The operation of an air conditioner is complex, because several physical and chemical changes occur before the unit can expel cold air.
To correctly explain the operation of an air conditioner, it must first be explained what happens in its outdoor unit, since it is in this unit where the cooling process begins.
In the outdoor unit of an air conditioner there is the compression engine , which is responsible for compressing the gas, the first step in the operation of an air conditioner. When this gas is compressed by said engine, it turns into a liquid state and its temperature increases significantly.
After this, the gas is pushed into the condenser, which is the radiator located in the outside machine. It is in this part of the process in which the task begins subcooling , consisting steal all heat this liquid gas that has just arrived. This is the reason why outdoor units of air conditioners blow hot air.
When we remove the heat from liquid gas, it partially begins to turn into a gas state , but not completely. In this way, what reaches the expansion valve is a mixture of gas in liquid and gaseous state . Once in this valve, the operation is the same as that of a spray deodorant: there is a liquid inside the bottle and, when we press, the liquid becomes gas and comes out at a cold temperature.
Thus, the expansion valve produces a pressure drop in the refrigerant, which causes the pressure to decrease and, therefore, the liquid gas becomes a gaseous state and its temperature decreases even more .
After passing through the expansion valve, this air, which already has a lower pressure and temperature, passes to the evaporator located in the indoor unit of our air conditioning. In this indoor unit, the air comes out into the room, cooling and, at the same time, removing heat from the refrigerant gas, which is in the indoor unit.
Thus, the heat that we remove from the air in the room with the gas is absorbed by the compressor, so that it can serve to cool the gas that returns to the outdoor unit. The repetition of this process is what achieves that the air conditioner can lower the temperature of the room or the place where it is, until it reaches the temperature that has been marked on the knob that controls the device.
A confusion that many people have about the operation of an air conditioner is to think that the air that it expels will come out at the temperature that is marked on the knob that controls it . On the contrary, the degrees marked on the remote tell the air when to stop reducing the room temperature .
In other words, if a temperature of 20ºC is marked on the control of an air conditioner, the air will expel cold air until it detects that the room is at that temperature. Once the temperature marked on the control is reached, the air will stop, until this temperature varies, at which point it will start up again.
An air conditioner always on the mark
We recommend that whenever you buy an air conditioner it is a brand, for example Daikin or Mitsubishi Electric . These internationally renowned brands invest millions in improving energy efficiency and are of excellent quality.
Within the air conditioners there are various systems to adapt to the needs of each space or consumer. Therefore, first of all, a distinction must be made between centralized air conditioning systems and autonomous air conditioning systems.
Central air conditioning
This cooling system also consists of an outdoor unit and an indoor unit. However, its main difference from autonomous systems is that with just one device, an entire house, office floors or even an entire building can be cooled.
The central air conditioning system has its outdoor unit outside the house and its indoor unit is usually placed in the bathroom. This place is chosen because it is where it can least disturb, since it does not aesthetically affect any other room.
To install this type of air it is necessary to have a false ceiling , since the indoor unit will be connected to a series of ducts that will run throughout the house through said false ceiling. Through these ducts, fresh air will travel to cool all rooms.
In each room there will be two grilles, one through which the fresh air will escape and the other through which the air will return to the outdoor unit. This returning air will not travel through the duct, but through the additional space created by the flysheet. In this way, the expelled air and the returned air will not come into contact.
This type of system is controlled with a thermostat placed either in the main room or in the living room , where the temperature and other markers can be regulated, such as humidity or the force with which the air is expelled.
Because there is only one thermostat, or central knob, a great deal of energy is wasted cooling rooms where there may be no one. In this way, if you want to install a centralized air system, it is highly recommended to hire the ‘airzone’ system.
The ‘airzone’ system consists of installing grids that are motorized and controlled by a thermostat placed in each of the rooms . Thus, each one of the members of the house, or the place to be refrigerated, will be able to choose the temperature at which they want to have their room.
It should be noted that you can also turn off the refrigeration regardless of whether it continues to work in the rest of the house, which will generate a great saving of energy and money in the final bill.
This cooling system also consists of an outdoor unit and an indoor unit. However, its main difference from autonomous systems is that with just one device, an entire house, office floors or even an entire building can be cooled.
The central air conditioning system has its outdoor unit outside the house and its indoor unit is usually placed in the bathroom. This place is chosen because it is where it can least disturb, since it does not aesthetically affect any other room.
To install this type of air it is necessary to have a false ceiling , since the indoor unit will be connected to a series of ducts that will run throughout the house through said false ceiling. Through these ducts, fresh air will travel to cool all rooms.
In each room there will be two grilles, one through which the fresh air will escape and the other through which the air will return to the outdoor unit. This returning air will not travel through the duct, but through the additional space created by the flysheet. In this way, the expelled air and the returned air will not come into contact.