Refrigeration Systems and Heat Pumps

Abstract

Continuous refrigeration can be accomplished by several different processes. In the great majority of applications, and almost exclusively in the low horsepower range, the vapor-compression system, commonly termed the simple compression cycle, is used for the refrigeration process as well as for the heating process of heat pumps. In large equipment, centrifugal systems are used, which are basically adaptations of the compression cycle. However, absorption systems and steam-jet vacuum systems are also being successfully used in many cooling applications. For aircraft cooling, air-cycle refrigeration is often used instead of vapor compression.