant then goes back to the evaporator coil, where the cycle starts all over again.
Here is a more detailed list of the steps:
- The building’s warm air goes over the evaporator coil.
- The heat in the air is taken up by the refrigerant in the evaporator coil.
- The coolant changes from a liquid to a gas.
- The gas goes to where the compressor is.
- Gas is pushed together by the compressor.
- The gas under pressure is hot.
- The hot gas goes to the coil in the condenser.
- The gas is cooled by the condenser coil.
- The gas becomes a liquid again.
- The liquid refrigerant goes to the valve that lets the gas expand.
- The pressure of the refrigerant drops when the expansion valve opens.
- The coolant makes it even cooler.
- The cool liquid refrigerant goes back to the evaporator coil, where the cycle starts all over again.
- As the refrigerant moves through the air conditioner, it takes heat from inside the building and sends it outside. This process makes the building’s air cooler.
10 tips for keeping your air conditioner running efficiently
- Air filters should be changed often. If your air conditioner has to work harder because your air filter is dirty, your energy bills may go up.
- Make sure to clean your air conditioner. The coils can get dirty, making it harder for the air conditioner to cool your home.
- Stop any air leaks. Leaks in your home’s air can let hot air in and cool air out, making your air conditioner work harder.
- Set your thermostat to a temperature that is comfortable for you. You can save up to 3% on your energy bill for every degree you raise your thermostat.
- Use fans to move the air around. Fans can help you stay cool so you don’t have to turn on your air conditioner as much.
- During the day, close the blinds and curtains. This will help keep the sun’s heat out of your house, which can make your air conditioner work less.
- When you’re not using an appliance, unplug it. Even when they are turned off, appliances can still give off heat. When they’re not being used, unplugging them can help keep your home cooler.
- Always get your air conditioner serviced. A professional can look at your air conditioner to see if there are any problems and make sure it is working right.
- Get an air conditioner that works better. If your AC is old, it might not work as well as newer models. By upgrading to an air conditioner that uses less energy, you can save money on your energy bills.
- Think about an air conditioner for the whole house. If you have a big house, it might be better to get one air conditioner for the whole house than several window units.
By using these tips, you can keep your air conditioner running well and save money on your energy bills.