SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/epa-cycle-evaporator

In the refrigeration cycle, where does refrigerant boil and absorb heat from the air being cooled?

The evaporator, where cooling happens.

Start playing free

  1. The evaporator ✔
  2. The condenser
  3. The compressor

Why: Low-pressure refrigerant enters the evaporator, boils, and absorbs heat from the air or space being cooled. That is the moment of cooling in the system.

Huh, didn't know that: EPA's test topics list 'how and when cooling occurs' among the Core refrigeration topics.

The dad joke
It's so hot, when I turned on my lawn sprinkler, all I got was steam!
Like this card?
Play the game

References

Answer: The evaporator. Low-pressure refrigerant enters the evaporator, boils, and absorbs heat from the air or space being cooled. That is the moment of cooling in the system.

  1. Refrigeration 201, US EPA (archived) 19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/sites/static/files/documents/Refrigeration201.pdf
    Heat is absorbed from inlet air
    Checked 2026-10-10.

Think this answer is wrong? Tap "Challenge this answer" on the card in the game and tell us why.

Test yourself in the game

Trades & ShopWhich part of the refrigeration cycle squeezes refrigerant vapor to a high pressure and temperature?Trades & ShopIn an air-cooled system, where does the refrigerant give up heat to the outdoor air?Trades & ShopWhat drops the refrigerant's pressure before it enters the evaporator?

That's stuff everyone should know.