What does COP stand for from a thermodynamic stand point?
COP in thermodynamics usually refers to the Coefficient Of Performance(sometimes CP) andis the ratio of the heating or cooling provided over the electrical energy consumed.COPheating = |QH|/W = (|QC| + W)/WCOPcooling = |QC|/WwhereQC is the heat removed from the cold reservoirQH is the heat supplied by the hot reservoirThe COP provides a measure of performance for heat pumps that is analogous to thermal efficiency for power cycles. In the case of a refrigerator, the cold reservoir is the air in the room around the refrigerator and the hot reservoir is the interior of the refrigerator - counterintuitive as that may sound. In the case of the refrigerator, the refrigerant is compressed such that it is hotter than the room, thus making it a source of heat. Part of the energy comes from the interior of the refrigerator (QC) and the rest from the work done by the compressor. When a heat pump is used to warm a building, the outside air is the hot reservoir - even though it may be colder than inside the building. Once again, the fluid used in the heat pump is compressed so that it can dump heat into the building and then when expanded outside, it is cold enough to absorb energy from the outside air.