Does an automotive air conditioner cool by removing heat or adding cold?

Answer 1

Awesome question.

An Air conditioner creates the cooler air by compressing a gas into a liquid. When it does this heat is generated. We are adding energy to create this heat, or work. There is a pump that pushes this newly created liquid through a tube and fins (which take some of the heat away). These liquid is brought to a point called an evaporator. This part allows the liquid to be released from the pressure it was under and the liquid returns to a gas. The gas has released all of the energy that was pent up in it and therefore becomes very cool. This newly created gas goes through some fins (which allow the gas to warm) and flows to the pump to be converted into a gas.

The actual answer to your question is that we are warming the gas or taking heat from the air that touches the fin tube and blows that lower energy air out. Strictly speaking you are taking warm. You are also creating heat at the compressor by changing gas into liquid.

In all circumstances everywhere, cooling is achieved by removing heat energy