Shosholoza | Air conditioning & Refrigeration C.C

How does an aircon work

Taken literally, air conditioning includes the cooling and heating of air, cleaning it and controlling its moisture level & conditioning it to provide maximum indoor comfort.

An air conditioner transfers heat from the inside of a building, where it is not wanted, to the outside. Refrigerant in the system absorbs the excess heat and is pumped through a closed system of piping to an outside coil. A fan blows outside air over the hot coil, transferring heat from the refrigerant to the outdoor air. Because the heat is removed from the indoor air, the indoor area is cooled.

An air conditioning system generally consists of five mechanical components:

A compressor
A fan
A condenser coil (hot)
An evaporator coil (cool)
A chemical refrigerant

Most central air conditioning systems include of a "hot" side, outside your home, and a "cold" side, inside your home. The "hot" side generally consists of a condensing coil, a compressor and a fan.

The "cold" side is your evaporator coil, which cools the air, and routes this cool air throughout your home using a series of air ducts.

The cleaning function of air conditioners is performed by filters, which remove dust from the air.

How a Heat Pump Works

A heat pump is like a conventional air conditioner except it also can provide heat in winter. In the summer, the heat pump collects heat from the house and expels it outside. In the winter, the heat pump extracts heat from outside air and circulates it inside the house. A heat pump can save 30 to 60 percent less energy to supply the same heat when compared to an electric heater with a resistance heating element.

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COOLING CYCLE - Refrigerant passes through the indoor coil, evaporating from a liquid to a vapour. As the liquid evaporates, it absorbs heat, cooling the air around the coil. An indoor fan pushes this cooled air through ducts inside the house. Meanwhile, the vaporized refrigerant laden with heat passes through a compressor which compresses the vapour, raising its temperature and pressure. The reversing valve directs the flow of hot, high pressure vapour to the outdoor coil where the heat released during condensation is fanned into the outdoor air, and the cycle begins again

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HEATING CYCLE - Note that the slide inside the reversing valve has shifted, causing the refrigerant flow to reverse. Liquid refrigerant now flows to the outdoor coil picking up heat as it evaporates into a low pressure vapour. The vapour travels through the compressor where it is compressed into a hot, high pressure vapour, then is directed by the reversing valve to the indoor coil. The vapour turns into liquid as it passes through the indoor coil, releasing heat that is pushed through the ducts by the indoor fan.

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