Air Conditioning Applications

Comfort air conditioning applications aim to provide a building indoor environment that remains relatively constant in a range preferred by humans despite changes in external weather conditions, internal heat loads or pollutants whether natural or man made.

Temperature control is required within office space as the highest performance for tasks performed by people seated in an office occurs at 72F (22C). Performance is expected to degrade about 1% for every 2F change in room temperature (positive or negative). The highest performance for tasks performed while standing is expected to occur at slightly lower temperatures.

Comfort air conditioning makes deep plan buildings feasible. Without air conditioning, buildings must be built narrower or with light wells so that inner spaces receive sufficient outdoor air via natural ventilation. Air conditioning also allows buildings to be taller since wind speed increases significantly with altitude making natural ventilation impractical for very tall buildings.

In addition to buildings and temporary structures air conditioning can be used for comfort in a wide variety of transportation including land vehicles, trains, ships, aircraft, and spacecraft.

Process applications aim to provide a suitable environment for a process being carried out, regardless of internal heat and humidity loads and external weather conditions. It is the needs of the process that determine conditions, not human preference (not comfort cooling). In both comfort and process applications the objective may be to not only control temperature, but also humidity, air quality, air motion, and air movement from space to space.

Process applications include:

Hospital operating theatres. In which air is filtered to high levels to reduce infection risk and the humidity controlled to limit patient dehydration. Although temperatures are often in the comfort range, some specialist procedures such as open heart surgery require low temperatures (about 18 C, 64 F) and others such as neonatal relatively high temperatures (about 28 C, 82 F).

Cleanrooms. For the production of integrated circuits, pharmaceuticals and the like, in which very high levels of air cleanliness and control of temperature and humidity are required for the success of the process.

Aircraft air conditioning. Although nominally aimed at providing comfort for passengers and cooling of equipment, aircraft air conditioning presents a special process because of the low air pressure outside the aircraft.

Data processing centers. Where the process is converting and storing data or information and the appliances are particularly vulnerable to humidity, heat and cold and where the function itself creates heat sufficient to hamper the process air conditioning or temperature and humidity control is vital.

Production. Where the process is the cooling of components to effect a change in workable material such as plastics. Cooling of moulds to quick set plastics can be facilitated via the use of water cooled chiller systems.

Storage. Where goods that may be perishable are stored air conditioning is required to prolong the life of these items. Cooling and air purification to remove bacteria will extend the shelf life of goods that may perish.

Other process applications include: Textile factories, Physical testing facilities, sports facilities, plant and farm growing areas, Nuclear facilities, Chemical and biological laboratories, Mines.