The refrigeration cycle is also known as the heat pump cycle. It removes heat from the selected area where the user wants to cool. The process uses compression and expansion by managing the refrigerant’s working pressure. Let’s go for a detailed discussion on the “Basic refrigeration cycle.
Main Components of the refrigeration cycle
The refrigeration cycle consists of four main components: condenser, compressor, evaporator, and expansion device. These components work sequentially in a never-ending loop for the refrigerator and air conditioning system.
Compressor
A refrigerant compressor compresses the evaporator’s vapour refrigerant and raises its pressure so that the corresponding saturation temperature increases than the cooling medium. It circulates the refrigerant through the refrigerating system continuously. A compressor works as a pump and is also call it the heart of the refrigerator. It distributes the refrigerant toward the entire system and adds stress to the warm part of the circuit. Eventually, it makes the refrigerant hot. There are different types of compressors used in the refrigeration cycle.
Screw refrigeration compressor
Piston refrigerator compressor
Scroll refrigeration compressor
Condenser
The condenser is a heat exchanger that concentrates gaseous substances and turns them into a liquid state through cooling. It releases heat into the nearby environment. It reduces the heat of hot refrigerant vapourised gas and condenses into a saturated liquid form. The liquid of low temperature enters the expansion device of the loop.
A thermostat monitors the refrigerant’s cooling process and temperature. It makes the compressor on and off when it is necessary. When it is too hot, it will switch on the compressor and start the cooling process, and after a specific time, it again becomes off.
Evaporator
The evaporator is a device for the refrigeration process used on the low-pressure side. The refrigerant from the expansion valve enters the evaporator as liquid, gains heat, and turns into vapour. As the refrigerant’s temperature in the evaporator is less than the surrounding medium, the heat flows to the refrigerant. It converts refrigerant into vapour at a specific temperature, typically 2-3 degrees Celsius.
Expansion device
The expansion device reduces the refrigerant’s pressure and controls the refrigeration system’s flow. It converts the high-pressure liquid refrigerant into the low-pressure gas refrigerant, and the process completes in the evaporator.
How does the refrigeration cycle work?
The working procedure of a refrigerator is interesting. Usually, it circulates the liquid and eventually converts the liquid into gas. This process is known as evaporation. The effect of this process is cooling down the surrounding area; in the end, you will receive the desired impact.
The low-pressure liquid refrigerant from the expansion device enters the evaporator inlet, absorbs heat from the surrounding medium and evaporates low-pressure gas towards the evaporator outlet. The compressor starts pumping the low-pressure gas from the evaporator, increasing the pressure and eventually discharging high-pressure gas to the condenser. The condenser removes heat from the high-pressure gas and converts it to the high-pressure liquid. The high-pressure liquid from the condenser enters the expansion device. The expansion device converts high-pressure liquid to low-pressure liquid and discharges it to the inlet of the evaporator.
