compression refrigeration

compression refrigeration

[kəm′presh·ən ri‚frij·ə′rā·shən] (mechanical engineering) The cooling of a gaseous refrigerant by first compressing it to liquid form (with resultant heat buildup), cooling the liquid by heat exchange, then releasing pressure to allow the liquid to vaporize (with resultant absorption of latent heat of vaporization and a refrigerative effect).