If you were to place an air conditioner in the middle of a sealed room and turn it on, several things would occur:
Cooling Effect: The air conditioner would start extracting heat from the room's air, cooling it down. It achieves this by using a refrigeration cycle that involves compressing and expanding a refrigerant gas.
Circulation of Air: As the air conditioner cools the air, it also circulates it. The unit typically has a blower or a fan that draws air from the room, passes it through a cooling coil, and then returns the cooled air back into the room.
Condensation: When the warm air in the room comes into contact with the cold cooling coil of the air conditioner, moisture in the air can condense into water droplets. This is similar to how water droplets form on a cold drink on a hot day. The condensed water is usually collected and drained outside the room through a condensate drain.
Removal of Humidity: In addition to cooling the air, air conditioners also remove humidity from the room. The moisture in the air condenses on the cooling coils, and as the condensed water is drained away, it helps to reduce the overall humidity levels in the room.
Pressure Buildup: Since the room is sealed, there would be no outlet for the air conditioner to exhaust the hot air it removes from the room. As a result, the heat removed from the room would accumulate, causing the room temperature to rise again. The air conditioner's efficiency would gradually decrease as the temperature difference between the room and the air conditioner decreases.
Power Consumption: The air conditioner would continue to consume electrical power to operate its components, such as the compressor, fan, and other electronics. This power consumption would continue even if the room temperature doesn't reach the desired setpoint or starts to rise due to the sealed environment.
In summary, while the air conditioner would initially cool the room and reduce humidity, the lack of ventilation and the buildup of heat would limit its effectiveness over time. It's important to provide proper ventilation and consider factors like room size, insulation, and heat load when using an air conditioner for cooling purposes.