History of refrigerator design | Working | principle | Repair | Refrigeration

History of refrigerator design

by Abhishek Kr. jha

Hey Hello, welcome readers to my blog today topic is very interesting and factual and it's related to technology and innovation. As we know "refrigerator " is generally used for food and liquid to cool and preserve for a long time. In this blog, we will learn about the history of the refrigerator design, its working principles, and how it was repaired? So let's begin with the History of refrigerants.

History of refrigerator design

The history of the home refrigerator is an Interesting journey through technological advancements and societal changes. the history of refrigerators can divided into some bold points Here's a brief overview:

1. Early 20th century (icebox era): Before the invention of refrigerators, people used iceboxes to alimony their supplies unprepossessed and preserve them for a long time. These were wooden or metal containers lined with insulating materials like sawdust or cork, and they relied on blocks of ice to maintain low temperatures.

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3. The first electric refrigerator: In 1913, Fred W. Wolf Jr. invented and patented the first electric refrigerator, but it was not practical for home use due to its large size and high cost.

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5. The Introduction of new refrigerants: In the 1920s, the introduction of Freon gas, a non-toxic, non-flammable coolant, revolutionized refrigeration technology. This made refrigerators safer, increasingly efficient, and increasingly affordable.

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7. Mass Production and Accessibility: In the 1930s and 1940s, companies like General Electric and Frigidaire began mass-producing refrigerators for home use. As production scaled up and financing decreased, refrigerators became increasingly wieldy to the stereotypical household.

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9. Design and Features: Throughout the mid-20th century, refrigerators underwent significant diamond changes and improvements. Features like willless defrosting, willowy shelves, and freezer compartments became standard.

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12. Energy Efficiency: In the late 20th century, there was a growing accent on energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. Refrigerator manufacturers began developing models that used less energy and employed eco-friendly refrigerants.

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14. Smart Refrigerators: In recent years, technological advancements have led to the rise of smart refrigerators equipped with features like touchscreen displays, Wi-Fi connectivity, and seated cameras that enable users to remotely monitor their contents.

After knowing the history of refrigerators in the short points, further move on to the next topic is the structure of the home refrigerator. Its outside structure is very simple so we need to learn about its outer design we will learn about the internal structure of the refrigerator and how it works?

Internal Structure and Working principle of Refrigerator

Working Principle

An electric refrigerator works on the principle of heat transfer which means removing heat from inside the refrigerator and releasing it outside, thereby keeping the interior cool. Let's sink into its internal structure to understand how it achieves this.

Internal Structure of an Electric Refrigerator

The internal structure of an electric refrigerator has nine parts consist which work together to achieve this goal. we will explain these nine parts of the refrigerator below in detail. let's begin:

1. Compressor-: It is known as the heart of the refrigerator. It pumps the refrigerant just like that in the human body. The heart pumps the blood circulates overall the body parts of the body and collects it. It compresses the refrigerant, which increases the temperature of the gas. This hot gas flows through the system of the refrigerator.

1. Condenser coils-: After the compressor compresses the refrigerant or gas, increase the temperature of the gas to approximately 90 degrees Celsius and pressure to around 8 bar. Taking this pressure and high temperature of gas pumps into the condenser coil. These coils are just like zig-zag pipes and attach with supporting steel sticks. These zig-zag routes and supporting sticks reduce the temperature of the gas to approximately 45 degrees by exchanging heat transfer from the surroundings and turning it into liquid.

1. Expansion valves-: it's also known as throttle valves, this component regulates the flow of gas into the evaporator coils. this valve is a capillary tube made from copper and has a diameter of around 0.2mm to 2mm. After gas leaves the condenser unit, it flows in the capillary tube reducing the pressure of the gas to around 0.6 bar, and also reduces the temperature of the gas to around -16 degrees Celsius or above depending upon the length and diameter of the capillary tube. because as we know in physics pressure drop =length/diameter. if the diameter decreases the pressure drop increases and also increases the pressure drop if we also increase the length of the capillary tube.

1. Evaporator coils-: These coils are typically located in the internal department of the freezer, some gas pipes are internally fitted into the freezer box. A low-pressure and temperature gas enters this pipe and food content is kept in the freezing compartment and shelves, these pipes absorb the heat from food or content, and also transfer it into the gas and food becomes cool. just like that when two balls, a ball hot and a ball cools near together they transfer their heat from 1 ball to another and take temperature constant.

1. Fan-: A fan helps to condenser coils and evaporator coils to transfer the heat from the internal body of freeze to the surroundings.

1. Thermostat-: This is a regulator in the internal parts of the fridge. It controls the speed of movement of the compressor according to coolness. This is the brain of the refrigerator, it automatically regulates the movement of the compressor and controls the desired coolness.

1. Refrigerant-: This is the substance that flows to the entire body of the refrigeration system absorbing heat and releasing it to achieve cooling. This gas should be of a special quality that compresses easily and changes its quality according to the pressure and temperature changes in the different components of the system. so mainly freon and HFC gas are used. HFCs are banned due to bad effects on the environment. so mainly we use freon R-134a is commonly used as a refrigerant.

1. insulation-: Surrounding the internal structure of the refrigerator is insulation material, to trap cold air inside and protect it from entering warm air from outside.
2. Accumulator-:After refrigerant leaves the evaporator coils from changing liquid into vapors then, the refrigerant goes back to the compressor for another cycle in the vapour form. But sometimes in the evaporator coils the liquid form of gas does not change into vapor form, if the liquid form of gas enters the compressor it will be damaged because it is designed for only gas not liquid. so before the compressor, the gas goes from the accumulator, and it is totally converted into gas and then passes to the compressor.

if you can not read these please see the slideshow-:

After knowing the history, working principles, and components of refrigerators we further move to the next topic is the damaging and repairing techniques of refrigerators. so let's begin 

If the compressor has been damaged or broken in the refrigerator it possible to repair it? or how to repair the refrigerator compressor?

No, in case of a broken compressor, you can not repair the compressor. If the compressor is faulty in any case of not cooling by the refrigerator it will be replaced is the better option to save money.

how to repair refrigerator light switch ?

In the refrigerator's inner compartment, a light is available, it is also very sight where he placed the fridge because it depends on the refrigerator company model or other else, etc. So find the spot where the light will be placed then after that firstly power switch pluck remove from the electric circuit. After that take a screwdriver and open the light circuit then check the connection if any is loose then tighten it. if the light is faulty then replace the light also.

Is there any other damage in the refrigerator explain in shortly?

yes, the refrigerator has many problems such as Refrigerant leakage is another possible problem. If there's a leak in the refrigerant system, it needs to be located and fixed. The leak should be repaired, and the refrigerant recharged to ensure proper cooling. Other issues like faulty thermostats, damaged door seals, or malfunctioning fans can also affect the refrigerator's performance. These parts may need to be repaired or replaced accordingly.

I believe in the updation, so I try my best in the future to update this article by gathering deep knowledge.

Thank you to read