Thermodynamics Practice Test: Refrigeration Cycles — Flashcards

Refrigeration Cycles topics include: Heat engine, vapor compression refrigeration cycle and heat pump system.

The basic refrigeration cycle has four main processes:

Compression: The first step in the cycle, compression increases the pressure of the working gas. Refrigerant enters the compressor as a low-pressure, low-temperature gas, and leaves as a high-pressure, high-temperature gas.
Condenser: Ejects heat from the system. The condenser is the hot side of an air conditioner or heat pump.
Expansion: Takes place in the expansion valve.
Evaporation: Takes place in the evaporator. The evaporator coil absorbs heat from a surrounding medium and cools the air. This is the part of the air conditioner that most people think of first because it's the part of the system that feels cold to the touch. 

Other components of the refrigeration cycle include:

Compressor: Acts as a pump for the refrigerant across the system and dissipates the heat into the surrounding.
Vapor compression: Uses a circulating liquid refrigerant as the medium which absorbs and removes heat from the space to be cooled.
Expansion valve: One of the basic components of the refrigeration system.
Coefficient of performance (COP): Used to quantify the performance of refrigeration cycles. The COP is defined as the ratio of the desired output to the required input.