Refrigerant gas plays a crucial role in the functioning of a room air conditioner (AC). Here’s a simplified explanation of how it works:
- Evaporation: The refrigerant starts its journey in the evaporator coil inside the indoor unit of the AC. In this coil, the refrigerant absorbs heat from the indoor air, causing it to evaporate into a gas. As it evaporates, it extracts heat energy from the indoor air, cooling it down.
- Compression: The low-pressure refrigerant gas then moves to the compressor, typically located in the outdoor unit. The compressor’s job is to pressurize the gas, raising its temperature and pressure. This compression process increases the energy of the refrigerant molecules.
- Condensation: Next, the high-pressure, high-temperature gas moves to the condenser coil, also located in the outdoor unit. Here, the hot refrigerant releases heat to the outside air, causing it to condense back into a liquid state. This process of condensation releases the heat absorbed from the indoor air to the outdoor environment.
- Expansion: The now-cooled, high-pressure liquid refrigerant passes through an expansion valve or capillary tube. This valve or tube restricts the flow of refrigerant, causing a sudden drop in pressure. This drop in pressure results in the refrigerant rapidly expanding and evaporating partially, which cools it down further.
- Repeat: The cycle then repeats as the cool refrigerant returns to the evaporator coil to absorb more heat from the indoor air, and the process continues.
In summary, the refrigerant in a room AC absorbs heat from indoor air, transfers it outdoors, and then repeats the cycle to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature. This continuous cycle of evaporation, compression, condensation, and expansion allows the AC to cool and dehumidify the air inside a room.
