Comfort in a car is indeed an obligation, apart from making the driver’s work the focus when driving, seated passengers will also feel calm and relaxed when comfort is obtained. One of the mandatory components that help the car feel comfortable is AC ( Air Conditioner) .
But most people don’t know how car air conditioners work. What many people know is that when the air conditioner turns on and cools the cabin then everything is fine. Are you one of the many car owners who think like that?
You need to know, not all problems in car air conditioners are caused by damage inside. Therefore, you need to know how car ac works so you can detect if there is damage that occurs suddenly.
Broadly speaking, it is important to know what components are in a car air conditioner. Which consists of a compressor, expansion valve, evaporator, filter / dryer , and condenser.
1. Compressor
This component serves to distribute Freon to the car air conditioner . This compressor is driven by a magnet in the car engine so that it can be run or turned off.
2. Condenser
The condenser component functions to convert Freon gas into liquid form. This occurs due to the release of hot air to the outside through the condenser side.
3. Filter / dryer
The function of this component is to filter dirt in the car air conditioning system.
4. Expansion Valve
This component functions to convert high pressure liquid freon to low pressure and in the form of fog.
5. Evaporator
The evaporator functions to absorb hot air that is outside which is then flowed into the car. This hot air enters through the cold side of the evaporator, then is expelled back into the room. This is what makes cold air from the AC can be felt.
How Car AC Works To Produce Cold Air
After knowing the components of a car air conditioner described above, this time you will find out how a car AC works so that it can produce cold air.
The compressor component is driven by the car engine to pump and channel gaseous freon into the car air conditioning system. Freon will flow into the condenser to be cooled by releasing heat into the air through the condenser fins. In this process, the cooled freon changes form from gas to liquid.
Furthermore, the freon that has become liquid is flowed to the filter / dryer component to be filtered from the impurities that have been carried away. The filter results are flowed to the expansion valve to reduce the pressure. With this decrease in pressure, the temperature also decreases.
After the temperature decreases, the freon is flowed into the evaporator until the evaporator cools down. The hot air in the car is then absorbed through the evaporator. Then the air that was absorbed earlier when it was released again will turn cold and make the surroundings cool.
And that’s a simple explanation of how car air conditioners work. May be useful.