Automotive Air Conditioning System

The air conditioning system of a vehicle comprises of a number of components namely; accumulator, thermal expansion valve, receiver- drier, orifice tube, condenser, evaporator and compressor. The compressor is commonly referred to as the heart of the conditioning system since its function is to pump the refrigerant throughout the system. Just like the common pump, the car compressor has both the discharge and intake sides. The intake part takes the refrigerant gas from the evaporator, and once this gas is in the compressor, it is compressed to the specified level and then released to the condenser. It is at the condenser stage that heat transfer between the system and the car interior takes place. The physical appearance of the condenser is almost like that of the car radiator, this characteristic enhances good heat transfer. As a heat radiating component, the radiator in a car is commonly placed close and in front of the radiator, but this position may vary from vehicle to vehicle.

The evaporator, as a heat absorption component, is located in the interior of the car where it performs two basic functions. First it removes heat from the inside of the vehicle and the secondary function is dehumidification. The dehumidification is achieved when the warm air in the car comes into contact with the cold coils of the evaporator. The moisture in the air is condensed and then it drips as water to the outside of the car. The pressure regulators are components used for controlling the flow speed and pressure of the refrigerant fluid. Since the air conditioning system was invented in the 1940s, several versions of pressure regulators have been developed. Thermal expansion valve is an important component in the car air conditioning system because of the role it plays in regulating refrigerant flow throughout the system maxidiag elite md802. The receiver drier is used on the high side of the system and its core function is to separate the liquid and the gas refrigerant maxisys pro. The separation process is important because the thermal expansion valve works solely on liquid refrigerant. A receiver drier also doubles as a sieve by filter both dust and moisture out of the system.

The accumulator is almost similar in function to the receive drier but its major role is to prevent any harmful refrigerant from entering the compressor by isolating the two components. It is mostly used in systems that use orifice tubes before the evaporator. The accumulator, as does the receiver drier, prevents damage of the system, due to corrosion, by removing moisture. If moisture and the refrigerant combine, a corrosive acid is formed and it can cause extensive damage to the other components of the system. The air conditioning system of a car is very important as it keeps the occupants in a comfortable state irrespective of the conditions outside the car. The advent in automotive technology has also contributed to significant advance in these systems. In the 1990s global car makers made a major change by shifting to hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) as the accepted refrigerant in place of the more harmful chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). This initiative made significant contribution to environmental conservation, reducing the contribution to global warming by over 80%. Modern systems are designed in such a way that they have significantly reduced pollution to the environment.

Modern vehicles, though still contributing to environmental pollution, have significantly lower levels of emissions resulting from the refrigerants. According to recent studies in the United States, of all the emissions from the vehicle, only 30% is related to the refrigerant. 60% of the emission is system energy consumption related while 10% is from transportation and transport weight. The resolve by all global automakers to reduce the effects of the refrigerants can be witnessed in the various principles advocated for in the use of CFCs and HFCs. First, there has been a lot of emphasis to have continual research concerning the options possible for refrigerants. Another milestone in this industry is that the car makers have taken the initiative of handling the refrigerants with care by recovering such wastes, recycling and reclaiming to reduce instances of environmental degradation. Other than that, the refrigerant components are installed in the vehicle has also been addressed and the most efficient methods applied. The manufacturers have come up with appropriate designs for the system, and the energy efficiency factor is highly considered even in the installation stage.

With all the comfort that air conditioning brings to a car, there have been observations of serious health problems emanating from the system. According to a research carried out at Louisiana State Medical Centre, 22 of the 25 tested cars indicted presence of harmful moulds. There is also the risk of getting communicable disease, for example the Legionnaires Disease, due to the circulation of contaminants, if the filters are ineffective. It has been observed over time that the evaporator of the car air conditioning system provides a perfect breeding ground for mildew, simply because these organisms thrive well in dark, warm and moist conditions. The evaporator, being a cooling component, is mostly under cold conditions. Then it is subjected to air and the dust from the air sticks to its surface forming the required conditions for the growth of mildew. The vapor that evaporates from the evaporator harbors harmful mildews namely Penicillium, Aspergillus and negative mildew, all of which have adverse negative health effects on the car users.

The air conditioning system in a car is not just a luxury, it also provides health benefits by keeping off the hot environment. The application of this system has provided other challenges both to people and the environment. Among the short term solutions to the problem posed by the mildew is the use of special deodorants to reduce the odor of these organisms. As studies have shown, the contribution of the car air conditioning system to environmental degradation has been reducing. This reduction has been realized because of the immense growth in the technological front, which has resulted in the emergence of energy efficient and environmentally friendly systems.

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