Commercial HVAC systems are responsible for cooling, heating, and maintaining healthy indoor air quality for a range of different buildings and businesses. The heat exchanger plays an important role in these processes and is one of the most important components of commercial air conditioning systems.
But what exactly are heat exchangers, how do they help regulate the indoor air temperature of your business, and how important are they to the efficiency of your HVAC system?
Air-rite Solutions has answers to each of these questions and more. As trusted HVAC experts in Brisbane and South East Queensland, we have a deep understanding of the inner workings of various commercial and industrial systems.
In short, a heat exchanger is responsible for transferring heat from one medium to another. It comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, but is involved in both the cooling and heating process of commercial HVAC systems.
How Do Heat Exchangers Provide Cool Air
The main function of a commercial or industrial air conditioning system is to transfer hot indoor air outside, while replacing it with cooled air. Most systems use a substance called refrigerant to cool the air, which when combined with a heat exchanger, undertakes a cyclical process that ensures a steady stream of cool air is being produced.
Here’s a breakdown of that process:
- The refrigerant begins as a liquid in an evaporator coil.
- Hot air pulled from the indoor area is blown over the coils, transforming the refrigerant into a gas.
- After cooling the indoor space, the gas refrigerant is transferred to the outdoor condenser.
- The condenser acts as the heat exchanger, taking away any heat from the gas refrigerant and transforming it back into a liquid.
- The cycle repeats.
The heat exchanger in this case is the outdoor condenser as it is responsible for altering the temperature of the refrigerant, resulting in its transformation from a gas to a liquid. This is an essential step of the cooling process as it ensures a consistent use of the system’s resources to continually produce cool, clean air.
How Do Heat Exchangers Provide Warm Air
HVAC in Brisbane and South East Queensland isn’t just about keeping the business cool, as cold winter mornings often require heated air to be moved throughout an indoor space as well. Many commercial HVAC systems use gas furnaces with heat exchangers to generate this warm air – typically in the form of an airtight vessel.
After the indoor air has been pulled into the system, it will be blown over the heat exchanger using fans. The heat exchanger will then use combustion gases to heat up the air, before it is distributed back into the indoor space using vents and ductwork. The heat exchanger is also responsible for keeping toxic gases from mixing with the indoor air, ensuring that the air being distributed is safe to breathe for everyone inside.
Maintaining Heat Exchangers
The heat exchanger is one of the most important components inside your commercial HVAC system, meaning it’s essential you keep it well maintained at all times. A faulty heat exchanger can restrict the entire heating or cooling process from taking place, essentially resulting in a futile system.
For all your commercial air conditioning maintenance needs in Brisbane and South East Queensland, look no further than the experts at Air-rite Solutions. By booking in regular maintenance checks with our HVAC technicians, we will be able to keep a close eye on your system’s heat exchangers, ensuring they keep operating at peak efficiency.
Contact Air-rite Solutions
Air-rite Solutions designs, supplies, instals, and maintains commercial HVAC systems for businesses across Brisbane and South East Queensland. To discover how we can help with all your commercial HVAC needs, contact us today!
