When you’re driving your Nissan car down the road in 90 degree heat, you’re probably not thinking about how your air conditioning works; you’re just glad it does. However, knowing a little bit about how air conditioning keeps your car cool during those hot summer months can help you be prepared when it’s time to get your air conditioning unit serviced or repaired.

There are four basic processes that are involved in air conditioning: evaporation, condensation, compression and expansion. Along with each one of these processes goes a specific component of your air conditioner.

The first component is the compressor. The compressor serves to pump your refrigerant, which is in a vapor state, into the condenser. The condenser then converts this refrigerant vapor, which is under extreme pressure, into a liquid. When this happens, heat is generated and flows out of the condenser. From there, the liquid refrigerant goes to the receiver. The receiver removes excess moisture. From there, the refrigerant goes to the expansion valve, where it’s again converted to vapor. From there, it goes into the evaporator where it cools warm air from outside the car, and blows through your vents to keep you cool.

[IMG]file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Bob/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-9.jpg[/IMG]