INTERIOR SERVICES LECTURE NOTES DEC 09 2024

INTRODUCTION
The history of air conditioning began with early attempts at cooling and
refrigeration and includes the development of the first commercial air
conditioner.
Passive air conditioning
Ancient civilizations used passive air-conditioning techniques, such as double-
walled living quarters with a gap between the walls to encourage air flow. These
techniques were widespread until the 20th century when they were replaced by
powered air conditioning.
19th Century: The First Mechanical Systems
In 1820, British scientist Michael Faraday discovered that the compression and
expansion of certain gases could cool air, laying the foundation for modern
refrigeration. In 1851, John Gorrie, an American physician, patented an ice
machine that was also used to cool hospital environments.
Towards the end of the 19th century, innovations in the field of mechanical
engineering led to the first centralized heating systems in buildings. Steam boilers
and radiators became an efficient way of distributing heat in large structures.
The 20th Century and the Birth of Air Conditioning
The real turning point in air conditioning came in 1902 with the invention of the
first modern air conditioning system by Willis Carrier. Carrier developed a device
to control the temperature and humidity of the air in a printing plant in New
York.

Active air-conditioning is what we see now

• Air conditioning is the controlling of air temperature, its humidity, its purity,
noise free and its flow rate at a certain place to produce a comfort zone.
• Ventilation is refreshing the air in a crowded place by feeding the place
with a mount of air at a certain time and draw the same amount of air to
obtain a healthy environment empty of dust, gases and bad smell.
• Air-conditioning deals with Human comfort, while refrigeration deals with
preservation of perishables.
• Air-conditioning involves both heating & cooling while refrigeration
means only cooling.

Ar Esra Ghalib | RUZIVO INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Need for air-conditioning
• Humans being warm blooded are comfortable in the TEMP.RANGE o 25-
30 deg. C
• Excess Humidity is uncomfortable as sweat does not dry and the body
does not cool down
• Extremely dry weather is also uncomfortable e.g., Chaffing of skin and
dryness
• In addition, Purity, Draft/Velocity, Noise, Power Consumption
Terminologies you need to know
1. Thermal comfort: Condition of mind that expresses satisfaction with the
thermal environment.
2. Temperature: Degree of hotness or coolness of an object or space
3. Humidity: The concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water
vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human
eye.
4. Relative humidity: The amount of water vapor present in air expressed
as a percentage of the amount needed for saturation at the same
temperature.
5. Mean Radiant Temperature: Amount of radiant heat transferred from a
surface.
6. Dry bulb temperature (DBT): The temperature of air measured by a
regular thermometer that is shielded from radiation and moisture. DBT is
also known as the actual temperature of humid air.
7. Wet bulb temperature (WBT): The temperature of air measured by a
thermometer with a wetted wick that is exposed to the air and
shielded from radiation and moisture. WBT takes humidity into account.
8. Refrigerant: A refrigerant is a chemical substance used in refrigeration
and air conditioning systems. They work by absorbing heat and
transferring it in a cycle to achieve cooling of air or objects.

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 UNITS OF AIR CONDITIONING:
• Kilo Calorie - It is defined as the amount of heat to be added/removed to
raise /lower the temperature of one kg of water by one degree Celsius.
• BTU(British Thermal Unit)- It is defined as the amount of heat to be added
(removed) to raise (lower) the temperature of one pound of water by one
degree Fahrenheit.
• 1 Kilo Calorie = 3.97 BTU.
• TR -One ton of refrigeration is the heat required to melt 2000 lbs of ice at
0°C into water at the same temperature in 24 hrs
• 1 TR = 3024 Kcal/hr.
THE REFRIGERATION CYCLE:
The refrigeration cycle is advanced used in air-conditioning keeping in mind all
the points for comfort.
The general refrigeration cycle is a closed circuit that moves heat from one area
to another using a refrigerant. The cycle involves four main stages:
• Compression:
The refrigerant is pressurized and heated into a hot gas in the compressor.
• Condensation

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The refrigerant vapor is turned into a liquid in the condenser, which absorbs
heat.
• Expansion
The refrigerant loses pressure and heat in the expansion valve, becoming
cold and slow.
• Evaporation
The refrigerant absorbs heat from the space it's cooling in the evaporator,
turning into a gas.

Figure 1 REFRIGERATION CYCLE

The cycle then repeats with the refrigerant returning to the compressor.
The refrigeration cycle is used in air conditioners and refrigerators to keep
things cool. The same refrigerant is used throughout the cycle to move heat
from one area to another. Here are the types of cycle of air-conditioning
based on the refrigerant used.
1. Vapor compression: A basic refrigeration cycle that uses a compressor,
condenser, metering device, and evaporator.

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2. Gas cycle: A type of refrigeration system that uses a gas as the working
fluid.
3. Reverse cycle:
An air conditioner that can both heat and cool efficiently. It can save money
on power bills by transferring heat from outside to inside the home.
4. Evaporative
A cooling system that can add moisture to a house. There are direct
evaporative coolers and indirect evaporative coolers.
TERMS YOU NEED TO KNOW:
• Compressor: A pump that increases the pressure of refrigerant gas.
• Condenser: A unit that removes heat from the system by condensing
refrigerant into a liquid.
• Condenser coil: The area inside the air conditioner where the refrigerant
condenses into a liquid.
• Condenser fan: A fan that circulates air over the condenser coil.
• Condensate: Liquid that forms when warm air is pulled across the
evaporator coil.
• Damper: A sheet metal plate that controls the flow of air into a zone.
• Dehumidifier: A device that removes moisture from the air.
• Diffuser: A grille over an air supply duct that distributes air in a specific
pattern.
• Evaporator: A component where liquid refrigerant is changed to a gas.
• Expansion valve: A device that restricts the flow of high-pressure
refrigerant.
• HVAC: Stands for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.

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 Figure 2 WORKING OF AIRCINDITIONERS

VAPOR-COMPRESSION REFRIGERATION SYSTEM (VCRS) CYCLE:

Vapor compression cycle uses a circulating liquid refrigerant as the medium
which absorbs and removes heat from the space to be cooled and
subsequently rejects that heat elsewhere.
• Out of all refrigeration systems, the vapor compression system is the most
important system from the viewpoint of commercial and domestic utility.
• It is the most practical form of refrigeration. In this system the working fluid
is a vapor.
• It readily evaporates and condenses or changes alternately between the
vapor and liquid phases without leaving the refrigerating plant. During
evaporation, it absorbs heat from the cold body.
• This heat is used as its latent heat for converting it from the liquid to vapor.
• In condensing or cooling or liquefying, it rejects heat to external body,
thus creating a cooling effect in the working fluid.

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 • This refrigeration system thus acts as a latent heat pump since it pumps its
latent heat from the cold body or brine and rejects it or delivers it to the
external hot body or cooling medium.
Main components of Vapor compression cycle are:
• Compressor
• Condenser
• Expansion valve
• Evaporator unit.

Figure 3 Pressure volume diagram VCRS

Figure 4 TYPICAL VCRS CYCLE

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Regulating devices: A device that maintains a certain state in a machine or
system by controlling the level or amount of something, such as temperature,
speed, pressure, or power
Regulating devices in air conditioning systems include:
• Thermostat/expansion valve
Detects temperature changes and generates signals to maintain a desired
temperature.
• Metering device
Decreases the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant before it enters the
evaporator.
• Fan-coil units
Connected to water chillers to produce cooling for a conditioned space. The
thermostat controls the water flow to the fan-coil units.
• Inverter power control
The frequency of the compressor's rotation can vary depending on the load
required.
• Heat pump
An electrically powered HVAC system that can produce cooling air, warm
water, and cold water.

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WINDOW AC:
• It is designed to condition the air in a single room or a large scale.
• It is called a window air-conditioner because it is usually installed in a window.

Construction
A layout of a window air-conditioner is shown in fig. 2.9.
The main components of a window air-conditioner are given below
(i) Compressor
(ii) Condenser
(iii) Air filter
(iv) Evaporator
(v) Motor
(vi) Fans
(vii) Thermostat

• The whole unit is divided into two units as indoor unit and outdoor unit.
• The indoor unit consists of an evaporator, air filter, motor driven fan, control
panel, trays, etc.
• The outdoor unit consists of a compressor unit, condenser, trays and motor
driven fan.

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• All the components are enclosed in a single unit
• It follows the vapour compression refrigeration system.

Working
• The evaporator fan sucks the air from the room to be conditioned through air
filter. It passes the air over the evaporator (cooling) coil.
• In the evaporator, the liquid refrigerant picks up heat Jing 100 from the room
air. This cool air brings down the temperature and humidity levels in the room
and provides comfortable conditions.
• The compressor compresses the low-pressure vapour refrigerant coming from
the evaporator. It converts refrigerant into high-pressure vapour refrigerant.
• The high-pressure vapour refrigerant is then passed into the condenser where it
is cooled.
• Outside air is drawn in by the another fan (which is also driven by same motor.)
Thus, it cools the refrigerant to become liquid
• The high-pressure low-temperature liquid refrigerant from the condenser enters
the capillary tube (ie., Tenoitib expansion valve).

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• The pressure and temperature of the refrigerant drops when it leaves the tube.
Then, the low-temperature refrigerant from the tube passes to the evaporator
coil.
• In the evaporator, the liquid refrigerant picks up heat and gets vaporized. This
cycle repeats again and again.
• The unit stops automatically when the required temperature is reached in the
room by help of thermostat.
Advantages of the Window air-conditioner
• For each unit, an individual temperature control device is provided.
• For air distribution, ducts are not required.
Disadvantages of the Window air-conditioner
• The unit is installed outside the wall.
• This unit has a fixed air quantity.

Figure 5 CYCLE IN AN AIRCONDITIONER

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PACKAGED AIR CONDITIONER
• It is a bigger version of the window air conditioner.
• It has a higher cooling or heating capacity.
• It is usually able to cool an entire house or a commercial building.
In other words, package air conditioner is a factory-assembled air-conditioning
unit ready for installation. The unit may be mounted in a window, with an
opening through a wall, or on the building roof. These units may serve individual
room, a zone, or multiple zones.

Components
The important components of the packaged air conditioner units are
1. Compressor
2. Water cooled or air cooled condenser
3. Electrical panel
4. Thermostatic expansion valve
5. Air filter

Types
Depending on the type of the cooling system used, the packaged air
conditioners are classified into two types:
(a) Packaged Air Conditioners with Water Cooled Condenser
(b) Packaged Air Conditioners with Air Cooled Condensers
Here, we discuss packaged Air conditioner, with water cooled condenser.

Construction
1. In this packaged air conditioner, the condenser is cooled by the water.
2. The condenser is of shell and tube type. The refrigerant is flowing along the
tube side and the cooling water is flowing along the shell side as shown in fig.
2.10.

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3. In this system with the packaged units with the water 918 Jer cooled
condenser, the compressor is located at the bottom along with the condenser.
The evaporator or the cooling coil is located above these components.
4. The water is supplied continuously for the functioning of the air conditioning
system
5. The air handling unit comprising of the centrifugal blower and the air filter is
located above the cooling coil. The centrifugal blower has the capacity to
handle large volume of air required for cooling several rooms.

6. From the top of the package air conditioners the duct becomes out that
extends to the various rooms that are to be cool cooled.

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Working
1. The evaporator fan suck the air from the room to be conditioned.
2. This air is passed through the refrigerant distribution units
3. The refrigerant picks up the heat from this air and cools it.
4. Now, the air is further cooled by compressing it with the help of the
compressor.
5. This cool air is distributed to the room and thus the room is air conditioned.
6. The condenser of the refrigeration system is cooled by circulating the water.

Advantages of Package type Air Conditioner:

• Installation and assembly labor charges are less.
• Duct work is eliminated.
• Units can be started or stopped easily.
• Easy maintenance.
• Individual room control is possible.
• Failure of unit only affects one area, unlike the failure of central system, which
affects entire building.
Disadvantages of Package type Air Conditioner:
• More noisy operation.
• Leakage problem.
• Vibrations are more as compared to other unitary systems

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