Hi guys, today, am going to be shading light on the various parts of your refrigeration system and how they work together for your family needs.

Firstly, what is a refrigerator?

Well, from a Mechanical Engineer point of view, a refrigerator is a machine (what! machine?) yes its a machine that absorbs heat from a region of high heat dispensation and then rejects the heat to a region of low heat dispensation it is a cyclic process (its a cycle). Confused?

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OK, lets break it down to a layman’s point of view (POV). A refrigerator is a device that cools anything; be it water, drinks, stones, food, etc. There are two or kinds types of refrigerator out there and they are freezer and of course refrigerator.

it is called a freezer when it is capable of cooling water to a temperature range of -10 to -26 degree celcius which is below the freezing point of water. while it is called refrigerator when it cools and maintains a substance within the range of 0 to -3 degree celcius.

the history of refrigerators is being dated back to the 19th century where folks preservers the raw meat by burying them in Ice-houses. Well enough of the explanations.

Four Major components of a refrigerator

Compressor: the compressor is the heart of the refrigerator, the brain behind everything pertaining to refrigeration. Its main function is to pump the super-heated refrigerants (gas) under high temperature and pressure to condenser and then sucks back the refrigerants under low temperature and pressure back to the compressor from the evaporator.

We have various kinds of compressor depending on the capacities and area of specialization e.g reciprocating compressor, rotary compressor, centrifugal compressor etc. rotary compressors are mostly used in Air-conditioners while reciprocating compressors are used in refrigerators.

Condenser: this is located at the back of your fridge. this component is made up of coils of iron pipes with fins(fins helps to absorb air from the environment in order to cool the super-heated gas). Refrigerants from the compressor are being cooled as they travel through the coils of the condenser from a super-heated gas to a sub-cooled gas.

In the engineering world, we say that the condenser rejects heat to the environment. the condenser may be internal (inside the body of the fridge) or external (outside the body of the fridge).

Capillary Tube/Expansion Valve: This component (that tiny and spiral wire like tube which looks like a tiny snake. lols) is vital to your refrigerator as it controls the flow of the refrigerant coming from the condenser to the evaporator. it is found at the back of the fridge directed connected to the drier from the condenser just before it enters the evaporator.

Evaporator: The actual cooling and freezing process takes place here. In Engineering, we say that heat absorption takes place here. this component sometimes looks like a pan with tube inside it or a coil of copper tube. it is found inside your refrigerator where the cooling takes place. it can be internal or external.

Other Components are …

Electric Plugs
Thermostats
Wires
Cabinets
bulb etc

it is quite expedient you take a proper care of your refrigerator by conducting random and routine checks on the system (system? yes, its a system). Always consult a professional when your detect faults from you fridge.

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