What does the evaporator do in a typical refrigerant system?

• A. To compress refrigerant
• B. To absorb heat from the space into the refrigerant, causing it to evaporate and cool the area
• C. To reject heat from the space
• D. To filter refrigerant

Answer: (B)

The evaporator is the part of the system that cools the space by acting as the heat absorber. As the low-pressure liquid refrigerant flows through the evaporator coil, it absorbs heat from the indoor air. That heat absorption causes the refrigerant to evaporate, changing from liquid to gas. The cold surface of the evaporator then cools the air that passes over it, which is how the space gets cooled. The refrigerant leaves the evaporator as a low-pressure gas to be driven to higher pressure by the compressor, continuing the cycle.

By contrast, the compressor pressurizes refrigerant, the condenser rejects heat to the outside, and filtration is not the evaporator’s job.