Vapour-Compression Refrigeration System

The first working vapour-compression refrigeration system in the world which operated on a closed cycle as to run continuously wasn’t built until 1834 by American expatriate to Great Britain Jacob Perkins. Until this point, ice houses or natural sources of cold (snow, cold lakes) were used to provide cool storage for most of the year.

In 1856 James Harrison built the first practical vapour compression refrigeration system, His prototype was built in 1851 on the banks of the Barwon River and his first commercial ice-making machine followed in 1854.

Refrigerators for home and domestic use were

Invented by Fred W. Wolf in 1913 his diagrams

And models showed a unit that was placed on top

Of one of the ice box’s. Nathaniel B Wales introduced the

Idea for an electric freezer which became the Kelvinator and was a largely commercial freezer.

As new freezers were invented features such as automatic control, self containment, freezer attachments and refrigerators which didn’t use some of the harmful chemicals others did in their cooling process (sulphur, methyl formate,).

SOCIAL EFECTS:

Over the last 150 years Refrigerators have had a great impact on our way of life. Refrigeration changed the process of food production and while it helped to rev up industrial processes, it became an industry itself.

The growth of cities and increase in population created a demand for more fresh food, and as cities grew, so did the distance between the consumer and the Supplier.

Refrigeration to preserve food longer for transport helped establish mid-Western cities, especially Chicago and Kansas City, as there produce could now reach further out into the country, This expanded markets and helped to create healthier diets of meat,...

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...s of producing the product.

• Thermal Engineering: The basic concept of the refrigerator stems from this branch without it refrigerators would be obsolete as would insulation.

• Applied Engineering: This branch helped improve the design and concept of the refrigerator as well as expand its market and make it more profitable through greater efficiency.

• Industrial Engineering: This covers the materials and production side of creating a refrigerator this branch is essential to the mechanical parts of a refrigeration unit.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://www.history-magazine.com/refrig.html

http://www.dalsteel.com.au/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyurethane

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_engineering_branches

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