Heat Pumps

Question 1

What happens in the evaporator?

Answer 1

-refrigerant enters the evaporator
-it is cooler than the external environment
- energy transfers from the external environment to the refrigerant
- internal energy of the refrigerant changes
-refrigerant changes state to a gas.

Question 2

What happens in the compressor?

Answer 2

-Refrigerant enters as a gas at a low temp
- gas is compressed increasing internal energy
- gas has increased in temperature to a higher temperature than the internal house

Question 3

What happens in the condenser?

Answer 3

-refrigerant enters at a high temperature
-thermal energy from the refrigerant is transferred to the external environment
-as thermal energy is transferred the refrigerant looses energy
-refrigerant will start to condense back into a liquid and is passed on to the expansion valve in a liquid and gas form

Question 4

What happens in the expansion valve

Answer 4

-refrigerant enters in a liquid / gas form
- refrigerant expands
-refrigerant does work and looses energy
-refrigerant does work and looses energy then condenses to full liquid form
Temperature drops to a lower one than the external environment of the evaporator.