🔍 Key Concepts

• Basic components of a vapor compression refrigeration cycle (evaporator, compressor, condenser, expansion valve) and what happens to refrigerant in each • Difference between pressure change and temperature change in various components • Where the refrigerant undergoes a throttling process versus where it absorbs or rejects heat

💭 Think About

• In which component does the refrigerant go from high pressure liquid to low pressure mixture, and what does that do to its temperature? • Where is the refrigerant mainly absorbing heat and where is it mainly rejecting heat? How does that compare to where its temperature suddenly drops the most? • Which component’s primary job is to change pressure and temperature without adding or removing heat (ideally an isenthalpic process)?

✅ Before You Answer

• Identify the state of the refrigerant just before and just after each component in the standard P-h (pressure-enthalpy) or T-s (temperature-entropy) diagram • Verify which component causes a sudden, large temperature drop rather than a gradual change • Confirm which device is designed for throttling/pressure reduction of liquid refrigerant, not for heat exchange or mechanical compression