Understanding the car's refrigerant system and its components

When buying a car, everyone is very concerned about whether the air conditioner is cold or not, and how to fix it if it breaks down. Now let me introduce the working principle and process of the car's refrigeration system.

• Definition and function of automobile refrigerant system

The automotive refrigerant system refers to the refrigeration cycle system in the automotive air conditioning system. The main components are compressors, car condensers, evaporators, expansion valves (or capillary tubes, supercooling control valves), pressure switches, fuse plugs, and output pressure regulators. Valve, pressure controller, heat exchanger, heat collector, filter, dryer, automatic switch and other components. The function of the automotive refrigerant system is to discharge the heat inside the car through the refrigeration cycle system, thereby reducing the temperature inside the car and improving driving comfort.

• Main component functions of the refrigerant system

1. Compressor function: Compress refrigerant, compress low-pressure refrigerant gas into high-pressure gas, and increase its temperature. Circulate the refrigerant through the system.

2. Car Condenser function: to dissipate heat and cool down the gaseous refrigerant discharged from the compressor, turning it into a high-pressure liquid refrigerant.

3. Liquid storage dryer (liquid collector) function: absorb moisture and impurities in media such as air or water, store refrigerant, dry moisture, and filter impurities.

4. Evaporator function: The high-pressure liquid refrigerant is evaporated through the evaporator, and then the refrigerant expands to absorb the heat inside the car, thereby reducing the temperature inside the car.

5. Expansion valve (expansion tube) function: control the flow and pressure of refrigerant, so that it can absorb more heat when it evaporates in the evaporator, and play the role of throttling and reducing pressure.

6. Pressure switch function: monitor the pressure change in the system, stop the refrigeration system, protect the pipeline or stop the compressor when the pressure is too high or too low when the refrigeration system is working.

7. Air-conditioning pipeline function: a channel for refrigerant circulation.

• How the Refrigerant System Works

The working principle of the automotive refrigerant system: the sensor detects the temperature inside the car and the temperature of the engine coolant, and then transmits the signal to the four main components of the compressor, condenser, expansion valve and evaporator , and form a closed circulation system through the pipeline, so that the refrigerant absorbs the heat energy in the car when it is converted from a liquid state to a gas state, in this way to achieve refrigeration.

The refrigerant circulates in this closed system in different states, and each cycle has four basic processes:

1.Compression process: The refrigerant gas enters the compressor from the outlet of the evaporator, and after being compressed, it changes from a low-temperature and low-pressure state to a high-temperature and high-pressure gas, and is finally discharged from the compressor.

2.Heat dissipation process: high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant gas enters the condenser, and is condensed into a liquid by cooling down and depressurizing. At the same time, during this process, the refrigerant gas releases a large amount of heat to dissipate heat.

3.Throttling process: After passing through the condenser, the refrigerant liquid enters the expansion device. Due to the special structure of the expansion device, its volume will expand rapidly, resulting in a sharp drop in pressure and temperature. Eventually, the refrigerant exits the expansion device as a mist (fine droplets).

4. Endothermic process: mist refrigerant liquid enters the evaporator, so the boiling point of the refrigerant is much lower than the temperature inside the evaporator, so the refrigerant liquid evaporates into gas. During the evaporation process, the surrounding heat is widely absorbed, and then the low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant vapor enters the compressor.

• Refrigerant system maintenance and maintenance

1. First check the tightness of the belt of the air conditioner. If it is too loose, it will slip easily. If it is too tight, it will increase the load on the bearing. You can adjust the tightness of the belt through the idler. When the air conditioning system is turned on, pay attention to observe the operation of the compressor to see if there is severe vibration during operation, whether there is any abnormal noise inside the compressor, whether the electromagnetic clutch is engaged and disengaged normally, and whether the oil seal of the compressor and the joints of each connecting pipe are normal. Check for oil stains to determine whether there is refrigerant leakage.

2. In order to ensure the normal operation of the entire air conditioning system and a good cooling effect, it is very important to keep the surface of the condenser clean. For this reason, the condenser should be cleaned frequently to prevent oil, dirt and other debris from adhering to the condenser.

3. Since most of the evaporators are installed under the instrument panel, it is troublesome to disassemble and assemble, and it is inconvenient to clean. Therefore, it is necessary to keep the interior of the car and the air conditioner filter element clean. Every time the car is maintained, the air conditioner filter element should be taken out and blown clean with high-pressure air, and replaced at least 1-2 times a year to keep the evaporator clean. When there is a lot of dust in the air, the outer circulation should be closed to reduce the pollution of the air conditioning filter.

After understanding the automotive refrigerant system and its components, you also need to know how to maintain the refrigerant system. Correct maintenance can not only keep the air conditioning system in good working condition, but also improve the service life of the air conditioner. Therefore, we must attach great importance to the maintenance and care of the air conditioner. If the cooling effect of your air conditioner is not good, you should check it. Treat the air conditioner system well, and it will give you a piece of coolness.

FAQs

Q1: What is the refrigerant in the automotive refrigerant system?

The refrigerant in a car's refrigerant system is usually Freon or its substitutes.

Q2: What types of compressors are there in automotive refrigerant systems?

Compressors in automotive refrigerant systems include centrifugal compressors, screw compressors, and reciprocating compressors.

Q3: What are the types of evaporators in automotive refrigerant systems?

The evaporators in the automotive refrigerant system include tube evaporators, plate evaporators and screen evaporators.