The unit may be regarded as a combined heat engine and a refrigerator/heat pump. The system powering the refrigerator/heat pump works on the well-known Rankine cycle (frequently used in steam power plants.) In this cycle the unit takes in heat at a very modest temperature (about 90°C) and rejects heat at the condenser temperature (about 30°C). The work output of this engine is in the form of the kinetic energy of a jet instead of shaft work as is normal with a Rankine cycle.
The refrigerator/heat pump operates on the Vapour Compression Cycle and uses the output of the Rankine Cycle (i.e. the kinetic energy of the jet). It takes in heat at a low temperature in an evaporator and rejects heat at a higher temperature using the same condenser as the engine.
Both the Rankine Power Plant Cycle and the Vapour Compression/Heat Pump Cycle are included in most courses of study for young engineers. The Hilton Vapour Jet Refrigerator/Heat Pump R853 demonstrates practically, the potential of combining these cycles so that a heat pump or refrigerator can be run from a heat output.
