4.3.7 Cooling by Evaporation

  1. Blowing air into a liquid will cause the liquid evaporate faster.
  2. During evaporation, latent heat is absorbed from the liquid (as a surrounding) causing the temperature of the liquid decreases.

Applications of Cooling by Evaporation

Refrigerators

  1. The cooling effect in many refrigerators is produced by the evaporation of a volatile liquid called Freon.
  2. The liquid Freon evaporates rapidly in the pipes in the freezer compartment as more and more of its vapour is drawn away by the electric pump. As the Freon evaporates, it draws the necessary latent heat from the food inside the refrigerator.
  3. The pump compresses the vapour which turns liquid again on being forced through the zig-zag pipe at the back of the refrigerator. The latent heat released is given off through the cooling fins.
  4. In this way, thermal energy is extracted from the food inside the refrigerator and given out at the back. A refrigerator actually makes your kitchen warmer.