Air conditioning is the process of altering the properties of air (primarily temperature and humidity) to more comfortable conditions, with the aim of distributing the conditioned air to an occupied space e.g. a car. The Air conditioning (A/C) as fascinating as it is in cars, goes through a whole lot of process to ensure that you enjoy that cool fresh air on sunny afternoons. This process is made possible through the workings of certain component. The air conditioner is made up of 5 major components, which are the compressor, condenser, evaporator, thermal expansion valve and the Drier or accumulator. Each of these components performs a particular task to ensure the perfect functioning of the car A/C:
Compressor:- this component is located in the front of the vehicle and is responsible for putting the refrigerant under pressure. It works to compress the gas to a point around 250 psi, and increase the temperature at the same time.
Condenser:- this is a radiator like component that the gas moves through once it has been heated up. Inside the condenser the gas is converted to a liquid as the heat is removed from it.
Evaporator:- this is the component that is responsible for pulling the refrigerant into the vacuum, where the gas then becomes cold.
Thermal expansion valve:- this is the component that changes the system from high pressure to low pressure .this is essentially where things change from hot to cold.
Drier or accumulator:- this is the component that removes the water that has entered the system. Without this step the unit unit can for ice crystals, which can damage the air conditioning unit.
The air conditioner is built for comfort in cars for the driver and passenger regardless of the natural weather condition.