In a refrigeration cycle, where is heat absorbed from the environment?

In a refrigeration cycle, heat is absorbed from the environment in the evaporator. The evaporator is a critical component where the refrigerant, in its low-pressure liquid form, absorbs heat from the surrounding environment. This process causes the refrigerant to evaporate and turn into a gas. As the gas forms, it effectively removes heat from the space being cooled – whether it be in a refrigerator, air conditioning system, or any other refrigeration application. This absorption of heat is what lowers the temperature of the environment being conditioned.

The other components, while essential to the cycle's operation, do not focus on heat absorption in the same manner. The condenser is where heat is released to the environment, the compressor circulates the refrigerant and raises its pressure, and the expansion device reduces the refrigerant's pressure, allowing for cooling, but do not directly involve absorbing heat from the environment in the same way the evaporator does.