In refrigeration systems, what occurs to refrigerant after it completely changes into the liquid state?

After the refrigerant completely changes into the liquid state, it undergoes a process known as subcooling. During subcooling, the temperature of the liquid refrigerant decreases below its saturation temperature. This is important because it ensures that the refrigerant remains in the liquid state as it travels through the system, preventing any vaporization that could reduce the efficiency of the refrigeration cycle.

In the context of refrigeration systems, maintaining the refrigerant in a completely liquid state before it enters the expansion device is crucial for optimal performance. Subcooled liquid has a lower temperature but still remains under the pressure conditions of the system, allowing for efficient heat absorption during the evaporator process afterwards.

Other processes like heat absorption or maintaining saturation temperature occur in different phases of the refrigeration cycle but are not specifically relevant to the state of the refrigerant immediately after it has completely transitioned into liquid form. Additionally, expansion to a gaseous state pertains to what happens after the liquid refrigerant goes through the expansion valve, which is a different phase of the refrigeration cycle.