Air Conditioner: Basics of Air Conditioning

The temperatures in the summer months can go up, making life uncomfortable. Here, there is a need for lowering down the room temperature to bearable levels. You do not have any control over the external temperature. Thus, the only option available to you is to regulate the internal temperature of the rooms and the buildings. This is the concept of air conditioning.

Air conditioning:

In simple words, this is the process of altering the temperature and humidity of air to more comfortable conditions with an aim of distributing this air into a building or a room. In fact, you can distribute this cool air to any enclosed area including vehicles. The device used for the purpose is the air conditioner.

Function of the air conditioner:

The main function of this device is to condition the temperature of the air. In case it is cold in the exteriors, the device should heat up the room to a comfortable temperature. In the same way, if it is hot outside, the instrument performs the job of cooling the interiors to a comfortable level. However, in common parlance, we use the word air conditioner as a device for cooling the temperature alone. In the general sense, conditioning of the air includes heating, cooling, ventilation, and cleaning of air.

Working of an air conditioner:

You can do the cooling in many ways. One common method is through a refrigeration cycle. The other common method is through evaporation. The common household contraptions use the method of evaporation and condensation. There are two commonly used types of household devices. One is the window air conditioner and the other is the split air conditioner. Both these devices work similarly using the principles of evaporation and condensation.

Household units:

You normally see the fixing of window units in an open window. A fan blowing over the evaporator cools the interior air. On the exterior side, another fan blows over the condenser to dissipate the hot air into the atmosphere. These systems make use of a coolant liquid or gas that can cool the air on evaporation. In a split unit, you split the device into two separate sub-devices. The 'compressor' and the 'heat switching device' can be far away from each other.

A flexible hose connects the two split devices. These systems make less noise as compared to the window air conditioners and hence are a bit more expensive. Nowadays, people prefer the split variety to the window variety. However, both of them have their respective uses. A third type of air conditioning systems popular today is the centrally air conditioning system. You can cool an entire building in this fashion. The advantage of this system is that it allows for "moderate multitude temperature control capability." One more type of this system making its presence felt in recent times is the portable one. As the name suggests, you can carry this unit with you wherever you go.

Conclusion:

We have seen the basic definition of air conditioning and the different types of common household air conditioners in use today.