Modern air conditioning relies on the process of evaporation to cool and humidify the air at the same time. While this concept is constantly being improved upon, its roots extend back to ancient *Egypt, where reeds were hung in windows and moistened with trickling water. When wind blew through the window, the water evaporated and helped to bring down the searing Saharan heat. Later, in ancient Rome, water from aqueducts were circulated through the walls of some homes to cool them. In medieval Persia cisterns and wind towers were used to cool buildings during the hot season.

The first air conditioner resembling the system we know today was installed in a home in the United States of America in 1914. Inventors’ understanding of scientific principles had grown in leaps and bounds between ancient Egypt and early 20th century US. The principle of evaporation remained intact, but the process was now achieved by driving air through water-cooled coils.

A little over a century after this invention, air conditioners are widely in use across the globe, in homes, businesses and cars. Most of the air conditioning systems in use today still rely on these methods.

Samsung’s new Wind-Free Cooling technology represents a revolutionary shift in the way air conditioners work to make our lives more bearable. It has been designed to optimise airflow to bring new levels of comfort to our daily climate control requirements. Samsung’s new air conditioners, which feature Wind-Free Cooling technology provides consistent temperatures without directly blasting users with air or creating unpleasant cold spots, offering value that you can feel at home and on your electric bill.

“Samsung uses its global network and innovation to create positive change for people across the world. We use design and innovation to provide people with new experiences and aspirational products such as Wind-Free technology,” says Mike van Lier, Samsung Director Consumer Electronics.

In its vision of Wind-Free Cooling technology, Samsung aimed to create an air conditioning system that does not rely on strong blasts to cool a whole room. This required new ways of thinking about how the appliance vented air and regulated the strength of its breeze. The result: an air conditioning system that maintains consistent and ideal temperatures that keep them comfortable all day and all night, while also keeping its cool with the environment through a serious cut in energy expenditure.

* Bahadori, M. N. (1978). Passive cooling systems in Iranian architecture. Scientific American, 238(2), 144-155.

Source:South Africa Newsroom

The latest product of a decades-long history of air conditioning innovations, Samsung’s Wind-Free Cooling technology optimizes airflow to bring new levels of comfort to home climate control.

Samsung’s new AR9500M, the first wall-mounted air conditioner to feature Wind-Free Cooling technology, follows the successful launch of a floor-standing model last year. Both appliances provide consistent temperatures without directly blasting users with air or creating unpleasant cold spots, offering value that you can feel at home and on your electric bill.

Inspired by Speakers

Developing an air conditioning system that doesn’t rely on strong blasts to cool a room was no simple task, and required Samsung to rework the way in which the appliance vented air and regulated the strength of its breeze.

Rather than simply design a conventional system, which would attempt to minimize users’ exposure to cold blasts by adjusting the breeze’s strength, Samsung’s team experimented with several innovative approaches to try to identify a more effective solution.

In the early stages of the development process, in their quest to find an efficient air dispersal method, the team examined a variety of fabrics. Having analyzed several different cloths under microscopes, they concluded that a system that featured thousands of tiny holes that were, according to their research, smaller than 1mm and spaced to achieve an aperture ratio of 40 percent would provide optimum air circulation. However, the team decided that although a fabric-based ‘micro hole’ air conditioner would be cost-efficient and relatively easy to produce, durability would inevitably be a concern.

The designers next turned their attention to other materials that would allow them to explore their hypothesis further. Though the results were promising, they had yet to fully address the issue of dew condensation, which commonly occurs in air conditioners crafted from metal or plastic whose designs don’t allow cool blasts to flow completely unobstructed.

Samsung’s breakthrough ultimately came from a rather unlikely source: speakers. Having observed that their designs, which feature ‘air holes’ much like the ones they were exploring with their research, generally facilitate continuous airflow, the team concluded that a similarly constructed, sturdy air conditioner that featured thousands of holes and allowed air to flow freely would solve the condensation issue.

The AR9500M: 21,000 Micro Holes Create ‘Still Air’

The fruit of the team’s extensive efforts is an air conditioner design that allows users to comfortably manage the strength of cold air.

To resolve the condensation concern, Samsung carefully calculated the ideal aperture ratio for the Wind-Free Cooling system’s micro-perforated panel that would reduce dew accumulation and ensure that air flowed constantly and equally in uniform ‘curtains’.

This means that when the new AR9500M is turned on, a strong breeze emits from its main outlets in curves. When placed in Wind-Free Cooling mode, it gently disperses air through the 21,000 micro holes dotting its front panel, creating a ‘still air’ environment* with a breeze so soft that it cannot be felt unless the user touches the device.

More Efficiency with Wind-Free Cooling Mode

In addition to an efficient design, Wind-Free Cooling technology features a streamlined, two-step operation that allows the air conditioners to quickly and effectively cool each corner of a room.

When activated, Fast Cooling mode first lowers the room’s temperature to reach the user’s desired setting. Wind-Free Cooling mode then maintains a still and ideal climate with no temperature fluctuation. By restricting the systems compressors to operate at minimum frequency and slowing the indoor fan to its minimum speed, Wind-Free Cooling mode cuts the device’s energy expenditure by a full 72 percent**.

When it’s time to get a good night’s sleep, users can enjoy consistent and ideal temperatures that keep them comfortable all night long, allowing them to sleep soundly and wake up fully refreshed.

* ASHRAE (the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) defines “still air” as air currents at speeds below 0.15m/s which lack the presence of cold drafts.

** Tested on AR07M5170HA, based on the accumulated power consumption of Fast Cooling mode vs. Wind-Free Cooling mode.

Samsung Electronics today announced it will unveil its first ever, award-winning Wind-Free wall-mounted air conditioner at CES 2017 in Las Vegas, following the huge success of its floor-standing Wind-Free air conditioner in South Korea. The AR9500M air conditioner has integrated Samsung’s exclusive Wind-Free Cooling technology into its design – providing customers with a cooler indoor climate and optimal energy efficiency without the discomfort of direct cold airflow.

“Consumers will love the cool, efficienct air conditioning capabilities of the AR9500M in their home,” said Byung-Sam Seo, President of home appliances at Samsung Electronics. “And they will really love that they no longer have to deal with uncomfortable, cold air – as well as reduced electric bills.”

The AR9500M provides customers with the ideal condition by maintaining the comfortable room temperature, using Wind-Free Cooling to gently disperse cold air through 21,000 micro air holes. A two-step cooling system which first lowers tempertures in “Fast Cooling Mode” and then automatically switches to “Wind-Free Cooling Mode” creating “still air” once the desired temperature is reached. This approach can also reduce energy consumption by up to 72 percent compared to Fast Colling mode.

Using Samsung’s new Digital Inverter 8-Pole with POWERboost technology, the AR9500M’s motor generates fewer torque fluctuations – reducing the overall energy required and shortening the time needed for the compressor to reach its maximum speed (Hertz).

The AR9500M is also Wi-Fi-enabled so it can be controlled from anywhere through Samsung’s Smart Home app. Users can remotely regulate temperature, adjust settings, receive real time updates about performance and daily energy usage, as well as troubleshoot solutions when a repair is needed.

The AR9500M’s unique Triangle Architecture has a wider inlet which allows more air to be drawn in at once, while the optimal width and angle of the outlet, extra v-blades, and large fan – 22 percent larger than previous models – ensure air is cooled and expelled faster, farther and wider, to reach every corner of the room.

Samsung Electronics’ booth will be open at Level 1, Central Hall Booth #15006 of LVCC from January 5 through 8 for CES 2017.

* The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers defines “Still Air” as air currents at speeds below 0.15m/s which lacks the presence of cold drafts.

** Tested on AR07M5170HA, based on the accumulated power consumption of Fast Cooling Mode vs. Wind-Free Mode. When compared to Normal Cooling Mode, Wind-Free Cooling Mode consumes 55% less energy.