The advent of Refrigeration has allowed businesses to store items for extended periods of time without spoilage. Have you ever wondered how your refrigerator works? Whether you’re looking into Medical or Commercial refrigeration, the main components are the same and it can be helpful to know the background information on how your refrigerator operates.
So why is it important to learn the basics of how your medical or commercial refrigerator works? It may enable you to attend to minor troubleshooting issues without voiding the warranty of your commercial or medical refrigerator. In the event that you are unsure, that is when you can contact us, and our technicians can diagnose the problem with your Refrigerator.
Smaller issues such as inspecting and cleaning the condenser, the door seals (gaskets) and the evaporator drain hole and drip pan can extend the life of your commercial and medical refrigeration equipment.
A refrigerator has four main components;
- Compressor – The heart of the refrigeration system – supplies the power required to compress the Refrigerant Gas, dramatically increasing its pressure with a corresponding increase in temperature. The hot Gas then goes to the Condenser.
- Condenser – is that part of the system that acts like a ‘car Radiator’. A Fan generally draws air across the pipes and fins, while the Refrigerant Gas, now at a high temperature passes through the pipes of the condenser and loses much of its heat to the outside atmosphere, to the extent that it now turns to liquid; it ‘condenses’ – and is then pumped on to the Expansion Valve. It is very important to keep the condenser clean and free of ‘Dust,’ so that air easily passes through. Failure to do this invariably causes overheating and ultimately compressor failure.
- Expansion Valve – When the Refrigerant gas, now in liquid form passes through expansion valve, the Gas experiences a sudden pressure drop, and a corresponding drop in Temperature occurs. The low temp Gas then enters the Evaporator where the cooling is done.
- Evaporator –is normally constructed of Copper pipes and Aluminium Fins for easy heat absorption; it also may incorporate a fan to move the air over the fins, so transferring heat from the air inside the Refrigerator to the refrigerant Gas inside the pipes of the Evaporator. The air inside the Refrigerator cools while the temperature of the Refrigerant Gas increases. The gas then leaves the evaporator in a vapor state and is sucked back to enter the compressor where it is again compressed to a high pressure and high temperature, and the whole cycle is repeated.
The working of a refrigerator is quite simple in principle; it involves the removal of heat from one region and its deposition to another. A Refrigerator can perhaps be best described as a ‘Heat Pump.’
We hope you’ve gathered some basic background information on your refrigerator.
