ESCO Air Conditioning Practice Exam

In which part of the refrigeration cycle is latent heat transferred from the refrigerated space to the refrigerant?

1. Accumulator

2. Compressor

3. Condenser

4. Evaporator

The correct answer is: Accumulator

In the refrigeration cycle, latent heat is transferred from the refrigerated space to the refrigerant in the evaporator. The evaporator is where the low-pressure, low-temperature liquid refrigerant absorbs heat from the space being cooled, causing it to evaporate or boil into a low-pressure vapor. This heat transfer process is what removes heat from the space, providing the cooling effect. While the accumulator is an important component in some refrigeration systems to prevent liquid refrigerant from entering the compressor, it is not where latent heat transfer from the refrigerated space to the refrigerant occurs. The compressor's primary function is to compress the refrigerant vapor, rather than transferring heat. The condenser is where the high-pressure, high-temperature refrigerant vapor releases heat to the surroundings and condenses into a high-pressure liquid, but this is not where latent heat transfer from the space to the refrigerant occurs.