The purpose of the split air conditioning system: classification and varieties, device

The market is represented by a wide variety of climatic equipment: monoblocks, split systems, breathers, chiller-fan coil systems. Everyone has a different scope and functionality. For domestic purposes, the best option is a split system.

The principle of operation of the split system

Freon is used as a refrigerant in air conditioners. In the form of a gas, it enters the evaporator, where it removes heat from the air in the room. For intensive extraction of heat energy, a fan is used, which drives warm air out of the premises through the evaporator.

The heated freon enters the compressor, where it is compressed, turning into a liquid refrigerant. It passes through a condenser blown by another fan, giving off thermal energy to the air and being cooled. After that, the liquid freon passes through a nozzle with an expanding channel, where its pressure drops and a transition to a gaseous state occurs. The refrigerant then flows back into the evaporator.

The air conditioner operation system is closed and cyclical.

Design features

The split air conditioning system differs from other types of climatic technology in that it consists of two separate units: internal and external. The first is installed inside the room, the second on the street. The blocks are connected to each other by copper pipes, through which the refrigerant moves. The tubes are passed through the wall, in which a hole is preliminarily made with a perforator and a diamond crown.

Indoor unit

The design features of the indoor unit are that it includes an evaporator and a fan. The evaporator is a snake-folded copper tube. Plates made of stainless steel or aluminum are superimposed on it in case of long-term operation in conditions of contact with condensate. In this case, the plates increase the plane of contact of warm air with the coolant through the metal walls of the tube.

A fan is a drum with blades connected to an electric motor. The centrifugal model is installed in a horizontal plane. The fan motor, step-down transformer and process control plateau are located in a separate section, closed from the evaporator by a sealed partition. Do not allow moisture to enter the electrical part of the unit. The purpose of the transformer is to reduce the voltage of 220 V to 24 V, on which the process control unit operates.

In inverter-type air conditioners, the control unit and the transformer are installed in the external block of the split system.

The next structural element of the indoor unit is a condensate collection tray. At high temperatures in the room, a large amount is formed. The tray is connected through a branch pipe with a drainage hose by means of a conventional plastic clamp. The hose is led out into the street through a hole in the wall.

Filters trap dust so that it does not seep to the evaporator and turn into a layer of dirt on it. The damper blades redirect the flow of cooled air.

Outdoor unit

The complete set includes devices for the refrigeration system:

• compressor,
• capacitor,
• condenser fan,
• tube nozzle or TBR (thermostatic expansion valve),
• refrigerant purification filter,
• a four-way valve that allows the split system to operate in air conditioning and heating mode.

Split system types

According to the installation method, air conditioners are:

• wall-mounted,
• outdoor,
• ceiling
• floor and ceiling.

Wall split systems: outdoor and indoor units are attached to the walls of the house. Floor standing, they are columnar, are installed on the floor. It is a powerful technology with a high cooling capacity. They are used in rooms with a large area and volume of space.

Split ceiling systems are divided into two groups:

1. Cassette. The indoor unit is located in the space between the base ceiling surface and the suspended structure. Only a decorative grille and blinds are installed in sight, through which air is supplied into the room. The air direction can be spread in all four directions along the ceiling surface or with a slight slope towards the floor.
2. Duct. In appearance they are similar to the cassette version. By design features, these models belong to the category of multi-systems. One outdoor unit is installed, to which the channels from the indoor units are connected. All elements of the refrigeration unit are located in the external unit, even the evaporator. From it, heat-insulated air ducts are scattered throughout the rooms, through which cooled air moves into the rooms.

The floor-ceiling split system differs from all others in that the indoor unit has not one row of blinds through which cold air enters the premises, but two.

One is located at the top, the second at the bottom. Mount it on the ceiling or on the floor against the wall. If installed on the floor, air is directed through the upper louvers towards the ceiling along the wall, through the lower louvers along the floor base. If installed on the ceiling, through the upper ones - along the ceiling, through the lower - towards the floor along the walls.

Multisplit system

It consists of only one external block and several internal ones, scattered around the rooms. The latter are connected to external parallel stubs of copper pipes. The MCC system is divided into two groups: fixed and type-setting.

Fixed - a completely complete unit, precisely matched to the compressor power. In its external block, a certain number of ports for connecting indoor units. One or two compressors can be installed in the outdoor unit.

If the installation package includes two compressors, then both can work on all indoor units as a single whole unit, or they are divided into circuits with a connection to each unit for a certain number of indoor units, then the circuits work independently of each other. This makes it possible to adjust each circuit to the required temperature regime.

Typesetting multisplit systems are up to 16 indoor units that are connected to one outdoor unit. The latter can accommodate up to three compressors. The number of indoor units may vary depending on the number of rooms. If you need to connect 8-9 blocks inside, the rest of the remaining free ports are drowned out by special devices.

The multi-split system has several rather serious disadvantages:

• if the outdoor unit is out of order, the building is completely left without air conditioning;
• it is impossible to configure all indoor units so that they work in different modes;
• high price;
• complex installation.

VRF systems differ from standard systems in that there are no separate connection ports for indoor units in their design. There is only one, from which a copper tube departs, and other channels are connected to it, through which the refrigerant moves to the internal blocks of the split system. There can be up to 100 such channels. This is a uniform distribution of freon along the plumes, and each block located inside the building controls the temperature regime itself.

Additional functions

Manufacturers of many brands began to offer climate system options with additional useful functions:

• humidification of the air due to the collected condensate in the outdoor unit, which is fed into the indoor unit through a special tube and sprayed with a fan;
• organization of supply ventilation due to an additionally installed fan, which drives air from the street into the room;
• enhanced air filtration due to the installation of additional fine filters;
• Follow me function - the air conditioner reacts to changes in the temperature regime in the place where the remote control is located;
• air ionization charges the ions of the flow passing through the evaporator with a negative charge.

Regardless of which split system is chosen: wall-mounted or floor-standing, duct or cassette, it is necessary to strictly take into account the capacity of the air conditioner and the area of ​​the refrigerated room with a ceiling height of no more than 3 m.

Here is the ratio of these parameters: