What is The Difference Between Air Conditioning and Refrigeration?

We are well aware of the fact that air conditioning and refrigeration work around similar principles. The purpose is to keep a space cool with the help of various things. As similar, as they may seem, there are small details that differentiate them from one another. Before we dive deeper into this, let’s first learn more about what air conditioning and refrigeration are all about.

What is Air Conditioning?

In simple words, Air Conditioner is a cooling device that cools down large spaces like living rooms, bedrooms, halls, etc. Nowadays, Air Conditioners are being widely used in public spaces like shopping malls, conference halls, trains, buses, etc. Air Conditioners are the most common devices that help us tackle the scorching Australian Summer.

The Air Conditioners come in different capacities. With so many options, it cannot be easy to select one unit that fits the criteria for your requirements. To know which air conditioner would be the best choice for your home, you can contact the experts at DGB Refrigeration Heating & Cooling by dialling 03 7038 6918 to seek guidance from the best technicians in the industry.

How Does an Air Conditioner Work?

Many people assume that an Air Conditioner works by creating cold air. However, that’s not true. Air Conditioners remove the heat from the air inside your home and transfer it outdoors. The heat is transferred via refrigerant, which is a cooling agent. Let’s take a closer look at this process:

Step 1: Heat Absorption by the evaporator coil

The warm air inside your home is drawn in through a vent and blown over the cold evaporator coil that absorbs heat from the air, cooling it down. This cold air is then blown back into the home.

Step 2: Compressor raises the refrigerant’s temperature

The Compressor reduces the volume of the gas by squeezing the gas tightly between two solid objects. This, in return, raises the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant, preparing it for the condensing phase.

Step 3: Transfer heat to the outside

The refrigerant, which is now a superheated high-pressure gas, reaches the Condenser that is located outdoors. The heat from the refrigerant is absorbed by the air blown across by the fan. This drops the temperature of the refrigerant and condenses it.

Step 4: Refrigerant gets cold to repeat the process

After the heat is removed from the refrigerant, the cold refrigerant travels back indoors to the Evaporator so the cycle can start again. The process will continue until the desired temperature level is achieved.

What is Refrigeration?

A refrigerator is an electronic device/appliance that cools relatively small spaces, generally used to preserve food and medical equipment. Refrigerators, commonly referred to as Fridges, are an essential part of every household as their usage is essential to keep edibles safe for longer periods. Apart from homes, Refrigerators have wide commercial use as well. They are used in restaurants, pharmacies, storage units of perishable food items, etc. Refrigerators are designed to cool a small, closed space. To keep the food or medicine safe, a certain temperature must be maintained to reduce the reproduction rate of harmful bacteria.

How Does Refrigeration Work?

The refrigerator works by causing the refrigerant to switch forms from a liquid into a gas. The pressure on the refrigerant is reduced through a Capillary Tube outlet. This process, known as evaporation, cools down the surroundings to achieve the desired environment.

To keep the refrigerator running, the gas form of refrigerant needs to convert back into its liquid state so the evaporation cycle can start over. To do so, the gas must be compressed to high pressure and temperature again. The Compressor does this. Once the Compressor has raised the temperature of the refrigerant gas, it is cooled down by the Condenser. When the gas cools off in Condenser, it transforms into liquid. The liquid refrigerant is then returned to the Evaporator, where the process starts again.

A refrigerator consists of the following parts

The Compressor is the heart of a refrigerator as it circulates the refrigerant throughout the system, adds pressure to the warm part of the circuit, and makes the refrigerant hot.

The Condenser, located at the back of the refrigerator, cools down the refrigerant and turns it back into a liquid.

The Evaporator is located inside the refrigerator. When the refrigerant turns from liquid into a gas through evaporation, it cools down the area, producing the required environment for the storage of food or medicine.

The Capillary Tube is a thin piece of tube that works as an expansion device. The liquid refrigerant is passed through the capillary tube and sprayed into the Evaporator, which has a low-pressure environment.

The Thermostat controls the cooling process by checking the temperature and switching the Compressor on and off. When the Thermostat senses the temperature is cold enough, it turns off the Compressor. Once it senses the rising temperature, it switches on the Compressor to start the cooling process.

Major Differences between Air Conditioning and Refrigeration

Contact DGB Refrigeration Heating & Cooling by dialling 03 7038 6918 and discuss your requirements to get the best advice. What are you waiting for? Dial now!