Brief summary by

Vaishnavi Chandrakant Kamble | 16

 Definition;
A system for controlling the humidity, ventilation, and temperature in a
building or vehicle, typically to maintain a cool atmosphere in warm conditions.
Air-conditioning is that process used to create and maintain certain
temperature, relative humidity and air purity conditions in indoor spaces. This process is
typically applied to maintain a level of personal comfort.
Air conditioner refers to the machine that makes the room cooler and air
conditioning refers to what the machine does.
Principle;
The principle is to create a cool or warm ceiling surface in order to condition
a room by the most natural way: Radiation.
Water circulates in thin capillary tubes, the KARO Mats, or copper pipes,
which are installed in the room ceiling.
Those Mats create a cool or warm surface and so, condition the air using a
natural principle: Radiation
In Europe, heating by the ceiling is now a common practice and since 15
years, cooling is also well developed, but very seldom used in other countries.
 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. As the refrigerant absorbs the heat from the passing air, it changes from a liquid
state to a gaseous state and continues to travel along the loop system toward the
compressor.

Compressor raises the refrigerant temperature

The compressor decreases the gas’ volume. Usually this is done by
squeezing the gas tightly between two solid objects. This raises the pressure and
temperature of the refrigerant, preparing it for the condensing process.

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.

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.
 Refrigerant is a special fluid that is vital to cooling and freezing technology. It
operates on a closed loop and carries heat from the inside of your building to the outside. You
can think of the refrigerant as the messenger/traveler. We use refrigerant because it changes
states from liquid to vapor at convenient temperatures for the refrigeration cycle.
It moves through an air conditioner’s cooling tubes and copper coils, connecting
the inside unit to the outside unit. It absorbs heat from your indoor air, changing states from gas
to liquid. After absorbing heat from the inside air, the refrigerant travels to the outdoor unit where
the heat is pushed outdoors.
Once the refrigerant has dispersed its heat outdoors, it changes back to its gaseous
state and travels back indoors. After the refrigerant gets cold again, an indoor fan blows air over
the cold coils and then circulates cold air through the home. This cycle repeats every time your air
conditioner is on.
Compressor
The job of the compressor is to pressurize the refrigerant, thus raising its
temperature. Due to the combined gas law (a combination of Boyle’s Law, Charles’ Law, and Gay-
Lussac’s Law), which states that if pressure increases so does its temperature, when you compress
the refrigerant, it will heat up. It does this by squeezing the gas very tightly together.
Condenser Coil
The condenser coil is in the outdoor air conditioning unit. It receives the high
pressure, high temperature refrigerant from the compressor. You can think of it as the opposite of
the evaporator coil. Whereas the evaporator coils contain cold refrigerant, the condenser coils
contain hot refrigerant.
The condenser coils are designed to facilitate heat transfer to the outdoor air. The
refrigerant releases heat energy with the aid of the condenser fan, which blows air over the coils.
As the heat leaves the refrigerant to the outside environment, it turns back into a liquid where it
then flows to the expansion valve, which depressurizes the refrigerant and cools it down.
 Expansion Valve
When the refrigerant leaves the condenser in its liquid state, it has dispersed heat, but it
is still too hot to enter the evaporator coils. Before the refrigerant passes to the evaporator coils, it
must be cooled down. This is where the expansion valve (also known as a metering device) comes in,
normally a thermostatic expansion valve.
Again using the principles behind the combined gas law, which states that when
pressure decreases so does its temperature, the expansion valve depressurizes the refrigerant and
cools it down.
An expansion valve removes pressure from liquid refrigerant allowing for the
refrigerant to change from a liquid to a vapor/gas in the evaporator. It also controls the amount of
refrigerant/voltage flow entering the evaporator.
Evaporator Coil
Evaporator coils are very important to an air conditioner. It’s where the air conditioner
actually picks up the heat from inside your home. The copper tubes receive the depressurized, liquid
refrigerant from the expansion valve.
When your indoor air blows over the cold coils, the heat from inside the home gets
absorbed. This is because of the 2nd law of thermodynamics which states that heat flows naturally
from hot to cold.
Just like the condenser coils need the help of the condenser fan to facilitate heat
transfer, the evaporator coils rely on the indoor air handler’s fan (aka the blower) to blow air over the
coils.
As the refrigerant absorbs heat from the indoor air, it starts to evaporate to form a vapor.
• Window Air Conditioner
• Portable Air Conditioner
• Floor Mounted Air Conditioner
• Geothermal Air Conditioner
• Centralized Air Conditioner
• A window air conditioner is the simplest type of AC unit.
• It is a single unit with all of the parts and components contained inside one box or casing.
• This type of AC is usually mounted or installed in a window and plugs into a traditional electrical outlet.
• It is convenient because it can be moved from window to window as needed and operates independently from a
home HVAC system.
• A window AC unit uses the same principles as any other type of air conditioning system.
• It uses refrigeration properties to remove heat and humidity from a room while cooling air to circulate into the room.

• The basic components include a thermostat, a fan or blower, tubing filled with refrigerant, a compressor, an evaporator
coil and a condenser coil.
• As the temperature in the room rises, it triggers the thermostat in the AC unit, which turns on the blower.
• Room air is pulled into the unit and moves over the cold refrigerant coils.
• The air is cooled as it passes over the cold coils and is pushed out into the room, cooling it and bringing down the
temperature.
• Portable air conditioners are similar to window air conditioners.
• They are also placed in a single unit with all its components enclosed inside but the difference is that it is a free-standing unit and therefore can be moved from room to room.
• All it requires is a power outlet to power it up & access to a window where the unit’s air can be exhausted from using its funnel.
• You can opt for a portable air conditioner if you want temporary space cooling or wherever it’s not practical to install a window or split air conditioner.
• They are very handy and smaller versions can even be used for kennels or bathrooms. Portable ACs can be single- hose that takes in air from inside a room and expel it outdoors.
• Or, dual-hose which pulls air from the outdoors using one hose, this air cools the compressor and is then exhausted outdoors from the other hose.
• Since a portable unit sits indoors, its evaporator fan runs continuously to evaporate the condensed moisture that is collected inside the unit.
• Floor mounted air conditioners are designed for convenience if you prefer a mini-split but lack the required space for a wall mounted unit.
• The indoor unit of floor-mounted AC rests on the floor, and the outer unit can be installed without major site preparation or any ductwork.
• This arrangement is also ideal for spaces with tilted walls such as attics or building constructed by fragile materials such as glass.
• The unit can be installed up to 6 inches higher than the floor, and through a small hole in the wall it is connected to the outdoor unit.
• An amazing benefit of the placement of this AC is that it allows you to very easily check the air filters!
• Easy access to the air filters makes floor-mounted air conditioners ideal for individuals with respiratory issues or people who are keen on keeping their indoor air quality as clean as
possible.
• Floor mounted systems cool/heat the room quicker than any other mounting system as the fan blows the air directly at your level. On the contrary, units that are mounted high up on
the wall can often face difficulties cooling the room uniformly and efficiently.
• Floor units need free space around them though to function efficiently and circulate the air adequately. Make sure the unit is not obstructed by furniture or walls.
• Geothermal heating & cooling is considered a relatively new method, it works by utilizing
the insulating properties of the earth.
• Since the temperatures under 4 to 6 feet of land remain consistent all year regardless of
the weather, geothermal technology takes advantage of this to heat & cool your home
more efficiently.
• This system has piping that consists of a loop that circulates water between your home, a
heat pump & the ground.
• They require intensive work to set up underground.
• When it comes to efficiency, geothermal AC beats conventional central AC by far. ... As
you can imagine, your geothermal heat pump will always be effective and efficient at
cooling your home, even in the hottest summers. Installing a geothermal air conditioner
can reduce your electricity use by 25 to 50 percent
• That's because it uses the free renewable solar energy stored in your backyard rather than
burning fossil fuels.
• Geothermal HVAC systems use the same science of refrigeration that other HVAC/R
equipment relies on.
• Under the Second Law of Thermodynamics, heat naturally travels from hot or warm
locations to cold ones.
• In a geothermal HVAC system, an electrically powered heat pump cycles fluid, usually
water or refrigerant, through long loops of underground pipes.
• It is through this process that heat is transferred from ambient air in the building to the
ground and vice versa.
 Water cooled Air cooled
chillers chillers
• Centralized air conditioning systems serve multiple
spaces from one fixed base location.
• These typically use chilled water as a cooling medium
and use extensive ductwork to transport the air.
• Here the coolant is generated at one base location-
chiller.
• From here the coolant is transported to AHU (Air
Handling Unit) which are provided in the structure at
intervals.
• From here the air is cooled and distributed on the floor
plate with ducting system.
• In a packaged central air conditioner, the
evaporator, condenser, and compressor are all
located in one cabinet,
• This type of air conditioner also is used in small
commercial buildings.
• Air supply and return ducts come from indoors
through the home's exterior wall or roof to
connect with the packaged air conditioner, which
is usually located outdoors.
• Packaged air conditioners often include electric
heating coils or a natural gas furnace.
• This combination of air conditioner and central
heater eliminates the need for a separate furnace
indoors.
Air cooled chiller plants
• Lower installation costs.
• Less maintenance
• Cooling tower not needed
• Condenser pump not required
• Requires less space
• Less efficient
• Lesser life span
• Noisy
• No LEED points.
Water cooled chiller plants
• Usually have longer life spans.
• Higher efficiency
• Indoor placement
• Larger tonnage capabilities
• Refrigeration containment
• LEED points
• Additional maintenance costs.
• Water treatment costs
• Mechanical room needed
• Large consumption of water
• Require larger space
• 3 story CUC in lieu of 2
Brief summary ON AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMS by
Vaishnavi Chandrakant Kamble | 16