Knowra Air conditioning Air conditioning Air conditioning is the process and equipment for controlling indoor temperature, humidity, cleanliness, and air circulation. Most systems cool spaces by moving heat from indoors to outdoors.
Vapor-compression refrigeration : A refrigeration cycle that uses a compressor, refrigerant, and heat exchangers to move heat from a colder space to a warmer one. It powers most air conditioners by transferring indoor heat outdoors.
Heat transfer : The movement of thermal energy through conduction, convection, or radiation. Air conditioning depends on moving heat rather than simply creating cold.
Central air conditioning : A system that cools a building from centralized equipment and distributes conditioned air through ducts. It is a common arrangement for conditioning multiple rooms in a building.
Air conditioning and public health : The study of health effects associated with cooling indoor environments, including heat protection and exposure risks. Mechanical cooling can reduce dangerous heat exposure while creating other health concerns.
Refrigerant : A working fluid that absorbs and releases heat as it changes pressure and phase in a refrigeration cycle. Its evaporation and condensation carry heat through the system.
Thermodynamics : The study of heat, work, energy, and the laws governing their transformations. Its energy principles explain why cooling requires work and heat rejection.
Heat pump : A device that transfers heat between indoor and outdoor spaces and can provide heating or cooling. In cooling mode, it operates as an air conditioner; in heating mode, it reverses the cycle.
Urban heat island : The tendency for built-up areas to be warmer than nearby rural surroundings. Outdoor heat rejected by air conditioners can intensify local urban warmth.
Evaporator : A heat exchanger where refrigerant absorbs heat and evaporates. Indoor air releases heat to refrigerant as it passes across this coil.
Sensible heat : Heat that changes a substance's temperature without changing its phase. It describes the temperature reduction that cooling equipment provides.
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