1.1 Introduction
Over the years, all the tropical countries have been faced with the problem of air around them. The relative humidity of air in most of the tropics is very low; Hence the comfort is not there with the populace especially in the places of work. This consequently reduces the work rate of workers thereby affecting the Gross National Product of a country. To this effect, the engineers and scientists are looking into the methods of bringing comfort to the people while at home and at work. They produced an appliance to help produce a cooler temperature for individuals known as Air Conditioner. This appliance has been in operation for a very long time but most users prefer dumping their old ones for new Air conditioner due to lack of knowledge on how to maintain, repair or even rehabilitate minor faults in an air conditioner.
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
The origin of an air conditioner is necessary to trace, its original conception and the people that were involved in its production at its initial state. An air conditioner was gradually developed and produced for cooling, cleaning heating and facilitating ventilating processes.
The first comfort for the people the air-conditioning was first installed in cinema building in 1920 in Chicago, employing dry ice machine and in 1922 in Los – Angeles using ammonia compressors. This brought about an increase in demand and expansion in air conditioning equipments sales to cinema, office building, hostels, hospitals, airport terminal, departmental stores, banks, shops, and individual homes etc in the market, the buyers were assumed of better packages than the earlier ones.
In the 20th century, Willis H. Carrier who is known as the “Father of Air Conditioning” designed and installed the first year round air conditioning system. It was performing the four major functions of heating, cooling, humidifying and dehumidifying of the air or rather using the air washer.
Willis H. Carrier (1976 – 1950) developed the applications of a forced draft fans, pipe coil heaters, centrifugal compressors, invented a psychometric chart and generally laid down theory of air conditioning on a complete thermodynamic basis. On the most famous paper “Regional psychometric formulae” published in the year 1911, Willis Carrier related the dry bulb, we bulb; dew point temperatures of air with its sensible, latent and total heat and presented a theory adiabatic chart. Air conditioning was increasingly been in use after Willis carrier’s invention; in cotton, rayon, silk, paper, tobacco, cady pharmaceutical and printing industries all around the world.
Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Rehabilitation of Air Conditioning 1.5 HP.
1.3 Statement of Problems
Investigation reveals the problems of the Rehabilitation of Air Conditioning 1.5 HP which entails that:
- The split Air Condition (AC) does not turn on
- The Air Condition fan does not work
- The Air Condition does not blow cool air
- The thermostat of the Air Condition is broken as a result of the Split Unit of Air Conditioning 1.5 Horse Power
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to troubleshoot and rehabilitate the Air Conditioning in 1.5 Horse Power. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To design and rehabilitate the Split Unit of 1.5 HP Air Conditioning
- To troubleshoot the problems of Air Conditioning in 1.5 Horse Power
- To provide repair solution to the above stated problems of the 1.5 Split Unit of Air Condition.
1.5 Significance of Study
The purpose of studying about Air – conditioner is to show how necessary it is needed in a house. In other words, when one owns this appliance and its not functioning properly due to a faulty in the system, this study is very important and a guide to the relevant steps of maintaining and knowing what one should do in order to discover a fault in the air conditioner and having a solution.
This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.
1.6 Scope of Study
The scope of the study is to repair, troubleshoot and Rehabilitate the 1.5 Horse Power of an Air Conditioning (AC) System.
1.7 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet).
