SuperCharge Your A/C
Most compression based air conditioners have an upper limit on the amount of heat they can remove per hour, this is known as the BTU capacity:
https://learn.compactappliance.com/air-conditioning-btus/
While watching videos about solar power and renewable energy on youtube I ran across this video:
https://youtu.be/Ar16u9GqPQs
This is a good idea!
I've heard about the "water slinger" device and water trays in window air conditioners before but, I was under the impression that it was used when humidity in the air condensed onto the evaporation coils and dripped onto the water pan. I didn't conceive of it as another method of cooling the condenser coils.
From a physics perspective this method does indeed have validity. The purpose of the condenser coils is to transform the refrigerant from vapor/gas to liquid. As such heat must be removed from the refrigerant vapor/gas and expelled into the environment. Often convection is the only physical mechanism used to transfer heat. Water injection allows other methods of heat transfer to take place:
1. Water in liquid form absorbs heat from the condenser coils, water has one of the highest heat capacities of any liquid. It can absorb much heat before it's temperature changes.
2. Once the liquid water reaches a temperature high enough to evaporate, the evaporation process itself removes heat. This is known as the heat of vaporization.
Water has one of the highest heat capacities of any liquid:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_capacity#Table_of_specific_heat_capacities
(Liquid Ammonia has a higher heat capacity)
Both of these phenomena work in conjunction to increase the BTU capacity of any compression based air conditioner. This reminded me of water vapor injection, often used in military aircraft to boost power at low speeds, during takeoff, and when the ambient temperature is high on the ground:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_injection_(engine)#Use_in_aircraft
Yet another idea is to attach a fan to the condenser moving air in the same direction as the internal fan:
https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Performance-Electric-Radiator-Mounting/dp/B00T3TQLKW
To make the water injection idea more practical for air conditioners it may be useful to look at the drip irrigation products at your local hardware store:
https://www.homedepot.com/b/Outdoors-Garden-Center-Watering-Irrigation-Drip-Irrigation/N-5yc1vZbx57
One can attach an adjustable drip irrigator along the top edge of the condenser coil and run a length of garden hose to the nearest water tap. There are programmable controller that can adjust the water flow according to the time of day.
A misting system will also work but, it might also use more water:
https://www.amazon.com/Misting-Irrigation-Cooling-Plastic-Sprinkler/dp/B071KKZ543
Yet another good idea is cast a shadow across the condenser coils of the A/C unit (thanks to l3arrett82)
These ideas can also be applied to the condenser coils of an A/C unit for an entire house:
https://youtu.be/7WC-gGb0YNY
https://youtu.be/PSo-io5rZwk
People may argue over the performance benefits of these methods but, everything has an effect whether small or large. Small effects may add up to something significant.
Missouri wind and power has some good ideas for saving electricity:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzNGe4RIH2pEgstYFvrTxy-JswLXtv40O
P.S. While watching a physics lecture on heat capacity and thermodynamics it was brought to my attention that the word "heat" should be used when making reference to transfer of energy due to temperature difference not when referring to the amount of energy a certain object has.
For example "As such heat must be removed from the refrigerant vapor/gas and expelled into the environment." is incorrect. An object does not contain "heat" instead it should read, "As such energy must be removed from the refrigerant vapor/gas and expelled into the environment, in the form of heat"
Also, when computing the amount of energy transfer or "heat" that is transferred with water injection, people often only look at the energy that it takes to evaporate the water, this is incomplete. When the water is sprayed onto the condenser coils it is often at the ambient temperature. In order to evaporate, the sprayed water must first go from ambient temperature to boiling temperature, this requires energy
https://learn.compactappliance.com/air-conditioning-btus/
While watching videos about solar power and renewable energy on youtube I ran across this video:
https://youtu.be/Ar16u9GqPQs
This is a good idea!
I've heard about the "water slinger" device and water trays in window air conditioners before but, I was under the impression that it was used when humidity in the air condensed onto the evaporation coils and dripped onto the water pan. I didn't conceive of it as another method of cooling the condenser coils.
From a physics perspective this method does indeed have validity. The purpose of the condenser coils is to transform the refrigerant from vapor/gas to liquid. As such heat must be removed from the refrigerant vapor/gas and expelled into the environment. Often convection is the only physical mechanism used to transfer heat. Water injection allows other methods of heat transfer to take place:
1. Water in liquid form absorbs heat from the condenser coils, water has one of the highest heat capacities of any liquid. It can absorb much heat before it's temperature changes.
2. Once the liquid water reaches a temperature high enough to evaporate, the evaporation process itself removes heat. This is known as the heat of vaporization.
Water has one of the highest heat capacities of any liquid:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_capacity#Table_of_specific_heat_capacities
(Liquid Ammonia has a higher heat capacity)
Both of these phenomena work in conjunction to increase the BTU capacity of any compression based air conditioner. This reminded me of water vapor injection, often used in military aircraft to boost power at low speeds, during takeoff, and when the ambient temperature is high on the ground:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_injection_(engine)#Use_in_aircraft
Yet another idea is to attach a fan to the condenser moving air in the same direction as the internal fan:
https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Performance-Electric-Radiator-Mounting/dp/B00T3TQLKW
To make the water injection idea more practical for air conditioners it may be useful to look at the drip irrigation products at your local hardware store:
https://www.homedepot.com/b/Outdoors-Garden-Center-Watering-Irrigation-Drip-Irrigation/N-5yc1vZbx57
One can attach an adjustable drip irrigator along the top edge of the condenser coil and run a length of garden hose to the nearest water tap. There are programmable controller that can adjust the water flow according to the time of day.
A misting system will also work but, it might also use more water:
https://www.amazon.com/Misting-Irrigation-Cooling-Plastic-Sprinkler/dp/B071KKZ543
Yet another good idea is cast a shadow across the condenser coils of the A/C unit (thanks to l3arrett82)
These ideas can also be applied to the condenser coils of an A/C unit for an entire house:
https://youtu.be/7WC-gGb0YNY
https://youtu.be/PSo-io5rZwk
People may argue over the performance benefits of these methods but, everything has an effect whether small or large. Small effects may add up to something significant.
Missouri wind and power has some good ideas for saving electricity:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzNGe4RIH2pEgstYFvrTxy-JswLXtv40O
P.S. While watching a physics lecture on heat capacity and thermodynamics it was brought to my attention that the word "heat" should be used when making reference to transfer of energy due to temperature difference not when referring to the amount of energy a certain object has.
For example "As such heat must be removed from the refrigerant vapor/gas and expelled into the environment." is incorrect. An object does not contain "heat" instead it should read, "As such energy must be removed from the refrigerant vapor/gas and expelled into the environment, in the form of heat"
Also, when computing the amount of energy transfer or "heat" that is transferred with water injection, people often only look at the energy that it takes to evaporate the water, this is incomplete. When the water is sprayed onto the condenser coils it is often at the ambient temperature. In order to evaporate, the sprayed water must first go from ambient temperature to boiling temperature, this requires energy
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