Evaporator Coil for The Refrigerator

Evaporator Coil for The Refrigerator

The evaporator coil is the "core heat-absorbing component" of a refrigerator’s refrigeration system, responsible for converting liquid refrigerant into a gas to absorb heat from the refrigerator’s interior—ultimately lowering and maintaining the storage temperature. Its design, working principle, and maintenance directly impact the refrigerator’s cooling efficiency, energy consumption, and lifespan.

The fundamental role of the evaporator coil is to extract heat from the refrigerator’s cabinet (fresh food compartment, freezer, or both) to create a low-temperature environment. It works in tandem with other refrigeration components (compressor, condenser, capillary tube) to form a closed-loop cycle:

The compressor first pressurizes low-temperature, low-pressure gaseous refrigerant into high-temperature, high-pressure gas, which is sent to the condenser (usually at the back/bottom of the fridge) to release heat and condense into a high-pressure liquid.

The high-pressure liquid refrigerant then flows through the capillary tube (a thin copper tube that acts as a throttle valve), where it expands into a low-temperature, low-pressure liquid-gas mixture before entering the evaporator coil.

Inside the evaporator coil, the low-temperature refrigerant absorbs heat from the refrigerator’s interior air, evaporates completely into a low-pressure gas, and is sucked back into the compressor to repeat the cycle.