A refrigerator (colloquially fridge) consists of a thermally insulated compartment and a heat

pump (mechanical, electronic or chemical) that transfers heat from the inside of the fridge to its
external environment so that the inside of the fridge is cooled to a temperature below the room
temperature. Refrigeration is an essential food storage technique in developed countries. The lower
temperature lowers the reproduction rate of bacteria, so the refrigerator reduces the rate of spoilage.
A refrigerator maintains a temperature a few degrees above the freezing point of water. Optimum
temperature range for perishable food storage is 3 to 5 °C (37 to 41 °F).[1] A similar device that
maintains a temperature below the freezing point of water is called a freezer. The refrigerator
replaced the icebox, which had been a common household appliance for almost a century and a
half.
The first cooling systems for food involved ice. Artificial refrigeration began in the mid-1750s, and
developed in the early 1800s. In 1834, the first working vapor-compression refrigeration system was
built. The first commercial ice-making machine was invented in 1854. In 1913, refrigerators for home
use were invented. In 1923 Frigidaire introduced the first self-contained unit. The introduction
of Freon in the 1920s expanded the refrigerator market during the 1930s. Home freezers as
separate compartments (larger than necessary just for ice cubes) were introduced in 1940. Frozen
foods, previously a luxury item, became commonplace.
Freezer units are used in households and in industry and commerce. Commercial refrigerator and
freezer units were in use for almost 40 years prior to the common home models. The freezer-on-top-
and-refrigerator-on-bottom style had been the basic style since the 1940s, until modern refrigerators
broke the trend. A vapor compression cycle is used in most household refrigerators, refrigerator–
freezers and freezers. Newer refrigerators may include automatic defrosting, chilled water, and ice
from a dispenser in the door.
Domestic refrigerators and freezers for food storage are made in a range of sizes. Among the
smallest are Peltier-type refrigerators designed to chill beverages. A large domestic refrigerator
stands as tall as a person and may be about 1 m wide with a capacity of 600 L. Refrigerators and
freezers may be free-standing, or built into a kitchen. The refrigerator allows the modern household
to keep food fresh for longer than before. Freezers allow people to buy food in bulk and eat it at
leisure, and bulk purchases save money.

Contents

 1History
o 1.1Refrigeration technology
o 1.2Domestic refrigerator
 2Freezer
 3Commercial and domestic refrigerators
 4Styles of refrigerators
 5Production by country
 6General technical explanation
 7Features
 8Types of domestic refrigerators
 9Energy efficiency
o 9.1Today
o 9.2Regular Refrigerators vs Inverter Refrigerators
 10Effect on lifestyle
 11Temperature zones and ratings
 12Commercial refrigeration temperatures
 13See also
 14References
 15Further reading
 16External links

History[edit]
Refrigeration technology[edit]
See also: Refrigeration and Timeline of low-temperature technology
Before the invention of the refrigerator, icehouses were used to provide cool storage for most of the
year. Placed near freshwater lakes or packed with snow and ice during the winter, they were once
very common. Natural means are still used to cool foods today. On mountainsides, runoff from
melting snow is a convenient way to cool drinks, and during the winter one can keep milk fresh much
longer just by keeping it outdoors. The word "refrigeratory" was used at least as early as the 17th
century[2]
The history of artificial refrigeration began when Scottish professor William Cullen designed a small
refrigerating machine in 1755. Cullen used a pump to create a partial vacuum over a container
of diethyl ether, which then boiled, absorbing heat from the surrounding air.[3] The experiment even
created a small amount of ice, but had no practical application at that time.

Schematic of Dr. John Gorrie's 1841 mechanical ice machine.

In 1805, American inventor Oliver Evans described a closed vapor-compression refrigeration cycle
for the production of ice by ether under vacuum. In 1820, the British scientist Michael
Faraday liquefied ammonia and other gases by using high pressures and low temperatures, and in
1834, an American expatriate in Great Britain, Jacob Perkins, built the first working vapor-
compression refrigeration system. It was a closed-cycle device that could operate continuously.[4] A
similar attempt was made in 1842, by American physician, John Gorrie,[5] who built a working
prototype, but it was a commercial failure. American engineer Alexander Twining took out a British
patent in 1850 for a vapor compression system that used ether.
The first practical vapor compression refrigeration system was built by James Harrison, a Scottish
Australian. His 1856 patent was for a vapor compression system using ether, alcohol or ammonia.
He built a mechanical ice-making machine in 1851 on the banks of the Barwon River at Rocky Point
in Geelong, Victoria, and his first commercial ice-making machine followed in 1854. Harrison also
introduced commercial vapor-compression refrigeration to breweries and meat packing houses, and
by 1861, a dozen of his systems were in operation.
Ferdinand Carré's ice-making device

The first gas absorption refrigeration system using gaseous ammonia dissolved in water (referred to
as "aqua ammonia") was developed by Ferdinand Carré of France in 1859 and patented in
1860. Carl von Linde, an engineering professor at the Technological University Munich in Germany,
patented an improved method of liquefying gases in 1876. His new process made possible the use
of gases such as ammonia (NH3), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and methyl chloride (CH3Cl) as refrigerants
and they were widely used for that purpose until the late 1920s.

Domestic refrigerator[edit]

McCray pre-electric home refrigerator ad (1905). This company, founded in 1887, is still in business.

In 1913, refrigerators for home and domestic use were invented by Fred W. Wolf of Fort Wayne,
Indiana, with models consisting of a unit that was mounted on top of an ice box.[6][7] In 1914,
engineer Nathaniel B. Wales of Detroit, Michigan, introduced an idea for a practical electric
refrigeration unit, which later became the basis for the Kelvinator. A self-contained refrigerator, with
a compressor on the bottom of the cabinet was invented by Alfred Mellowes in 1916. Mellowes
produced this refrigerator commercially but was bought out by William C. Durant in 1918, who
started the Frigidaire company to mass-produce refrigerators. In 1918, Kelvinator company
introduced the first refrigerator with any type of automatic control. The absorption refrigerator was
invented by Baltzar von Platen and Carl Munters from Sweden in 1922, while they were still students
at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. It became a worldwide success and was
commercialized by Electrolux. Other pioneers included Charles Tellier, David Boyle, and Raoul
Pictet. Carl von Linde was the first to patent and make a practical and compact refrigerator.
These home units usually required the installation of the mechanical parts, motor and compressor, in
the basement or an adjacent room while the cold box was located in the kitchen. There was a 1922
model that consisted of a wooden cold box, water-cooled compressor, an ice cube tray and a 9-
cubic-foot (0.25 m3) compartment, and cost $714. (A 1922 Model-T Ford cost about $450.) By 1923,
Kelvinator held 80 percent of the market for electric refrigerators. Also in 1923 Frigidaire introduced
the first self-contained unit. About this same time porcelain-covered metal cabinets began to appear.
Ice cube trays were introduced more and more during the 1920s; up to this time freezing was not an
auxiliary function of the modern refrigerator.

General Electric "Monitor-Top" refrigerator, introduced in 1927.

The first refrigerator to see widespread use was the General Electric "Monitor-Top" refrigerator
introduced in 1927, so-called because of its resemblance to the gun turret on the ironclad
warship USS Monitor of the 1860s. The compressor assembly, which emitted a great deal of heat,
was placed above the cabinet, and enclosed by a decorative ring. Over a million units were
produced. As the refrigerating medium, these refrigerators used either sulfur dioxide, which is
corrosive to the eyes and may cause loss of vision, painful skin burns and lesions, or methyl
formate, which is highly flammable, harmful to the eyes, and toxic if inhaled or ingested. Many of
these units are still functional today, after requiring little more service than a replacement start relay
or thermostat if at all. These cooling systems cannot legally be recharged with the hazardous original
refrigerants if they leak or break down.
A 1930s era General Electric refrigerator in the Ernest Hemingway House

The introduction of Freon in the 1920s expanded the refrigerator market during the 1930s and
provided a safer, low-toxicity alternative to previously used refrigerants. Separate freezers became
common during the 1940s; the popular term at the time for the unit was a deep freeze. These
devices, or appliances, did not go into mass production for use in the home until after World War
II.[8] The 1950s and 1960s saw technical advances like automatic defrosting and automatic ice
making. More efficient refrigerators were developed in the 1970s and 1980s, even
though environmental issues led to the banning of very effective (Freon) refrigerants. Early
refrigerator models (from 1916) had a cold compartment for ice cube trays. From the late 1920s
fresh vegetables were successfully processed through freezing by the Postum Company (the
forerunner of General Foods), which had acquired the technology when it bought the rights
to Clarence Birdseye's successful fresh freezing methods.
The first successful application of frozen foods occurred when General Foods heiress Marjorie
Merriweather Post (then wife of Joseph E. Davies, United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union)
deployed commercial-grade freezers in Spaso House, the US Embassy in Moscow, in advance of
the Davies’ arrival. Post, fearful of the USSR's food processing safety standards, fully stocked the
freezers with products from General Foods' Birdseye unit. The frozen food stores allowed the Davies
to entertain lavishly and serve fresh frozen foods that would otherwise be out of season. Upon
returning from Moscow, Post (who resumed her maiden name after divorcing Davies) directed
General Foods to market frozen product to upscale restaurants.
Home freezers as separate compartments (larger than necessary just for ice cubes), or as separate
units, were introduced in the United States in 1940. Frozen foods, previously a luxury item, became
commonplace.