Information Sheet 1.1.

1 : Fundamentals of Refrigeration
Learning Outcomes:
1
Explain how the basic process of elementary mechanical refrigeration.
Learning Activity:
1.1 Describe the early development of refrigeration.
DEVELOPMENT OF REFRIGERATION
Modern refrigeration has many applications. The first, and probably still the most important, is the
preservation-of food.
Most foods kept at room temperature spoil rapidly. This is due to the rapid growth of
bacteria. At usual refrigera tion temperatures of about 40 F (4 C), bacteria grow quite slowly.
Food at this temperature will keep much longer . Refrigeration preserves food by keeping it
cold.
Other important uses of refrigeration include air condi tioning, beverage cooling, and
humidity control. Many manufacturing processes also use refrigeration.
The refrigeration industry became important commercially during the 18th century. Early
refrigeration was obtained by use of ice. Ice from lakes and ponds was cut and stored in the
winter in insulated storerooms for summer use.
The use of natural ice required building insulated containers or iceboxes for stores,
restaurants, and homes. These units appeared on a large scale during the 19th century. Ice was
first made artificially about 1820 as an experi ment. Not until 1834 did artificial ice
manufacturing become practical. Jacob Perkins, an American engineer, invented the apparatus
which was the forerunner of our modern compression systems. In 1855 a German
engineer produced the first absorption type of refrigerating mechanism, although Michael
Faraday had discovered the principles for it in 1824.
Little artificial ice was produced until shortly after 1890. During 1890 a warm winter resulted
in a shortage of natural ice. This helped start the mechanical ice-making industry.
Mechanical domestic refrigeration first appeared about 1910. J.M. Larsen produced a
manually operated household machine in 191 3 . By 1918 Kelvinator produced the first
automatic refrigerator for the American market . They sold 67 machines that year. Now millions
of units are sold each year.
The first of the sealed or "hermetic" automatic refrigera tion units was introduced by
General Electric in 19.28. It was named the Monitor Top .
Beginning with 1920, domestic refrigeration became one of our important industries. The
Electrolux, which was an automatic domestic absorption unit, appeared in 192 7 .
Automatic refrigeration units, for the comfort cooling part of air conditioning, appeared in
1927.
Fast freezing to preserve food for extended periods was developed about 1923. This
marked the beginning of the modern frozen foods industry.
Mechanical refrigeration systems were first connected to heating plants to provide summer
cooling in the late 1920's. By 1940, practically all domestic units w re of the hermetic
type. Commercial units had also been successfully made and used. These units were
capable of refrigerating large commercial food storage systems, comfort cooling of large
auditoriums, and producing of low temperatures used in many commercial operations.
From a small, slow start in the late 1930's, air condi tioning of automobiles has
also grown rapidly . In 1935, Frederick McKinley Jones produced an automatic
refrigera tion system for long-haul trucks.
Code No.
HVC723337

Refrigeration System

Date: Developed
June , 2012

Date: Revised
June 11, 2015

Page #

Information Sheet 1.1.1 : Fundamentals of Refrigeration

HOW A MECHANICAL REFRIGERATOR OPERATES

Removing heat from inside a refrigerator is somewhat like removing water from a leaking canoe.
A sponge may be used to soak up the water. The sponge is held over the side, squeezed,
and the water is released overboard. The operation may be repeated as often as necessary
to transfer the water from the canoe into the lake.

Fig. 1- 1 . Elementary mechanical refrigerator. In operation , liquid refrigerant under high pressure (dark red) flows from liquid receiver
to pressure reducing valve (refrigerant control) and into evaporator. Here pressure is greatly reduced (dark bluel, Liquid refrigerant
boils and absorbs heat from evaporator . Now a vapor , refrigerant (light blue) flows back to compressor and is compressed to high
pressure (light red) . Its temperature is greatly increased and, in the condenser, heat is transferred to surrounding air and the
refrigerant cools , becoming liquid again. It flows back into liquid receiver and cooling cycle is repeated .

In a refrigerator, heat instead of water/ (s transferred.

Code No.
HVC723337

Refrigeration System

Date: Developed
June , 2012

Date: Revised
June 11, 2015

Page #

Information Sheet 1.1.1 : Fundamentals of Refrigeration

Inside the refrigerating mechanism, heat is absorbed, "soaked up," by evaporating the liquid
refrigerant in the evaporator (cooling unit). This occurs as the refrigerant changes from a
liquid to a vapor (gas), Fig. 1-1.
After the refrigerant has absorbed heat and has turned into a vapor, it is pumped into the
condensing unit located outside the refrigerated space. The condenser works the opposite
of the evaporator. In the evaporator, liquid refrigerant enters one end and absorbs heat as it
passes through the evaporator. By the time it reaches the end of the evaporator, it is all a
vapor. As this vapor flows through the condenser under a high pressure and high
temperature, it gives up its heat to the surrounding air. As it reaches the end of the
condenser, the refrigerant, now cooled, has become a liquid again. We say that, in the
condenser, the heat is "squeezed out." This cycle repeats until the desired temperature is
reached .
Heat enters a refrigerator in many ways. It leaks through the insulated walls or enters when
the door is opened. Still more heat is introduced when warm substances are placed in the
refrigerator.
Heat is not destroyed to make the refrigerator cold. It is simply removed from the
refrigerated space and released outside .
When presenting refrigeration system figures like Fig. 1-1, a common color coding system
will be followed in this text:
Service managers of refrigerating and air conditioning companies prefer service and
installation technicians who are good mechanics. They also want employees who know
the principles of mathematics and physics as these apply to refrigeration.

Code No.
HVC723337

Refrigeration System

Date: Developed
June , 2012

Date: Revised
June 11, 2015

Page #