Design And Construction Of Air Conditioner Containing Heat Pump

This project study is applicable to the field of heating and air conditioning. The design and construction of a split unit air conditioner with heat pump was carried out to achieve a suitable comfort in our home and office environment. After a study of existing air-conditioners and survey for availability of materials, the design concept of the split unit air-conditioner was achieved. And the following standard part were estimated as; compressor power rating 2.5hp, condenser power 8KW, evaporator power 5.85KW, power rating of blower as 120watts and heat pump of 100W. And with a working fluid of refrigerant R410A which is weak compared to refrigerant R22 but less hazardous to the environment. The split unit air conditioner was tested for conformance to specification and it was satisfactory.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0                                                        INTRODUCTION

1.1                                           BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Air conditioning is the process of altering the properties of air to favorable conditions, typically with the aim of distributing the conditioned air to an occupied space is to improve comfort whilst heat pump only produces heat which is mostly used during the time of cold. In the most general sense, air conditioning can refer to any form of technology humidification, de-humidification, heating, cooling, cleaning, ventilation, or air movement that modifies the condition of air [1-3]. In general, the air conditioner is a device that lowers the air temperature. The cooling is most done using a simple refrigeration cycle, but sometimes the evaporation is used, commonly for the comfort of cooling in buildings and motor vehicles [4-5]. In construction, a complete system of heating, ventilation and air conditioning is referred to as “HVAC” [6]. Air conditioning can also be provided by the simple process called free cooling which uses pumps to circulate a coolant (typically or a glycol mix) from a cold source, which in turn acts as a heat sink for the energy that is removed from the cooled space [7].

Generally, air conditioner can be classified into [8-9]; window unit air-conditioners, central unit air-conditioner, and split unit air-conditioner. In this air conditioner, all the component, namely; the compressor, condenser, expansion valve evaporator and cooling coil are enclosed in a single box. Window unit air conditioners are installed in an open window. The interior air is cooled as a fan blows it over the evaporator. On the exterior the heat drawn from the interior is dissipated into the environment as a second fan blows outside air over the condenser. A large house or building may have several such units, allowing each room to be cooled separately.

The central unit air conditioning unit is for cooling big building houses, offices, entire hotels, cinema hall, and factory etc. If the whole building is to be air condition, HVAC engineers find that putting individual units in each of the room is very expensive initially as well in the long run. The central air conditioning unit is comprises of huge compressor that has the capacity to produce hundreds of tons of air conditioning. The split unit air conditioning system comprises of three parts the outdoor unit, indoor unit and heat pump. The outdoor unit, fitted outside the room, house component like the compressor, condenser, and the expansion valve. The indoor unit comprises the evaporator, and cooling fan. The heat pump takes care of the heating of the environment. In the split system, one does not have to make any slot in the wall of the room.

However, considering the fact that Nigeria is located in a tropical region which is characterized by excessive high temperature and highly humid, it became necessary to develop a mechanical system which can help to reduce the hot the ambient temperature within a confined space for human comfort. In this research work, we carried out the design and construction of split unit air conditioner that contain heat pump.

1.1                                                   AIM OF THE PROJECT

The main aim of this work is to build an air conditioner with heat pump in mechanical engineering workshop.

1.2                                             OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT

The objectives of this work are:

1. To build an air conditioner with heat pump
2. To analyze calculations involved during the construction
3. To study and understand working principle of an air conditioner.
4. To analyze components of air condition.
5. To analyze the operation and component of heat pump.

1.4                                              PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT

The purpose of this work is to setup a working and tested okay air conditioner which contain heat pump.

1.5                                         SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROJECT

As a student of mechanical engineering, this work exposed me to working principle of an air conditioner, construction procedure and troubleshooting guide to help me address the most common problems you may encounter with your air conditioner. With this work I was able to explain how to build an air conditioner and its heat pump.

1.6                          APPLICATIONS OF THE PROJECT

Apart from academic purposes, this study can also be useful to:

1. Ac producers,
2. Ac users/ owners
3. Ac technicians