Air Conditioning

1. INTRODUCTION
Air conditioning is basically required to reduce the high
and
ambient temperature to one in which working and living
is
tolerable. Science of air conditioning may be defined as
that of
providing and maintaining a desirable internal
atmospheric environment irrespective of external
conditions. Air conditioning involves delivery of purified, dust free air at a normal
temperature with average humidity and a requisite level of freshness
The application of air conditioning may be considered necessary to meet a variety
of circumstances: Where the type of building and usage there of involves high heat gain
from sources such as solar effect, electronic equipment etc.
In a building which are effectively sealed for example where doubleglazing is installed to reduce the nuisance caused by external noise.
In the core areas of deep planned buildings where the accommodation
in the core is remote from natural ventilation and is subjected to heat
gain from occupancy and machine.
Where the purpose to be carried out requires a close control of
temperature and humidity such as in computer suits, museums etc.

2. COMPONENTS
Most air conditioning systems have five mechanical components:
a compressor
a condenser
an expansion valve or metering device
an evaporator coil and blower
a chemical refrigerant
3. TYPES OF AIR CONDITIONERS The basic types of air conditioners are
room air conditioners, split-system central air conditioners, and packaged central

air conditioners.
3.1 ROOM AIR CONDITIONERS
Smaller room air conditioners (i.e., those drawing less than 7.5 amps of electricity)
can be plugged into any 15- or 20-amp, 115-volt household circuit that is not
shared with any other major appliances. Larger room air conditioners (i.e., those

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drawing more than 7.5 amps) need their own dedicated 115-volt circuit. The
largest models require a dedicated 230-volt circuit.

3.2 ROOM AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM AIR HANDLERS

Destiny Indoor Air Handler

600 CFM to 15,000 CFM

Vision Indoor Air Handler

900 CFM to 50,000 CFM

Skyline Outdoor Air Handler

900 to 25,000 CFM

RoofPak Outdoor Air Handler

4,000 to 50,000 CFM

3.3 CENTRAL AIR CONDITIONERS

Central air conditioners (CACs) are rated
according to their seasonal energy efficiency
ratio (SEER). This is the cooling output divided by
the power input for a hypothetical average
climate. The higher the SEER, the more efficient
the air conditioner. The national efficiency
standard for CACs took effect in 1992, requiring a
minimum SEER of 10. New standards, set to take

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effect in 2006, will raise the SEER requirement by at least 20%. Many older CACs
have SEERs of only 6 or 7.

4. BUILDING DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

Building should regulate heat flow that will minimize dependence on mechanical
equipments and take advantage of exterior environmental conditions.
SITE PLANNING: Consider general and micro climate of the site
Terrain and landscape elements
Orientation to the sun
CLIMATE: Precipitation, prevailing wind, temperature ranges, sunshine striking
the site KNOWN
Terrain and landscape:- plant material :-control heat flow
ORIENTATION: - should be as per the recommendations for hot and cold regions
COLD REGIONS: South, South East, South West
HOT REGIONS: North orientation
BUILDING DESIGN:Room organization
Effective building envelope design

Sl. no

Application

Room
ac

Packag
ed

Control
dirextcoo
ling
system

unit
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

small offices
small shops and
restaurants
residential flats
small operation
theatres
general
ward/small
hospital
cinemas and
auditoriums
medium type
offices
large multistory
office building
small laboratories

Chilled
water
system

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10
11
12
13
14

small hotels
large hotels:4 or 5
star/7star
small
pharmaceutical
factory
large
pharmaceutical
factory
large industrial
application

5. INSTALLATION AND LOCATION OF AIR CONDITIONERS

If the air conditioner is installed correctly, or if major installation problems are
found and fixed, it will perform efficiently for years with only minor routine
maintenance. However, many air conditioners are not installed correctly. As an
unfortunate result, modern energy-efficient air conditioners can perform almost as
poorly as older inefficient models.
Be sure that your contractor performs the following procedures when installing a
new central air conditioning system:

Allows adequate indoor space for the installation, maintenance, and

repair of the new system, and installs an access door in the furnace or
duct to provide a way to clean the evaporator coil.
uses a duct-sizing methodology such as the Air Conditioning
Contractors of America
Ensures there are enough supply registers to deliver cool air and
enough return air registers to carry warm house air back to the air
conditioner.
Installs duct work within the conditioned space, not in the attic,
wherever possible.
Seal all ducts with duct mastic and heavily insulates attic ducts.
Locates the condensing unit where its noise will not keep you or your
neighbors awake at night, if possible.
Places the condensing unit in a shady spot, if possible, which can
reduce your air conditioning, costs by 1% to 2%.
Verifies that the newly installed air conditioner has the exact
refrigerant charge and air flow rate specified by the manufacturer.
Locates the thermostat away from heat sources, such as windows, or
supply registers.
a new installation of room air conditioner, should :

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Conclusion
Air conditioning is an integral part of building services as well as the necessary of
the sophisticated and fast life of modern cities. A great care should be taken while
designing the air conditioning system for a building. It should be properly installed
and well maintained to convert this blessing of science into a boon to mankind.
References
Books
Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning -------------------------------Faye C. Mcquiston
Jenald D. Parker
Air Conditioning Systems Design Manual-------------------------------The ASHRAF Project
team.
HVAC Design Data Source Book----------------------------------------Robert O. Parmely
Building Services Hand Book---------------------------------------------Ferd Hall &Royer
Green
HVAC System Design and Hand Book----------------------------------Haines Wilson
HVAC Controls, Design and Application------------------------------John E. Tarister

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Air Conditioning Engineering ------------------------------------------W. P Jones
Refrigeration and Air Conditioning ------------------------------------S. C Arora
Refrigeration and Air Conditioning-------------------------------------Manohar Parsad
Internet Sites
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