Air Conditioning Today

Running head: AIR CONDITIONING TODAY

Air Conditioning Today

University of Phoenix

Air Conditioning Today

What role does air conditioning play today? Almost all Americans have air conditioning in homes today. Air conditioning has changed the way Americans live on a daily basis. Air conditioning has affected the way temperature; humidity and indoor air quality are controlled indoors.

Willis Carrier invented air conditioning in 1902 (Wright, 1996). Using energy transfer, the ability to remove a heat or cooling load from a given space can be achieved. Today thermostats are used to monitor a given spaces temperature. The persons occupying the space can change the temperature with the press of a button.

One by-product of the invention of air conditioning is the ability to change moisture content in the air. The energy transfer that takes place with an air conditioning system now adds or removes moisture from the air. While the system is in operation the indoor unit is sucking air from a given space. The indoor unit has a coil inside which the air passes through. The refrigerant inside the coil is the transferring the energy created by the warm air passing by it. The warm energy is now passed to the outdoor unit and blown upward into the air. While the energy transfer is taking place the air moving across the indoor coil is now removing the moisture. When warmer air comes in contact with a cold coil, condensation occurs. The condensation flows downward into a drain pan and removed through the drain line. This process is how the moisture is removed from the air.

Indoor air quality is controlled by an air conditioning system. Many factors contribute to indoor air quality. Having the temperature at the right set point. To little or too much humidity affect indoor air quality. Having a clean filter controls the amount of particulates in the air. Indoor air quality has a huge variable to it. The occupant, and...