Each of us has a refrigerator at home. It's hard to imagine that some 80 years ago this household appliance was not invented yet. But not everyone thinks about the device and the principle of the refrigerator. But this is a very interesting and informative moment: knowledge of how your refrigerator works, can always come in handy in case of any malfunctions or breakdowns, and also help to choose a good model when buying.
How does a household refrigerator work?
The work of a conventional household refrigerator is based on the action of the refrigerant (most often it is freon). This gaseous substance moves along a closed circuit, changing its temperature. Having reached the boiling point (and freon is from -30 to -150 ° C), it evaporates and takes away heat from the walls of the evaporator. As a result, the temperature inside the chamber is reduced to an average of 6 ° C.
The refrigerant components are assisted by such components of the refrigerator as the compressor (creates the desired pressure), the evaporator (takes heat from inside the refrigerating chamber), the condenser (transfers heat to the environment) and throttling holes (thermoregulation valve and capillary).
Separately, it should be said about the principle of the compressor compressor. It is designed to regulate the pressure drop in the system. The compressor tightens the evaporated refrigerant, compresses it and pushes it back into the condenser. In this case, the freon temperature rises, and it again turns into a liquid. The refrigeration compressor operates due to the electric motor, which is located inside its housing. As a rule, sealed piston compressors are used in refrigerators.
Thus, the operating principle of the refrigerator can be briefly described as the process of recycling internal heat to the environment, as a result of which the air in the chamber cools. This process is called the "Carnot cycle". It is thanks to him that the products that we store in the refrigerator for a long time do not deteriorate due to the constantly maintained low temperature.
Also it should be noted that in different places of the refrigerator the temperature is also different, and this fact can be used to store different products. In expensive modern refrigerators such as Side-by-Side there is a clear division into zones: it is a usual refrigeration department, a "zero zone" (biofresh) for meat, fish, cheeses, sausages and vegetables, a freezer and a so-called super-frost zone. The latter is characterized by a very rapid (within a few minutes) freezing the product to -36 ° C. As a result, a crystalline lattice of a fundamentally different shape is formed, while more useful substances are retained than in normal freezing.
How does the refrigerator work?
Refrigerators with the no-frost system operate on the same principle, but a certain difference exists in defrosting systems. Conventional household refrigerators with a drop type evaporator must be periodically thawed, so that frost, which has settled on the wall of the chamber, does not interfere with the further operation of the unit.
You do not have to worry about this if your refrigerator is equipped with the know-how system. Due to the continuous process of circulating cold air inside the chamber, moisture, which settles on the walls, thaws and drains into the pan, where it again evaporates.
Refrigerators know frost are devices of new generation, more convenient in use, than old models with a drop system. They are less energy-intensive, and the cooling of products in them occurs more evenly. However, they also have their shortcomings, based on the principle of work described above. Due to the fact that the chamber is constantly circulating air, it takes moisture out of food, which eventually dries. Therefore, in the know-frost products should be stored only in closed containers.
Now, knowing how to operate the refrigerator, you will not have problems with choosing and buying a new unit and its operation.