what are the steps through which a refrigerant goes in one complete cycle of refrigeration.
In one complete cycle of refrigeration, the refrigerant, a liquid such as fluorinated hydrocarbon, goes through the following steps. The refrigerant in the closed tube passes through the nozzle and expands, into a low pressure area. This adiabatic expansion results in reduction in pressure and temperature of the fluid and the fluid turns into a gas. The cold gas is in thermal contact with the inner compartment of the fridge. Here it absorbs heat at constant pressure from the contents of the fridge. The gas passes to a compressor where it does work in adiabatic compression. This raises it's temperature and converts it back into a liquid. The hot liquid passes through the coils on the outside of the refrigerator and releases heat to the air outside in an isobaric compression process. The compressor, driven by an external source of energy, does work on the refrigerant during each cycle.