If a heat exchanger is designed to condense refrigerant vapor using central cooling fresh water as a condensing medium, what statement is true?

Correct Answer: Option C — The refrigerant vapor loses latent heat, the central cooling fresh water gains sensible heat.

Refrigerant undergoes a phase change, releasing latent heat during condensation. The cooling water, remaining in a liquid state, absorbs this energy as sensible heat, resulting in a measurable temperature increase. This thermodynamic process is fundamental to shipboard refrigeration cycles governed by heat transfer principles in marine engineering.