How Do Air Conditioning Units Work?
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Are you tired of not getting your desired temperature? Is the temperature too hot or too cold for you in your country? Then you must have an air conditioning unit in your home and office, right? But have you ever wondered how these units work? In this article, we will enlighten you about how an air conditioning unit works.
Air conditioning is the process of maintaining the optimum temperature in your space. People often think that air conditioning units are used to create and maintain cold temperatures, however, that is not true. Air conditioning units are useful in all weathers to have your desired temperature.
Let's dig into the article to understand how this air conditioning unit works, shall we?
Working of Air Conditioning Units
Let’s take the example of a normal air conditioner that changes your warm air into a cold temperature. Here is how it works:
The warm or hot air from the room is collected into the AC unit.
The air conditioning units comprise cold evaporator pipes, the air then flows from these pipes to cool it down.
The dehumidifier in the AC units then removes the excess moisture from the air. This is done to minimize the humidity in the atmosphere.
To transform the cool liquid into a warm gas, the coolant that is flowing through the chiller pipes catches heat from the air and evaporates.
The air conditioning unit then throws this warm gas outside through the outer. Meanwhile, the coolant passes through the compressor and condenser.
The cold air then cycled back into space lowering the temperature and humidity of the environment.
Categories of Air Conditioning Units
In general terms, there are two main categories of air conditioning units, they are:
Central air conditioning system
Ductless split air conditioning system
In this section, we will discuss:
How does central air conditioning work?
How do ductless air conditioning units work?
Working of Central Air Conditioning Units
Do you want to control the temperature of your entire office or home at the same time? Yes, this is possible by using central air conditioning units. The central AC works by distributing cool air into your entire space through ducts.
The central air conditioning units consist of one outdoor section and one indoor section connected by copper tubes. As far as space is concerned, these units take up some extra space than the units with a ductless system.
According to the Energy Department, the central air conditioning units have an average of 14 Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) and can extend up to 22 in the month of summer and spring. This means while these units cool down your entire home or office, they are not always energy-efficient.
Working of Ductless Split Air Conditioning Unit
The second category of air conditioning units is the ductless split air conditioner. It is quite different for the central ACs with duct systems. These systems work individually for every separate room.
Many thought that ductless air conditioning units work by being connected to ducts, but that’s not the case. These ACs flow cool air separately into every other room. It clearly means, you need more than one split system to cool down the temperature of your home or office.
Unlike central air conditioning units, the ductless AC units can have five separate indoor units connected to a single outdoor unit. This means you can control the temperature of your entire home by one outdoor unit without consuming the space of ducts.
There are also split units that use the ratio of 1:1 like central AC units. This kind of air conditioning unit is known as a mini split. The initial cost of the ductless split system air conditioner is higher than the central air conditioning unit. This is because you need to have multiple indoor units for every individual room.
But you know what the best part is? It is much more energy-efficient than central AC as it can raise up to 33 Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio.
Types of Air Conditioning Units
By now you have discovered the most general categories of air conditioners. Now let’s move toward the specific types of air conditioning units. This will help you understand which type of AC unit is best for your home or office.
1. Central Air Conditioner
As discussed above, central air conditioners are used to cool down the temperature of your entire home or office. These units consist of one indoor unit and one outdoor unit. These are best for the homes having basements.
2. Packaged Air Conditioning Units
This is another type of central air conditioning unit. The main difference between the both is it does not consist of a 1:1 ratio for indoor and outdoor units. Packaged air conditioning units are best for people having small homes or no space for accommodating large indoor ACs.
The plus point for packaged air conditioners is that they consist of two in one ratio. So you can easily adjust it outside your small home.
3. Ductless Mini-Split
Now let’s talk about the ductless split air conditioning units. As we have already discussed above, these air conditioning units have one indoor unit and one outdoor unit.
But as they are not connected with the ducts, you must need more than one mini-split. This will help you in controlling the temperature of your every individual room. Ductless mini-splits comes in two different types
Wall-mounted mini-splits: Wall-mounted air conditioners as the name suggests, are placed on the higher end of your room. They provide an equal distribution of cool air throughout your room. But as they are high enough so it may take some time to get its effects.
Floor-mounted mini-splits: Floor-mounted splits are placed on the floor and can have an instant effect on your room’s temperature. But as they are kept on the floor, the flow of the air may be compromised sometimes.
4. Ductless Multi-Split
A ductless multi-split air conditioning unit is just like central AC. The main difference is that ductless ACs do not have ducts. Other than that, you can install up to five indoor units in correspondence with only one outdoor unit.
The ductless multi-split air conditioning provides every user the authority to control and maintain their own desired temperature.
Components of Air Conditioning Units
After understanding the different categories and types of AC units, let’s move toward the components of air conditioning units.
1. The Evaporator
The air conditioning evaporator is one of the main working components of AC. The evaporator is the basic indoor unit of your air conditioner. It is used to collect the warm air from your space. In return, it will provide you with the air having optimal temperature and humidity.
2. The Compressor
After the evaporator collects heat, it goes into the compressor. The compressor then acts as the pump in your air conditioning unit. It decreases the volume of the gas and increases the temperature and pressure of the gas more than the outside temperature.
Once the temperature is raised above the outside temperature, the gas then moves towards the condenser.
3. The Condenser
The condenser is the “outdoor unit” of your air conditioner. The main job of the condenser is to move the collected warm air from your room to the outside air.
4. The Expansion Valve
After moving the heat outside from the outdoor unit, the cold refrigerant again moves towards the evaporator unit to repeat the whole process. But the air at this point still has a high temperature to enter the evaporator unit.
In this regard, the expansion valve cools down the temperature of the air coming back from the outdoor unit. After that, it moves the air to the evaporator to repeat the process.
Benefits of Air Conditioning Unit
After understanding the working of air conditioning units, now let’s discover some common benefits of having ACs in your home or office.
Works as Dehumidifier
The air conditioning units also work as a dehumidifier by decreasing the excess amount of humidity from the air.
Works as Air Filter
The AC units have filters in them which help to clean the air of your atmosphere. This will help you in inhaling the clean air rather than the air having germs and allergens.
Minimize the Risks of Heat-Related Illness
As the main objective of ACs is to cool down the temperature of your home, it will prevent you from heat strokes and other heat-related illnesses.
Secure Your Cool Air
If you are using ductless air conditioning units, then you do not need to worry about losing your cool air. As per the study, 20-30% of the cool air is wasted through duct leakage. So using ductless ACs will prevent you from wasting your cool air and money.
Takeaway
In this ultimate guide, we have discussed the types and categories of air conditioning units. We have also discussed how both categories of air conditioning units work. Moreover, we have jotted down the components of the AC unit for your better understanding.
I hope you find this guide informative and helpful in choosing your next air conditioning unit in your office or home!
Guest Contributor: Samuel Darwin