1 - Air-conditioning fundamentals

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the historical development of the heating and ventilation system and introduces the air-conditioning (A/C) system. It presents a case study on the design and optimization of an A/C system. In the past, the only way to evaluate a proposed air handling system design was to build a prototype and test it in the laboratory. The design process of modern vehicle systems improved with the introduction of computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided engineering (CAE), and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM). The chapter also provides the fundamental principles and operation of the heating, cooling, ventilation, and air-conditioning system. The principle of the heating and ventilation system is to transfer enough heat from one point to another. The chapter introduces the possible replacement refrigerant/system to R134a. R134a is hydro fluoro carbon (HFC). The refrigerant consists of hydrogen, fluorine, and carbon, and since the refrigerant has no chlorine, it does not deplete the ozone.