Vapor-compression refrigeration

You know how when you are outside on a hot day, you feel hot and sweaty, but when you go inside your house, it is cool and comfortable? Well, that is thanks to something called air conditioning, which uses something called vapor-compression refrigeration to cool the air.

Vapor-compression refrigeration works like this: There is a liquid called refrigerant that is inside the AC system. When the AC is working, the refrigerant is first turned into a gas by being heated up. This gas then travels to a part of the AC called the compressor, which squeezes it until it becomes really hot and pressurized.

The hot and pressurized gas then travels to another part of the AC called the condenser, where it cools down and turns back into a liquid. This liquid then goes through something called an expansion valve, which reduces its pressure and temperature, allowing it to evaporate into a gas again.

This gas then goes through another part of the AC called the evaporator, where it absorbs heat from the air in your house and cools it down. Finally, the cool air is blown back into your house, and the refrigerant goes back to the start of the cycle to repeat it all over again.

So, vapor-compression refrigeration is basically a way of using a liquid called refrigerant to cool the air in your house by turning it into a gas, compressing it, cooling it down, turning it back into a liquid, expanding it, and then using it to cool the air again. It is a bit complicated, but the end result is a nice cool and comfortable house!