In an air conditioning and refrigeration system, what occurs in a condenser?

• A. The refrigerant releases latent heat
• B. The refrigerant absorbs latent heat
• C. The refrigerant is compressed to high pressure
• D. The refrigerant evaporates

Answer: (A)

The condenser’s job is to reject heat from the refrigerant to the surroundings while the refrigerant changes from a high‑pressure vapor into a high‑pressure liquid. As the hot vapor cools in the condenser, it releases energy known as latent heat of condensation. This heat transfer to the surrounding air or coolant allows the refrigerant to condense and become a liquid that then moves on to the metering device. The other statements describe processes that occur in the evaporator (absorbing latent heat and boiling the refrigerant) or in the compressor (compressing the refrigerant to high pressure), which happen at different points in the cycle.