Refrigerator or Heat Pump

A refrigerator or a heat pump is a device which works

in a cycle, absorbing heat from a low temperature
reservoir and rejecting heat to a high temperature
reservoir, when work in done on the device. Thus it is
a reversed heat engine.

If the objective of the device is to reject heat to the

high temperature reservoir, it is called heat pump.
Heat pumps are generally used to keep rooms warm in
winter.
On the other hand, if the objective of the device is to
extract heat from a low temperature body, it is called
a refrigerator. Usually, refrigerators are used to
preserve food items and drugs at low temperatures.
The working substance which absorbs heat from the
low temperature body and rejects heat to a high
temperature body is called a refrigerant.

The objective of a refrigerator The objective of a heat

is to remove QL from the pump is to supply heat QH
cooled space into the warmed space