Prepared for

Murat HOZ
Professor, Kocaeli University
Technology Faculty, Automotive Engineering Department

By
Semih ZEL, 120218049
Student, Kocaeli University
Engineering Faculty, Mechanical Engineering Department

December 9, 2015

Abstract
This report contains the operating principles of the air conditioning systems of the some
vehicles ( a home-type refrigator, a butcher-type refrigator and an automobile). In this study, I
describe the functions of the components, and how to work these systems.

1. The Air Conditioning System of The Home Type Refrigerator

The AC system of the home-type refrigerator has six main components in its refrigeration
circuit: the compressor, condenser, filter-drier, capilary tube, evaporator and heat exchanger.
R134a was used from 1994 until 2008 in this systems as a refrigerant. However, nowadays,
R152a is used in this systems. On the other hand, R152a isnt preferred in the automative air
conditioning systems.
Compressor: The compressor is the most important component in this system. The low
pressure superheated refrigerant vapor enters the compressor from the evaporator. The
pressure increases, and the temperature of the refrigerant also rises. In this case, it compresses
the refrigerant into the condenser as high pressure superheated vapor.
Hermetic compressor is prefferred in this kind of refrigeration systems.
Condenser: The purpose of the condenser is to receive the high-pressure gas from the
compressor and convert this gas to a liquid. The high pressure superheated vapor refrigerant
enters the condenser and starts to flow through the finned tubes. When the ambient air is
cooler than the refrigerant, heat is transferred from the hot refrigerant. In this case, the
refrigerant becomes saturated vapor. And then, the refrigerant condenses and equals the
saturation temperature. And it becomes saturated liquid.
Finally, the refrigerant subcools and leaves the condenser as high pressure subcooled liquid.

Thermostat: The thermostat sets the cooling temperature in the system. Its internal structure
has one of the gases used in the cooling systems ( for example R134a etc.). It is located in the
refrigerators as mounted the evaporator. When the cooling increases in the evaporator, the
ignition opens in the housing of the thermostat. Depending on the ignition, the compressor
will be disable. Then, the ignition will be closed when the temperature increases and the
compressor starts to work again. In this way, the cooling temperature remains at the desired
value on the thermostat.
Thus, according to the ambient temperature, the thermostat provides to switch on or off the
compressor in this air conditioning systems.
Filter-Drier: It is located the outlet of the condenser. It needs to change when the compressor
is burned or there is a gas leakage.
The filter removes any dirt or foreign particles.In addition, it absorbs the moisture in the
refrigerant.
Capillary Tube: The refrigerant hardly flows through the capillary tube as a gas. If the
refrigerant is a form of liquid, it flows easier than the other one. Thus, the refrigerants flow is
controlled and high-pressure is occured in the condenser and low-pressure area is occured in
the evaporator. The capillary tube is simple and cheap for small-capacity refrigeration
systems.
Heat Exchanger: Cooling the refrigerant from the condenser is starting to influence the
direction of reducing the evaporation of throttling valves. Non-evaporated refrigerant in the
throtting valves evaporates in the evaporator. The heating of the refrigerant from the
evaporator that provides to not reach the liquid refrigerant to the compressor. Thus, the
refrigerant reach to the compressor as a superheated vapor.
Evaporator: An evaporator is used in an air conditioning system to allow a compressed
cooling chemical, such as Freon or R134a, to evaporate from liquid to gas while absorbing
heat in the process.
Low pressure mixture of saturated liquid and saturated vapor refrigerant enters the evaporator.
Frequently, a fan will move warm air form the ambient or the conditioned space across the
evaporator finned coils. The cooler refrigerant in the evaporator tubes absorb heat from the
conditioned air stream and evaporates at constant temperature. Then, the refrigerant goes on
absorbing heat and its temperature increases.
At the end of the superheating region, the refrigerant is low pressure superheated vapor. Thus,
this low pressure superheated vapor refrigerant leaving the evaporator is pulled into the
compressor and the cycle starts over.

2. The Air Conditioning System of The Butcher Type Refrigerator

The AC system of the butcher-type refrigerator has six main components in its refrigeration
circuit: the compressor, condenser, filter-drier, capillary tube, evaporator and heat exchanger.
All of the components operate similar to the operations described above. At this section, some
difference will be explained.
There is a heat exchanger between the suction line and capillary tube.
Insulation is made between the evaporator with capillary tube. The temperature of the
refrigerant reduces until the refrigerant reaches the evaporator. This insulation provides to
be less difference between the capillary tube and the evaporator.
The task of the heat exchanger is to prevent the fluid inlet to the compressor.
Heat transfer coefficient of the condenser is greater than previous one.
The power of the compressor is higher than the previous compressor. (Home type
refrigators operating system)
3. Desktop Vehicle Air Conditioning System

The AAC system with an orifice tube and accumulator has five main components in its
refrigeration circuit: the compressor, condenser, orifice tube, evaporator, and
accumulator/filter/drier.
The compressor, condenser and evaporator operate similar to the operations described
above. Only different components, the orifice tube and accumulator/filter/drier.
Orifice Tube: Orifice tubes are used in systems that dont use expansion valves. Like an
expansion valve, the orifice tube is used to control the amount of refrigerant entering the
evaporator.
The diameter of the orifice tube is similarly small to that of the passage inside the
expansion valve, but there is one big difference between orifice tubes and expansion
valves. An orifice tube is a simple fixed device with no moving parts. It cannot vary the
amount of refrigerant flowing into the evaporator the way an expansion valve can.
Orifice tubes also serve as a dividing line between the high and low pressure sections of
the system.
Accumulator/Filter/Drier: A suction line accumulator prevents compressor damage from
a sudden surge of liquid refrigerant and oil that could enter the compressor from the
suction line.
Accumulators have a metering ejector device that picks up liquid, vaporizes it, and returns
it to the compressor. This prevents liquid slugging and controls oil return. It is particularly
important on hot gas defrost systems, heat pumps, etc., where surges of liquid refrigerant
frequently go back down the suction line.
This component also has a filter to remove any dirt or foreign particles. In addition, silica
gel is also located in the accumulator to absorb moisture in the refrigerant. This function
of the component causes it to be called drier.
4. Computer-aided Vehicle Air Conditioning System

The AAC system has five main components in its refrigeration circuit: the compressor,
condenser, liquid receiver/filter/drier, thermostatic expansion valve, evaporator, flow
meter, tachometer and anemometer.
Only different components, the liquid receiver, TXV, flow meter, tachometer, and
anemometer.
Liquid Receiver: A pressure vessel or a tank, sized to hold the whole liquid refrigerant
charge of the system. Liquid receivers are installed in the liquid line as close as possible to
the outlet of the condenser.
This component mainly serves as a container for the liquid refrigerant which is not
required at medium and low evaporator loads. This unrequired refrigerant is stored in the
liquid receiver.
The liquid receiver also serves as a seal against the entrance of gaseous refrigerant into the
liquid line.
Thermostatic Expansion Valve: It is a type of expansion device regulating how much
liquid refrigerant enters the evaporator. In the expansion device, the liquid refrigerant is
forced to flow through a narrow passage, which causes a substantial pressure drop in the
refrigerant.
In order for the higher temperature fluid to cool, the flow must be limited into the
evaporator to keep the pressure low and allow expansion back into the gas phase. The
TXV has sensing bulbs connected to the suction line of the refrigerant piping. The sensing
bulbs give temperature readings to the TXV to adjust flow of refrigerant.
Flow meter: Installation of a refrigerant flow meter can be an obvious method to find the
mass flow rate, but this is costly and intrusive. On the other hand, the compressor can be
used as a flow meter. If the volume pumping rate of the compressor is known this will

enable the mass flow rate to be found simply from the density of the fluid at the
compressor inlet condition.
Tachometer: A tachometer carries out rpm measurements on motors, shafts, fans, etc., but
thats not all. Furthermore, with this instrument,we can also determine speeds and
lengths.
Anemometer: This very sensitive instrument is used to measure the velocity of air past a
given point. The air velocity readings measured by this instrument can be converted into
cfm by using the following formula:
cfm = Area Velocity
The number of readings taken over the area is usually recommended by the instrument
manufacturers. These readings are then averaged. The average is found by using the
following formula:
Average=

Total of readings
Number of readings

Flow meter

Tachometer

Anemometer