An air conditioner works by circulating refrigerant through a system that absorbs heat and humidity from inside your home and releases it outside, leaving you with cool, comfortable air. Here's a step-by-step breakdown:
1. Refrigerant Starts as a Cool, Low-Pressure Gas
- The refrigerant begins its journey inside the compressor as a cool, low-pressure gas. This gas is the key ingredient that facilitates the heat transfer process.
2. Compression: Increasing Pressure and Temperature
- The compressor acts like a pump, squeezing the refrigerant gas. This process significantly increases both the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant. Imagine using a bicycle pump – the pump gets hot as you compress the air. The refrigerant becomes a hot, high-pressure gas.
3. Condensation: Releasing Heat Outdoors
- The hot, high-pressure refrigerant gas then flows into the condenser coil, which is typically located outside your house.
- As air (often forced by a fan) blows across the condenser coil, the refrigerant releases its heat to the outside environment. This process causes the refrigerant to condense from a hot, high-pressure gas into a warm, high-pressure liquid.
- Think of the condenser as a radiator releasing heat into the air.
4. Expansion Valve: Reducing Pressure and Temperature
- The warm, high-pressure liquid refrigerant then flows through an expansion valve (also called a metering device).
- This valve is a narrow opening that rapidly reduces the pressure of the refrigerant. This sudden pressure drop causes a corresponding drop in temperature, turning the refrigerant into a cool, low-pressure liquid.
5. Evaporation: Absorbing Heat Indoors
- The cool, low-pressure liquid refrigerant now enters the evaporator coil, which is located inside your air conditioning unit, typically within your furnace or air handler.
- As warm air from inside your house is blown across the evaporator coil, the refrigerant absorbs heat. This causes the refrigerant to evaporate from a cool, low-pressure liquid into a cool, low-pressure gas. This process of evaporation is what cools the air.
- The cooled air is then circulated back into your home, providing relief from the heat.
6. Return to the Compressor: The Cycle Repeats
- Finally, the cool, low-pressure refrigerant gas returns to the compressor, and the entire cycle begins again. This continuous loop ensures that heat is constantly removed from your home and transferred outside.
| Component | Function | Location | State of Refrigerant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compressor | Compresses refrigerant, increasing pressure and temperature | Outdoor Unit | Cool, low-pressure gas becomes hot, high-pressure gas |
| Condenser Coil | Releases heat from refrigerant to the outside air | Outdoor Unit | Hot, high-pressure gas becomes warm, high-pressure liquid |
| Expansion Valve | Reduces pressure and temperature of refrigerant | Between Units | Warm, high-pressure liquid becomes cool, low-pressure liquid |
| Evaporator Coil | Absorbs heat from indoor air, cooling the air | Indoor Unit | Cool, low-pressure liquid becomes cool, low-pressure gas |
In summary, an air conditioner continuously cycles refrigerant to absorb heat from inside your home and release it outside, providing a cooling effect. The key components – compressor, condenser coil, expansion valve, and evaporator coil – work together to facilitate this heat transfer process.
