Refrigeration cycle

A thermodynamic cycle that moves heat from a colder region to a warmer one by circulating a working fluid through evaporation and condensation.

Evaporator: A heat exchanger where a refrigerant absorbs heat while evaporating. It draws heat from the space or material being cooled.
Refrigerant: A working fluid that absorbs and releases heat as it changes pressure and phase. Its properties determine the temperatures and pressures at which the cycle operates.
Air conditioning: The controlled treatment of indoor air temperature, humidity, cleanliness, and movement. Most conventional air conditioners use refrigeration to remove heat from indoor air.
Absorption refrigerator: A refrigerator that uses heat and an absorbent–refrigerant pair instead of a mechanical vapor compressor. It can replace compressor work with a heat source, but uses a different cycle.
Compressor: A device that raises a gas’s pressure, usually by supplying mechanical work. It pressurizes refrigerant vapor so it can release heat at a higher temperature.
Latent heat: Energy absorbed or released during a phase change without changing temperature. Evaporation and condensation transfer substantial heat through this phase-change energy.
Heat pump: A device that transfers heat between spaces using work, often reversing the direction of a refrigeration cycle. The same cycle can heat a building by delivering heat indoors.
Thermoelectric cooling: Solid-state cooling that uses electric current across a junction of dissimilar materials. It moves heat without a circulating fluid or evaporation and condensation.
Condenser: A heat exchanger where vapor releases heat and becomes liquid. It rejects the heat collected in the evaporator, plus the compressor’s work.
Vapor pressure: The pressure exerted by a vapor in equilibrium with its liquid at a given temperature. It links refrigerant pressure to the temperatures of evaporation and condensation.

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