Air conditioning, ventilation, and heating are an advanced technology of vehicular and indoor environmental comfort. Its aim is to provide acceptable indoor air quality and thermal comfort. These three technologies are integrated in different ways to deliver the best conditions for a person. This results in a good indoor climate and an environment that is comfortable and easy to live in. The three technologies by themselves however have some common components that allow them to function well together.
Heat pumps are usually grouped together with air conditioning systems. Heat pumps utilize electricity to move heat from a location to another. The electricity is usually generated by a turbine and then distributed to heat exchangers. The heat pump then transfers this heat to the air conditioner condenser, where it is converted into AC voltage. The power requirements from the system are determined by the size of the heat pump and the capacity of the AC system.
A condenser is part of the air conditioning system and is also known as an evaporator or absorber. It is where the heat is transferred from air to water. A fan is usually integrated to push hot air away from the condenser and then to the location. A drain on the condenser allows the evaporation of heat into liquid form.
An air conditioner consists of three parts – the compressor, condenser, and evaporator. The compressor is responsible for taking in air and converting it into vapor. The size of the compressor is dependent on the size of the room where it is placed. The process of converting the air into vapor requires a large amount of energy. To save energy, the size of the evaporator is smaller than the compressor.
The condenser is made of many small plates that are held taut on springs. These plates combine to make an electricity supply that powers the compressor. The evaporator is placed in front of the compressor. Air flows through the small opening on the side of the condenser and hot air passes through the evaporator. Cold air passes through the other side of the evaporator.
The compressor can be electric, gas powered, or a combination of the two. AC systems use two large fans to circulate the air and drive the compressor. The air conditioner is connected to an air handler. This process continues until the temperature inside the room is cool enough.
An AC system has several different components. One of these components is the compressor. In an air conditioner, the compressor releases pressurized gas in liquid form into a larger container known as a compressor tank. The liquid is then drawn into a larger container known as an evaporator coil.
ACs work on principles similar to refrigerators. Refrigerators, for example, maintain a constant temperature using principles similar to those used in air conditioning. Air conditioners use principles similar to those found in heating appliances. As an air conditioner operates, air is cooled (energized) by a liquid such as Freon and heated (dehumidified) by natural convective heat.