Air conditioning

How does air conditioning work? This videographic answers. VIDEOGRAPHIC

Transcript

00:00Air conditioning systems operate by circulating a refrigerant, either a liquid or a gas, which

00:12cools the interior of a room by removing heat outside.

00:17The warm air in the room is drawn towards the evaporator, where it will heat the liquid

00:21refrigerant, transforming it into a gas at low pressure.

00:27The fluid passes into a compressor, where it is heated even more.

00:33A condenser and a fan expel to the outside the heat accumulated by the gas, which returns

00:39to a liquid state.

00:42A regulator lowers the pressure and temperature of the liquid.

00:50The fluid returns cold to the evaporator, which expels it into the room to be cooled.

01:00But air conditioners have a negative impact on the climate.

01:02They consume a lot of energy, and the refrigerants they contain are major contributors to greenhouse

01:08gas pollution, both during their manufacture and use.

01:20For more UN videos visit www.un.org