What is the state of a refrigerant leaving the liquid receiver in a typical refrigeration system?

• A. High pressure liquid
• B. Low pressure vapor
• C. Superheated gas
• D. Saturated vapor

Answer: (A)

In a typical vapor‑compression system, the liquid receiver stores high‑pressure, condensed refrigerant and feeds it to the metering device. The outlet from the receiver is still in the liquid phase, usually slightly subcooled, so it’s high‑pressure liquid as it goes toward the expansion device. This ensures the throttling valve receives mostly liquid refrigerant for proper metering and evaporation.

If it were low‑pressure vapor, it would indicate the refrigerant is already past the condenser or expanded, which isn’t the case here. Superheated gas would come from the evaporator/compressor side, not from the liquid receiver. Saturated vapor would imply the refrigerant is at its boiling point for that pressure, but the receiver’s job is to hold liquid at condenser pressure, with only a small vapor space.