A perfectly working air conditioning system is the key factor in making your daily commute to work and back less stressful. This is especially true when you talk about hot summer days and that unbearable humidity. However, to know how important it is to keep your auto AC system fine tuned is one thing. Do you ever wonder how it functions?
Well, it looks complex to most people, but is actually quite simple to understand. Learning about the basics of your car’s AC will help you not only understand the little details how the auto AC system works to keep the temperature nice and comfortable. But you might just pick on a few important details on how to know when one of the components isn’t working.
The auto AC system has three jobs in total – (1) Increase the internal temperature in your car (in winter), (2) cool down the interior and (3) defrosting the windshield. All three of these modes make up the climate control system that is incorporates in the hood of your car.
The five main components of an air conditioner, namely compressor, condenser, expansion valve, receiver-dryer and evaporator, connect to each other via a series of flexible pipes and tubes. The refrigerant passes around the whole structure and evaporates at low temperature and condenses under high pressure.
Components of the Auto AC System
Compressor
The compressor is the driving force of this system and gets its power from the engine’s crankshaft. This sends the pressurized refrigerant vapor to the condenser once the belt connecting the compressor and the crankshaft starts running.
Condenser
Sitting right in front of the radiator, the condenser’s main job is to cool down high pressure gasses, turning them into liquid. When the refrigerant reaches the condenser, it cools and liquifies. This process generates a great deal of heat, which is then removed by the air flowing outside the condenser.
Receiver-Dryer
Once the refrigerant is liquefied, it is sent to the receiver-dryer. Since any moisture that is leaked into the refrigerant can be dangerous for the components, the receiver-dryer removes it all from the refrigerant.
Expansion Valve
The receiver-dryer then sends the pressurized refrigerant to the expansion valve. This part literally allows the refrigerant to expand by removing pressure from it. When the refrigerant expands, it drips to the evaporator.
Evaporator
Looking a lot like the radiator of the car, the evaporator sits inside the cabin. When the component receives the low pressure and cold refrigerant, it removes the heat from inside the cabin. The blower fan then circulates cold air by pushing it via the evaporator.
The compressor then starts the whole cycle again by taking in low-pressure refrigerant vapor. You can control the speed of this cycle by regulating the setting of the expansion valve. The basic principle of air conditioning is same for all systems, even if there are any variances in any or all parts of the AC or climate control.
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