4th and 5th FORM HEAT NOTES SUPPLIMENT

. The Refrigerator
The basic refrigerator is as shown

.Operation: The fridge works in cycles, that you know from observation, where it
starts up , works for a while then shuts its self off. Essentially the fridge uses a
volatile liquid, usually Freon, to take heat energy out of the food and then place that
heat energy into the environment.

1. Coming out of the compressor pump (A) the Freon is a vapour filled with heat it
has taken from inside the fridge. It passes through metal tubes (B) you find at the
back of the fridge where this heat energy is placed into the air by the processes of
radiation and conduction. The Freon vapour then condenses into a liquid in these
tubes (B).

2. After passing a value(s) ( C ) the liquid Freon evaporates inside the evaporation
tubes (D) usually inside the freezer. Now, evaporation require latent heat of
fusion , and this heat is supplied by the food inside the fridge and hence the
food gets colder. Also, a principle of thermodynamics says a gas cools if allowed
expand rapidly to a lower pressure . This also provides some cooling.

3. The Freon is now a warm low pressure vapour in the tubes (E)

4. It then goes back into the compressor pump (A) which makes it a high pressure
vapour ready to be liquefied (to condense) after it has lost some heat. Just like
steam condensing. It is the compressor that generates so much noise.

5. The above cycle 1-4 continues until the inside of the refrigerator reaches the
temperature set by the thermostat. At this point the fridge shuts off , the
compressor stops working.

6. The interior of the fridge will gain heat due slow conduction through the
insulation and when the doors are open. When it heats to a particular point, the
fridge turns back on to start the cycle all over again.

So essentially, the food supplies latent heat of fusion required by the evaporating
Freon. And so the food gets cold as the Freon gets hot.
However Freon, being a fluorocarbon, presents environmental problem , since when
released in to the atmosphere can attack the ozone layer that protects us from
harmful radiation. There are now newer types of coolants that do not present this
danger.

4. Solar Panels
The term Solar panel is a generic (general) term used to describe a device that
collects and converts solar energy into electricity or heat. There are 3 types of solar
panels
a) Solar Hot Water Panels
b) Solar Photovoltaic Panels
c) Solar Thermal Collectors
There is often some confusion when the term solar panel is used in every day life.
Where solar hot water panels are common, as in the Caribbean, then the terms
solar panels means solar hot water heaters. Where photovoltaic panels are in
common usage then the term means these. The photovoltaic panels are also the
ones used on satellites in space. Photovoltaic produce direct current electricity. They
do not heat water.
Solar panels also belong under the heading of Alternative Energy Sources and you
may be asked about them with questions on this topic.
4a) The Solar Hot Water System
These are increasingly used in homes, hotels and light industries. They often have
large black tanks located on or near the roof.
Cold water
water

Hot

Notice that the copper pipes containing the water lies flat against a black absorbing
panel. This black surface will then absorb the infrared (heat) radiation
in the sunlight and heat the pipe and hence the water by conduction. ( Why use
copper)

The heated water in the copper tubes then rises by ____________? and enters the
storage tank and into a coiled loop called a heat exchange, where it heats the
water in the tank. These storage tanks are usually made of black absorbing
material, hence they will directly absorb some of the heat radiation in the sunlight.
The water in the copper tube then re-enters the solar panel completing a closed
loop. The heated water inside the tank rises to the top of the tank. This is why the
heat exchanged is placed at the bottom of the tank. The hot water then goes to the
hot water taps of the house.