Question

How do air conditioners work? Explain this by step by step.

Answer 1

The air conditioner in a central heating and cooling system provides cool air through ductwork inside your home, by providing a process that draws out the warm air inside, removing its heat.In a split system, the compressor condenses and circulates the refrigerant through the outdoor unit, changing it from a gas to a liquid. The liquid is then forced through the indoor evaporator coil or cooling compartment. The indoor unit’s fan circulates the inside air to pass across the evaporator fins. The evaporator’s metal fins exchange the thermal energy with the air around it. There, the refrigerant turns from liquid into vapor, removing any heat from the surrounding air. As the heat is removed from the air, the air is cooled and blown back into the house.From that point, the condenser or outdoor unit then turns the refrigerant vapor back into a liquid, removing any heat. By the time the fluid leaves the evaporator again, it is a cool, low-pressure gas, eventually returning to the condenser to begin its trip all over again. This process continues again and again until your home reaches the cooling temperature you want, as programmed and sensed by your thermostat setting.

(The air conditioner in a central heating and cooling system provides cool air through ductwork inside your home, by providing a process that draws out the warm air inside, removing its heat. .There, the refrigerant turns from liquid into vapor, removing any heat from the surrounding air.)

Answer 2

Explanation:

Step 1: Heat is absorbed by the evaporator coil

The warm air inside your house is drawn in through a vent and blows over the cold evaporator coil. The evaporator coil is the station located indoors and absorbs heat from the air, cooling the air. A fan blows the cold air into air ducts that distribute it throughout your home.

Step 2: Compressor raises the refrigerant temperature

The compressor decreases the gas’ volume. Usually this is done by squeezing the gas tightly between two solid objects

Step 3: Heat is transferred outside

The refrigerant, now a superheated vapor, reaches the condenser (which is located outdoors) and is exposed to the outside air. The outside air absorbs the heat from the refrigerant, lowering the temperature of the refrigerant and changing the state from a gas back into a liquid.

Step 4: Refrigerant gets cold; process repeats

Once the heat from the refrigerant is removed to the outdoors, the cold refrigerant travels back indoors to the evaporator to repeat the process over again. The process continues until the inside temperature of your home reaches your desired level. At this point, your thermostat tells your AC to shut off.