The interesting history of automotive air conditioning


During the beginning of the appearance of the car, both heating and air conditioning in the cabin did not take place because in those days cars were open and included a hood as a roof to protect them from the rain, so nobody wasted time thinking in an air conditioning system for the automotive interior. As the years passed, the inclement weather gave rise to the idea of ​​air conditioning the interior of the car.

The first attempt was made at the Monte Carlo rally in the 1920s when one of the participants, being so cold, opened a hole in the dashboard of his car to benefit from the heat given off by the engine. From that moment, heating emerged, which takes advantage of the heat generated by the engine to heat the cabin in winter. However,

Starting in 1908 when production of closed-cab cars began this challenge arose, some adjustments were made such as raising the windshield or removing the side curtains. The opening achieved in the glass was only about 13 mm, which allowed the cabin to remain pressurized and at the same time minimize the leakage of hot air from the engine.

In addition to this, the windows could be raised or lowered to obtain the desired air flow. Some cars had some ventilation hatches under the instrument panel that allowed air circulation, but these systems were rudimentary and did not offer protection for soot, dust, pollen or insects to enter the interior, so that the quality of air entering through it was very poor.

Automotive air conditioning is born

In the early 1930s, some commercial firms began offering an air conditioning system for vehicles, but those were aimed only at passenger vans, limousines, or luxury cars. For that same year the firm C&C Kelvinator equipped a Cadillac with a system that was powered by a 1.1 kW gasoline engine. Two ducts on either side carried cold air to a fan that circulated air through the cabin compartment and was placed in the back of the car.

Automotive air conditioning components

Now let's talk about the various components that make up the air conditioning system and their functions, they are:

Compressor: is one that compresses the refrigerant gas using the power of the engine through a belt. The system is divided into high and low pressure. The compressor inlet takes the refrigerant gas from the evaporator or accumulator outlet to compress it and send it to the condenser, where the transfer of absorbed heat occurs inside the vehicle.

Condenser: it is located in front of the radiator and fulfills the same function; dissipate heat. The condenser must have a good air flow whenever the system is in operation. Inside the condenser, the refrigerant gas from the compressor, which is hot, cools and during this process the gas condenses to become a liquid under high pressure. Visit this link to gain more ideas: AC Low side pressure too high

Evaporator: it is located inside the vehicle and serves to absorb both heat and excess moisture inside it. The ideal evaporator temperature is 0 degrees centigrade. The refrigerant enters the evaporator as a low pressure liquid, the hot air passing through the fins of the evaporator causes the refrigerant inside the tubes to evaporate, the excess heat is carried by the refrigerant to the exterior of the vehicle.

Other components work in conjunction with the evaporator in order to keep the pressure and temperature low since if it decreases even more than the mentioned value, the water resulting from the condensation will not only condense but will also freeze and this will decrease the efficiency of the evaporator tubes.

 
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