Arefrigerator absorbs 5.0 kJ of heat from a cold reservoir

Step 1 of 4

We have given

Heat absorbed by the refrigerator from the cold reservoir

Heat released by the refrigerator to the hot reservoir

Concept to follow

The Coefficient of Performance (COP)

A ratio that measures the efficiency of a refrigeration or heat pump system. It is defined as the ratio of the heat transfer rate to the work input rate.

For a refrigeration system, the COP is defined as the ratio of the heat removed from the cold space to the work input required to drive the refrigeration cycle. Mathematically, it can be expressed as

For a heat pump system, the COP is defined as the ratio of the heat supplied to the hot space to the work input required to drive the heat pump cycle.

The COP is always greater than one, since it represents the ratio of useful output (heat transfer) to input (work). The higher the COP, the more efficient the refrigeration or heat pump system is.