The component at #1 in this air
conditioning circuit and cycle
diagram is the compressor.
The compressor is the heart of
the system; it keeps the
refrigerant flowing through the
system at specific rates of flow,
and at specific pressures.
It takes refrigerant vapor in
from the low pressure side of
the circuit, and discharges it at a
much higher pressure into the
high side of the circuit.
The rate of flow through the
system will depend on the size
of the unit,
And the operating pressures will
depend on the refrigerant being
used and the desired evaporator
temperature.
The component at #2 in this air
conditioning circuit and cycle
diagram is the condenser.
The red dots inside the piping
represent discharge vapor.
The solid red color represents
high pressure liquid refrigerant.
Most air cooled air conditioning
and refrigeration systems are
designed so that the refrigerant
will condense at a temperature
about 25 to 30 degrees above
outside ambient air temperature.
When the hot refrigerant vapor
discharged from the compressor
travels through the condenser,
the cool air flowing through the
condenser coil absorbs enough
heat from the vapor to cause it
to condense.
If the outside air temperature is
80 degrees, the system is
designed so that the
temperature of the refrigerant,
right at the point where it first
condenses, will be about 105 to
115 degrees.
Why do we want the refrigerant
to condense at this relatively
high temperature?
So that the air will be very cold
relative to the temperature of
the discharge vapor,
Which will allow the latent heat
energy in the vapor to transfer
over to that relatively cold air,
And cause the refrigerant to
condense.
This transfer of heat from the
vapor to the flowing air is what
makes hot air blow out of your
air conditioner's condensing
unit.
At this stage in the air
conditioning circuit and cycle
diagram, high pressure liquid
refrigerant will flow down the
liquid line, through a filter drier
that is designed to prevent
contaminants from flowing
through the system, and on to
the metering device.
The metering device, component
#3 on this air conditioning
circuit and cycle diagram, is the
dividing point between the high
pressure and low pressure sides
of the system,
And is designed to maintain a
specific rate of flow of
refrigerant into the low side of
the system.
If the wrong capacity of
metering device is used, or if
there is a problem with the
metering device,
An incorrect quantity of
refrigerant will flow into the
evaporator.
When the refrigerant passes
through the metering device, it
drops from about 225 psi to
about 70 psi,
It also drops in temperature
from about 110 degrees to
about 40 degrees,
It starts evaporating
immediately,
And it wouldn't be too inaccurate
to imagine it acting like warm
soda when you shake the bottle
and pop the top off.
It shoots out into the evaporator
foaming, bubbling, and boiling,
And remember, it's at a low
pressure, so it's only boiling at
about 40 degrees F.
And that brings us to the
evaporator, component #4 in the
air conditioning circuit and cycle
diagram.
There will be relatively warm air
flowing over the evaporator coil,
lets say about 80 degrees.
The air conditiong system is
designed so that the refrigerant
will evaporate in the evaporator
at a temperature of about 40
degrees, so that it will be cold
compared to the warm air
flowing over it.
The system is designed so that
the heat in the warm air flowing
over the evaporator will be
absorbed by the cold
evaporating refrigerant.
This cools the air flowing over
the evaporator, and is the reason
cold air blows out of your air
conditioner.
I hope this air conditioning
circuit and cycle diagram has
helped you understand air
conditioning systems, and once
again, feel to copy it and print it
out.
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