ABSTRACT
The air conditioner is taken for granted, but imagine what life would be like without it. In Nigeria especially around the period of December all through to April, heat constitute a major problem when engaged at work as it is tiring and boring which in turn reduces productivity. The side effects of excess heat either at workplace or in an enclosed space like in a room or building ranges from confusion, dizziness, headache, dehydration and muscle or abdominal cramps. Once considered a luxury, this invention is now very essential, allowing us to cool homes, businesses, labouratories and other buildings vital to our economy and daily lives. In such a time like this, a portable air conditioner would be a must-have item to get.
This project aims to design and fabricate a portable air conditioner that is affordable, efficient and can reliably cool a small confined space without causing considerable pollution in form of noise for a limited amount of time. This was made possible by using a polymeric substance called neoprene to reduce the noise level that its operation might bring. The standardized power ratings employed are; Compressor ratings (1.5hp), Condenser power (1.1KW), Evaporator power (1.1KW) and that of the blower is 150 watts. In designing the various components, engineering drawings were drawn using Auto-Cad and design calculations were so computed. Maximum and minimum cooling temperature is (98.6F) 370C and (60.8F) 160C respectively, and can be used to cool a room space of 72x106cm3. This project focuses on the performance evaluation and fabrication of portable air conditioner which have very low manufacturing and maintenance cost. It provides transportability, can be moved anywhere easily. It is small in size and completely non-polluting. Performance analysis shows that it produced decent cooling and reduced power consumption.
Keywords: Portable Air-Conditioner, Human Comfort, Decent Cooling, Reduced power consumption.
