A window air conditioner cools down a room by extracting heat from the indoor air and dissipating it outdoors. When placed on a table and turned on, the air conditioner operates by pulling warm air from the room through its intake vents.
The air conditioner contains a refrigeration system that consists of a compressor, condenser, expansion valve, and evaporator coil. These components work together to cool the air. Here's a simplified explanation of the process:
The compressor compresses a refrigerant gas, raising its temperature and pressure.
The hot, high-pressure refrigerant gas flows into the condenser coil, which is located outside the unit. The condenser coil has fins to facilitate heat transfer. As the hot refrigerant flows through the condenser coil, it releases heat to the outside air, cooling down and condensing into a high-pressure liquid.
The high-pressure liquid refrigerant then flows through an expansion valve, which reduces its pressure. As the pressure drops, the refrigerant evaporates into a gas and becomes very cold.
The cold refrigerant gas flows through the evaporator coil, which is located inside the air conditioner unit. The evaporator coil also has fins to enhance heat transfer. As the warm indoor air from the room passes over the cold evaporator coil, the heat from the air is absorbed by the refrigerant, causing the air to cool down.
The now cooled air is blown back into the room by a fan inside the air conditioner.
The refrigerant, having absorbed heat from the indoor air, becomes a low-pressure gas again and flows back to the compressor to restart the cycle.
By repeating this cycle, the window air conditioner continuously removes heat from the indoor air, leading to a decrease in room temperature. Placing the air conditioner on a table helps ensure that the cool air can circulate and distribute more effectively throughout the room, enhancing its cooling performance.