I Didn’t Know That. . .

Q: How does an air conditioner work?

A: Air conditioners take advantage of the fact that a liquid absorbs heat when it is converted to a gas, while a gas releases heat when it is converted into a liquid. An air conditioner is basically a long tube formed into a closed loop, with a compressor on one side of the loop and a flow restricter on the other. Liquid builds up at the flow restricter and is allowed to flow slowly through the restricter into a low-pressure region where it changes into a gas, soaking up heat from around the tube. Room air blown over this portion of the tube is cooled. At the other end of the loop, the compressor, as its name suggests, compresses this cool, diluted gas into a hot, dense gas. Outside air is forced over this portion of the loop, removing heat and allowing the hot gas to condense into a liquid to start the process over again.