Air conditioning systems

Air-conditioning is more for human comfort, while air conditioning is more for the industrial sector.

Air conditioning aims to treat air to create a controlled atmosphere and achieve a degree of physiological comfort for occupants and production processes.

This level is insufficient for air-conditioning hospital operating theatres, where humidity and filtration levels need to be controlled. On the other hand, in residential or tertiary sectors, such as offices, simple cooling or heating and air renewal is sufficient.

The precise calculation of a heat balance for air conditioning and climate control is time-consuming and complicated, as several factors come into play:

• external loads: heat transfer through external walls (walls, roof, ceiling and floor) and glazing, solar radiation through walls and glazing, air renewal and infiltration;

• internal loads: heat input by occupants, lighting, machines and equipment.

It is important that the premises treated are perfectly airtight and properly insulated, which means that controlled mechanical ventilation must be provided wherever possible.