How Air Conditioning Works

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Published 2018-07-24
To beat the summer heat, we turn to air conditioning. But that sweet, cool relief isn’t magic: it’s the science of heat transfer and the chemistry of refrigerants.

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Credits:
Producer: Sean Parsons
Writer: Alexa Billow
Scientific Consultants: Michelle Boucher, PhD; Rick Wormsbecher, PhD
Executive Producer: George Zaidan
Fact Checker: Alison Le

Music:
"Backbay Lounge," by Kevin MacLeod

Sources:
web.mit.edu/2.972/www/reports/compression_refriger…
ws680.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=9252…
www.ccacoalition.org/en/slcps/hydrofluorocarbons-h…
theconversation.com/explainer-hydrofluorocarbons-s…
cen.acs.org/articles/93/i10/Climate-Friendly-Refri…
cen.acs.org/articles/95/i33/Periodic-graphics-chem…
www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-refrigerant-605606
www.explainthatstuff.com/airconditioner.html
home.howstuffworks.com/ac1.htm
home.howstuffworks.com/freon-utilized-in-air-condi…
19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/mvac/refrigerant-tra…
me-mechanicalengineering.com/refrigerant-and-desir…
nptel.ac.in/courses/112106133/Module_6/12_Required…
www.quora.com/How-does-the-low-specific-heat-of-va…
www.thoughtco.com/history-of-freon-4072212
www.britannica.com/science/hydrofluorocarbon

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All Comments (21)
  • @Zachariahfml
    I'm a certified HVAC tech. I found your explanation pretty comprehensive. Although the coloring on the diagram you used was a bit misleading.
  • @latteARCH
    So is refrigerant like reusable sweat?
  • @Zachariahfml
    Also I would consider it physics as well. It's more thermodynamics than anything else. I highly doubt us adopting CO2 for a few reasons, CO2 requires much higher operating pressures due to it being a supercritical liquid, basically CO2 only likes being in 1 of 2 states gas or a solid, unless its compressed to mind numbing pressures. With practical and conventional methods and materials it's not totally achievable. Then again I've went from seeing the rocket shuttle landing on a runway to seeing them land on the launchpad they started at. So who knows. Just my 2 cents for whatever they're worth
  • Can't live without air conditioners! They've become absolute necessities of modern life.
  • @ericsyte4061
    i have 2 tons indoor unit and 1.5 tons outdoor unit all being Samsung with same digital inverter technology and refrigerant(R410a). They also have same model numbers with the exception of the size number(AR24JVFSAWKX/N and AR18JVFSAWKX). Can i use them together?
  • @MajinTalon
    You did a way better job of explaining this then the last video I seen.
  • @BlueyChandler
    Good content, a lot more involved than what I thought.
  • @tysloo81
    CO2 need higher pressure, not a good candidate
  • @zam5864
    Great video. Ended up learning even more.
  • @alexb4100
    Humans: Move heat from my sweaty bedroom to outside where it's hot and miserable already. Who cares? The Environment: And I took that personally...
  • @saikrish655
    This is one of the best explanations I ever heard ! ⭐
  • I was under the impression the a fan blowing through heat fins/radiator block helped to dissipate the heat given off by the refrigerant condensing, but that wasn't mentioned. Is that not correct?
  • @menace353
    This is the best explanation on YouTube on how the system works