Whether you want to raise or lower the temperature, the thermostat is the control center that turns on the air conditioner or oven. The main unit of an air conditioning system includes the air conditioner, heat pump, or oven. These are the parts that heat and cool your home, but they need help from other internal and external mechanisms. The compressor is the powerhouse of air conditioning and does most of the work. However, it's important to remember that many system problems don't originate with the compressor.
If you experience a premature compressor failure, it's likely that another issue has gone unnoticed. The air conditioning in a commercial HVAC system is similar to a residential unit. Its purpose is to dehumidify the air and eliminate heat. It's important to remember that the air conditioner itself doesn't cool the building, but works with other subsystems to regulate the temperature. The condenser is the heat exchanger on the hot side of the air conditioning unit. It removes heat from the building and transfers it to the outside.
The gaseous refrigerant then becomes a liquid refrigerant. A heat pump can also have a condenser, in which case it collects heat from outside. The expansion valve is an essential part of the condenser's function. It removes pressure from the liquid coolant so that expansion can take place, converting it from a liquid to vapor. The expansion valve provides precise control of refrigerant flow in the evaporator coil.The evaporator coil is likely to need maintenance or replacement at some point.
It contains cooled refrigerant received from the compressor. As fan air moves over the coil, heat is removed from the air in the treated area. Chillers come in air-cooled and water-cooled varieties. Its purpose is to remove heat from liquid passing through pipes in a structure. An air-cooled chiller has condenser coils cooled by air driven by a fan, and is usually located outdoors. The heat generator is a key element of HVAC system components when it comes to heating.
Heat is generated by extracting energy from fuel inside a furnace, also known as a combustion chamber. Hot flue gases then heat air or other fluid, such as water, which heats air entering the conditioned environment. Electrical heat generation can also be used to heat an air conditioner. While there are various options for heat generators, furnaces are most common and should be considered for combustion efficiency and emission of pollutants for environmental reasons related to HVAC system components. Since most heat generators use fuel as power source, safety considerations must be taken into account.
Combustion systems operate with an excess of air to reduce combustion temperature and produce lower NOx emissions, resulting in carbon monoxide being one of the products of reaction. Therefore, safety is a concern for heat exchangers due to potential leakage of carbon dioxide into air passing through flue gas tubes. CO is colorless and odorless, but can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea, and even death at high levels. Detectors must be arranged to monitor such leaks. A fan passes air through the heat exchanger to air ducts carrying hot air to its destination. The fan is driven by an electric motor via a shaft.
Air flow can be adjusted by changing engine speed. Motors should be variable speed type for gradual increase in speed which reduces noise when less air is needed and decreases wear of rotating parts as well as energy consumption of unit, resulting in lower operating and maintenance costs. To heat air, HVAC heating unit must be activated. Electronic heating elements are used for this purpose such as induction coils, thermostats etc. During suction air flow, heating element creates heated zone in path and as air flows through it heats up resulting in warm air being injected into room. In conclusion, understanding how HVAC systems work requires knowledge about its major components: thermostat, compressor, condenser, expansion valve, evaporator coil, chillers, heat generator and fan motor.
Each component plays an important role in regulating temperature inside buildings while ensuring safety measures are taken into account.
