The Laws of Thermodynamics and Air Conditioners

(your best friends during this summer)

What a Fridge and an Air Conditioner does ?

move heat from a hot place to a cold place
these machines generically called a heat pump

Are there rules/laws that govern this Motion of Heat ?

Yes, these are called laws of thermodynamics
Establish relationships between
Thermal quantities (Temperature T, Internal Energy U, Entropy)
and
Mechanical quantities (Work)
There are 4 laws

Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics (definition of temperature)

Two objects that are each in thermal equilibrium with
a third object are also in thermal equilibrium with one another.

28C

T=28 C

28C

There is no way you can do a net transfer heat from house

A to B if both are in equilibrium with the environment.
i.e. heat will not flow from A to B.

First Law of Thermodynamics: (Energy Conservation)

The change in a stationary objects internal energy
is equal to the heat transferred into that object minus the work
Work
that object did on its surroundings. U = Q - W
done W
piston
U

Gas
Molecules
at temp T
candle

Internal Energy U measure of thermal energy of system

Heat in heat added to system
Work done work done by the system

Disorder vs Order the meaning of entropy

Entropy a measure of the disorder of a system
ORDER
(small entropy)

DISORDER
(large entropy)
ORDER to DISORDER:
Statistically Likely to happen
Reverse.. Very rarely happens
Converting Thermal Energy to Ordered Energy is rare

Second Law of Thermodynamics

The entropy of a thermally isolated system of objects
never decreases.
What does this mean ?
Let
represent molecules of a COLD gas
and
represent molecules of a HOT gas
Which of the following events are likely to happen ?
A.

B.
Natural Flow of Heat is from HOT to COLD !

Third Law of Thermodynamics

As an objects temperature approaches zero, its entropy
approaches zero.

What does a Fridge or Air conditioner do ?

It does the Un-natural: Moves heat from HOT to COLD
Uses a circulating fluid, usually freon, to move heat

Key Features of an Air conditioner

1. Evaporator
located in hot room
transfers heat from hot room air to fluid
2. Condenser
located outside room
Transfers heat from fluid to outside air
3. Compressor
located outside room
does work on the fluid by compressing it and creating entropy

A Buffet of Air Conditioners

Residential
Compressor/
Condenser

Wall-mounted air conditioner

outside Apartments: compressor/condenser

Outside hospitals, etc

Anatomy of an Air Conditioner

or condenser

Low pressure
Cold gas

Inside
Building

Outside
Building
Hot, high
Pressure liquid

Hot, high
Pressure gas

2
1
Room Temp
Low Pressure gas

A compressor turns the room

temperature freon gas into
a warm, high pressure gas.

A condenser turns the hot

liquid freon into a cold low
pressure gas via free expansion.

The Refrigeration Sequence in an Air conditioner

Process 4

1: Heat is absorbed by freon gas in tubes inside

a warm room. Becomes a room temperature low
pressure gas before entering compressor.

Process 1

2: Room Temp low pressure freon gas enters a

compressor and comes out as a high pressure hot gas.
Passing thru tubes outside building, hot freon dumps
heat to outside air

Process 2

3: Warm freon gas enters a constriction and is

further pressurized to form a liquid in the condenser.

Process 3

4. Freon liquid undergoes free expansion into a gas

and cools. The cool gas then takes in heat from the
room, becoming a room temperature low pressure gas
The cycle is then repeated.

Although the airconditioner pumps heat from cold to hot

regions, it doesnt violate the 2nd law of thermodynamics. The
compressor adds entropy, so that the total entropy of the system
actually increases.