Refrigerators use a variety of technologies to keep food safe and fresh. High-tech refrigeration systems can also be found in temperature-controlled warehouses and laboratories, where maintaining precise temperatures is paramount. Various essential components and technologies are used in building a refrigerator.
The Evaporator
The components of a refrigerator are simple. The first and arguably most important element is the evaporator. In an evaporator, heat from the exterior heats a metal coil in the interior. The heat from the coil is then transferred into a piping system that transfers the heat to various compartments, where it cools down to -40 degrees Fahrenheit. The process takes place regardless of whether or not anything is being refrigerated.
The Compressor
It turns the energy from a power source, such as electricity or mechanical power, into work and then applies it to the refrigeration cycle. The compressor is active during both heating and cooling cycles, but only during the cooling cycle is when it draws energy from the refrigeration system. When starting a cycle, electricity is applied to the compressor, which at once begins to turn the compressor’s rotor shaft. As it does so, the air inside of the equipment expands and puts pressure on cold water pumped by an electric motor.
Heat Exchanger
The heat exchanger takes the heat from the compressor and pumps it to one side of the refrigerator. The evaporator then draws this cooled air from the other side of the receiver and puts it back into the compressor to make more work available for cooling down the evaporator.
Refrigeration Case Parts
The parts of a refrigerator are generally referred to as a “Hussmann” case. These names come from the first manufacturer of refrigerators, a German engineer named Adolphus Frederick Ludwig Bauer, who developed the hardware and designed the first refrigerators in Germany. He invented lots of different Hussmann case parts for refrigeration technology. The name evolved into Hussman, which is used to describe all modern refrigerators today.
Coil
The fourth element of a refrigerator is a coil in which a refrigerant circulates. A fan blows air over the coil and cools it down. The cooling coil then passes into a condenser, where it is then cooled down by a cooling tower, which takes the air from inside the refrigerator and sends it through a cooling tower.
Electro Control System
The last component of a refrigerator is an electro control system that notifies the various devices in the refrigerator when to turn on, how long to run, and in what sequence to do so. Without this component, a refrigerator cannot work. This is something you should keep in mind.
The above variables are significant in the building of a refrigeration system. Several things have to be considered when calculating how a refrigeration system is built. Among these things would be the size and weight of the equipment, the power requirements, the type of refrigeration cycle is needed (heat pump or compressor-based), and the amount of capital required to get the system started.
