Air Conditioning Systems 57

refrigerant will enter the expansion stage’s pressure reducing

device (metering device) at approximately 90°F. The liquid was
subcooled 30°F. Only liquids can be subcooled and only vapors
can be superheated or desuperheated. When the liquid refrigerant
goes through the metering device the pressure on the refrigerant
is reduced to 70 psig. This reduction in pressure (from 260 psig to
70 psig) reduces the boiling point of the liquid refrigerant to 40°F.
However, the temperature of the liquid refrigerant at 90°F is
above the new boiling point (40°F). Because the liquid refrigerant
is hotter than its boiling point a part of the liquid refrigerant
begins to boil off. This boiling off of the liquid refrigerant is called
flashing. The liquid refrigerant which is boiled off or flashed,
changes state to a vapor or gas. This vapor is called “flash gas.”
When a part of the liquid refrigerant is flashed, it removes heat
from the remaining liquid. This flashing continues until the re-
maining liquid refrigerant is cooled down to the boiling point
which corresponds to the pressure on the liquid (40°F @ 70 psig).
About 18% of the liquid is flashed off to a vapor and is not avail-
able to pick up heat (i.e., latent heat of vaporization) but can pick
up sensible heat in the evaporator stage. The vapor and the re-
maining liquid (82%) enters the evaporation stage and the cycle
starts over. The AHU has taken 1200 cfm of mixed air at 78°F and
cooled it down to 55°F supply air.

AIRFLOW

The supply air moves through the ductwork because of a

difference in pressures. Just as heat moves from a higher level to
a lower level, so do fluids. Fluids move from a higher pressure to
a lower pressure. Air is a vapor and as such is a compressible
fluid.
Remember, we said that the refrigerant vapor moved
through the system because the pressure on one side of the com-
pressor was higher than on the other side. The same is true for the
air. The fan produces a pressure at the discharge of the fan that is
58 HVAC Fundamentals

higher than the pressure in the conditioned space. For example,

the pressure in the conditioned space is atmospheric pressure
while the pressure at the fan discharge is greater than atmo-
spheric pressure.
To continue, the air moves through the ductwork until it
reaches the supply air outlets in the conditioned space. As the
55°F supply air is discharged it mixes with the warmer room air.
Also as the supply air comes in contact with the greater mass of
room air the velocity of the air slows down. After circulating
through the room the air exits the room by way of the return air
inlet. This amount of air, the 1200 cfm of supply air continuously
flowing through the room, will result in about 7.5 complete air
changes per hour. Once again, the air flows through the ductwork
because of a difference in pressures. In this case, the room air is
at atmospheric pressure, or slightly above, because of room pres-
surization and the inlet to the fan is less than atmospheric pres-
sure so the air flows towards the fan. The return air carrying the
heat removed from the conditioned space mixes with the outside
air, which also contains some heat. This mixture goes through the
filter section and into the cooling coil and our cooling cycle starts
over again.

FOUR TYPES OF
AIR CONDITIONING COOLING SYSTEMS

Water to Water
Air to Air
Air to Water
Water to Air

AC COOLING SYSTEM #1

Heat Rejection Side Heat Pickup Side

Water to Water