How does the refrigerator thermodynamic cycle work?

A refrigeration or heat pump cycle uses energy to transfer heat from a colder location to a warmer location. The thermodynamic cycle consists of linked thermodynamic processes varying pressure and temperature that eventually return the working fluid system to its initial state. In reverse cycles like refrigerators, work is supplied to move heat away from a cold source and release it to a warm sink.

What we know

• Thermodynamic heat pump and refrigeration cycles serve as conceptual and mathematical models for refrigeration, air conditioning, and heat pump systems. [2]
• A heat pump system uses energy to move heat from a colder place to a warmer place. [2]
• A thermodynamic cycle involves a sequence of processes varying pressure, temperature, and state variables that eventually return the system to its initial state. [5]
• A reversed thermodynamic cycle uses work to move heat from a cold source to a warm sink, acting as a heat pump or refrigerator. [5]

Where to go next

• the bigger pictureWhat is a thermodynamic cycle?
• how it workedHow do absorption refrigerators operate without moving parts?
• a case in pointWhat was the Einstein refrigerator design?
• what followedHow do heat pumps warm buildings?
• whoWho invented the absorption refrigerator design modified by Einstein?
• an unexpected connectionHow did Albert Einstein contribute to refrigeration technology?Albert Einstein co-invented an absorption refrigerator with no moving parts alongside Leó Szilárd.

Sources

• [1]heat pump and refrigeration cycle (Wikidata Q1452596) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Heat pump and refrigeration cycle · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Einstein refrigerator · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Absorption refrigerator · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Thermodynamic cycle · CC BY-SA 4.0