Physics › Section J · Thermodynamics › Topic J.5
Heat pumps and refrigerators
Heat never flows from cold to hot by itself, yet your refrigerator does exactly that all day. Run a heat engine backwards and it becomes a heat pump or a refrigerator, moving heat uphill in exchange for work, often delivering several joules of heating for every joule you pay for.
In this topic
- Moving heat uphill
- The energy flows
- How a heat pump works
- Coefficient of performance
- Worked example: the best possible heat pump
- Worked example: the heating bill
- Refrigerators and air conditioners
- Worked example: a kitchen refrigerator
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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