Learn How Do Ductless Air Conditioners Work

In this article I am going to discuss how do ductless air conditioners work. Hope this will helpful for you to know the process. But before that, here is an interesting small introduction on the topic.

Certainly, during the twentieth century, human technology advanced by leaps and bounds. For example, in 1903, Wright brothers flew the first aircraft powered by an engine. Several years later, in 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first human being to walk on the moon.

Certainly, both events were very important. However, they may not have affected the lives of human beings as much as the invention of air conditioning. When Willis Carrier installed the first air conditioner in 1914, a real revolution began in the world.

Since then, millions of people began to move to areas considered uninhabitable by the intense heat. Thanks to this phenomenon, several of these areas became important cities, achieving unprecedented economic development.

In modern times, ductless air conditioners have greatly improved the lives of many people. Newer models are more compact and lightweight, allowing users to take their units with them everywhere.

In this article, you’ll know in detail how do ductless air conditioners work. You’ll learn how these modern wonders are capable of transforming the infernal summer heat into a cool and pleasant winter breeze.

What is Ductless Air Conditioner?

A ductless air conditioner is a device that serves to decrease temperature and humidity levels in hot air. In contrast to central air conditioners, ductless devices don’t need ducts to deliver cool air.

Ductless air conditioners have limited capacity and can only control the temperature of the air inside the room where they’re installed. Therefore, if you install ductless air conditions in different rooms, each user can adjust the temperature to a different level.

The same doesn’t happen with central air conditioners, which deliver the same air temperature everywhere.

Ductless air conditioners have three main elements. If you know these, you can easily understand how do ductless air conditioners work.

The blower/evaporator goes indoors, installed on a wall. It has a rectangular shape and its main purpose is to suck hot air, remove heat and humidity and blow clean air.

The conduit is formed by the condensate drain, the power cable and the refrigerant tubing. The condensate drain expels out air moisture. The refrigerant tubing recirculates refrigerant through the air conditioning cooling system. The power cable provides electrical power to the blower/evaporator and the condenser.

The condenser goes outdoors, installed near an external wall. Its main function is to dissipate heat. To achieve this, it uses air fans pointing directly to the tubing filled with hot refrigerant.

Below you’ll know in detail the science that converts hot air into cold air.

How Do Ductless Air Conditioners Work (Step by Step)

The secret of optimal cooling is in the refrigerant’s quality. Before, air conditioners used R12 refrigerant. Though very efficient, it had a major flaw: it was highly polluting and affected the ozone layer.

Years later, R134a replaced R12 and is currently the most used refrigerant fluid in the world. R134a also receives the name of tetrafluoroethane. It reaches its boiling point at -26.3 ºC. This allows it to be used at very low temperatures.

Next, you’ll learn step by step how the refrigerant travels through the cooling system to lower the air temperature.

Compression

Certainly, the refrigeration cycle begins in the compressor. There, a piston-driven by electric current sucks refrigerant into the compressor and compresses it into a thin tube.

During the compression process, the refrigerant molecules collide with each other when the space is reduced, causing an increase in temperature.

Condensation

Then, the hot refrigerant that comes out the compressor passes through a condenser. The condenser is a long tube bent several times, forming a flat surface. If you’ve seen a car radiator, you know what a condenser looks like.

The main purpose of the condenser is to lower the temperature of the refrigerant fluid, cooling the walls of the tube that contains it. When fresh air touches the tube, it removes heat.

The final result after condensation is liquid refrigerant.

Expansion

After that, the liquid leaving the condenser expands inside a capillary tube. There, the refrigerant becomes a mixture of gas and liquid. In the process, the refrigerant temperature drops considerably.

Evaporation

The evaporation process occurs in the blower/evaporator. There, the refrigerant mixture passes through a series of bent tubes. At the same time, warm air driven by an air fan passes through the tubes.

When the warm air touches the cold surface of the tubes, its temperature drops and loses moisture. Moisture condenses on the tubes, forming water drops that are then expelled outside through the condensate drain.

Then, a second air fan expels the cool air into the room. Inside the evaporator, the refrigerant mixture absorbs heat and becomes hot gas.

Then, the hot gas returns to the compressor, through the refrigerant tubing to restart the cycle.

Conclusion

Certainly, air conditioners have impacted the lives of human beings more than any other invention in history. Now, there are no impediments for millions of families to live comfortably in too hot areas.

Ductless air conditioners are compact, lightweight and in some cases, you can take them with you everywhere. Above all, they allow you to adjust the temperature of each room independently. Without a doubt, it’s always a good idea to install one of these at home.

Well, I hope this how do ductless air conditioners Work article was helpful. But if you face any problem, feel free to write me.