Air Conditioner

An air conditioner works on exactly the same principle as a refrigerator (Section 4.9.2) — the only real difference is the scale of the space being cooled: a refrigerator cools a small, enclosed chamber, while an air conditioner cools an entire room or building.

Structurally, an air conditioner's evaporator coils (the cold part of the refrigerant loop, corresponding to Step 1–2 of the refrigeration cycle) sit inside the room being cooled, while its condenser coils (the hot part, corresponding to Step 3–4) sit outside the room, typically exposed to the outdoor atmosphere. Air inside the room is cooled as it passes over the evaporator coils, and this cooled air is then circulated back into the room by a fan built into the indoor unit of the air conditioner. The 'performance …