What is likely to happen if superheat is increased at the inlet of the compressor?

Increasing the superheat at the inlet of the compressor raises the temperature of the refrigerant vapor being drawn into the compressor. Superheat refers to the additional heat added to the refrigerant vapor after it has completely vaporized. When the temperature of the refrigerant vapor entering the compressor increases, it directly affects the pressure and temperature relationships within the refrigeration cycle.

As the superheat increases, the vapor density decreases due to higher temperature, which results in less mass flow for a given volume. However, since the vapor enters the compressor at a higher temperature, the compressor must work harder to compress this hotter gas. This increased workload leads to a rise in the discharge temperature, which is the temperature of the refrigerant after it has been compressed and discharged back into the system.

Therefore, the rise in discharge temperature is a direct consequence of increased superheat at the inlet of the compressor, making it the correct answer in this scenario.