1. Development of Refrigeration
Modern refrigeration has many applications. The first, and probably still the most importan, is the preservation of food.
Most foods kept at room temperature spoil rapidly. This is due to the rapid growth of bacteria. At usual refrigeration temperatures of about 4.4 o C (40 F), bacteria grow quite slowly. Food at this temperature will keep much longer. Refregeration preserves food by keeping it cold.
Other important uses of refrigeration include air conditioning, beverage cooling and humidity control. Many manufacturing processes also use refrigeration.
The refrigeration industry became important commercially during the 18th century. Early refrugeration was obtained by the use of ice. Ice from lakes and ponds was cut and stored in the winter in insulated storeerooms for summer use.
The use of natural ice required the building of insulated containers or iceboxes for stores, restaurants, and homes.
Ice was first made artificially about 1820 as an experiment. Not until 1834 did artificial ice manufacturing become practical. Jacob Perkins, an American engineer, invented the appartus which was the forerunner of our modern compression system. In 1885 a Germanengineer produced the first absorption type of refrigerating mechanism, although Michael Farady had discovered the principles for it in 1824.
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Modern refrigeration has many applications. The first, and probably still the most importan, is the preservation of food.
Most foods kept at room temperature spoil rapidly. This is due to the rapid growth of bacteria. At usual refrigeration temperatures of about 4.4 o C (40 F), bacteria grow quite slowly. Food at this temperature will keep much longer. Refregeration preserves food by keeping it cold.
Other important uses of refrigeration include air conditioning, beverage cooling and humidity control. Many manufacturing processes also use refrigeration.
The refrigeration industry became important commercially during the 18th century. Early refrugeration was obtained by the use of ice. Ice from lakes and ponds was cut and stored in the winter in insulated storeerooms for summer use.
The use of natural ice required the building of insulated containers or iceboxes for stores, restaurants, and homes.
READ MORE
