Week 1

Broad category: Household 

Sub category: Electronic appliances 

Chemical product: Air conditioner 

 
 
An air conditioner works using a thermodynamic cycle called the refrigeration cycle. It does this by changing the pressure and state of the refrigerant to absorb or release heat. The refrigerant (aka coolant) absorbs heat from inside of your home and then pumps it outside. Most air conditioners are air-source, split systems. What this means is that there is one unit inside and one unit outside, which is why it is called a split system. 
 
The air-source part refers to the place where the thermal energy is dumped, the outside air. There are other potential places where the heat can be transferred, such as water or ground, known as water-source, or ground-source systems. 
 
The inside unit is normally inside the house somewhere, in the attic, basement, closet or crawl space. The outside unit is normally located on the side or back of the building. 

 

Reflections:  

This week, we learnt about what ICPD is about as well as what to expect for the coming few weeks. This week, we have also learnt about what is chemical product and how to identify them from different classes from house appliances to food and beverages.