It’s August, the car is jammed with kids and luggage, and you’re finally on your way to the cottage. Suddenly you realize that your car’s air conditioning system is on the fritz, and your family vacation really starts to heat up.
Automotive air conditioning systems were first introduced in 1940 to address customer demands for relief from unbearable heat. These systems use refrigerant to cool the air and remove the heat from the car’s passenger compartment. Air conditioning also cleans the air that enters the car, and removes excess moisture as it dehumidifies the air.
There are three basic components to any automotive air conditioner system:
1. Compressor–Considered the heart of the air conditioning system, the compressor transfers and compresses refrigerant gas to let the heat out of the car.
2. Condenser–removes heat from the refrigerant and cools down the high-pressure gasses.
3. Evaporator–Acts as the heater core of the air conditioning system. The evaporator removes the heat from inside the car. The refrigerant then condenses the air and transforms it into water.
Cars...