|
Portable Air Conditioners use a refrigerant called R-22 or HCFC-22. HCFC stands for hydrochloroflouorocarbon. This is currently the most common refrigerant used by air-conditioning systems.
Refrigerant Phase-Out
Many of the current forms of refrigerants used today are being phased out based on concern for depletion of the ozone layer. Portables use R-22, which has been deemed acceptable for use by the EPA until the year 2010. By that time, an ozone-friendly refrigerant that can be easily substituted for R-22 will be readily available.
 Air-conditioning Systems
The system by which air conditioners provide cooling is called the Refrigerant Cycle. This system has four major components common to all air conditioning systems.
These components and their basic functions are listed below.
- Compressor - Refrigerant is drawn from the evaporator and pumped to the condenser by the compressor. The compressor also pressurized the refrigerant vapor so that it will change state (condense) readily.
- Condenser - The high-pressure refrigerant vapor releases heat through the condenser coils as it condenses into liquid refrigerant.
- Metering Device (capillary tube, txv-valve) - The metering device restricts the flow of liquid refrigerant from the condenser to the evaporator. As refrigerant passes through the metering device, its pressure decreases, making it easier to vaporize.
- Evaporator - The low-pressure liquid refrigerant absorbs heat as it vaporizes in the evaporator coils.
The process described above is the Refrigerant System or Refrigerant Cycle. It is the system on which virtually all modern Air-Conditioning and refrigeration is based.
| 
Top