Refrigeration - an introduction to the basics

Refrigeration is a process that removes heat. A refrigeration plant is used to cool down articles or substances, and maintain them at a temperature lower than the ambient temperature.

At the beginning of the last century, it was discovered that the growth of micro-organisms relies on temperature, growth declines as temperature falls, and after +10°C growth slows considerably.  This knowledge allowed the use of refrigeration to conserve foodstuffs using natural ice.  The first mechanical refrigerators for the production of ice appeared around the year 1860. In 1880 the first ammonia compressors and insulated cold stores were put into use in the USA.  Electricity was used from the beginning the 20th century and mechanical refrigeration plants came into being.  After the Second World War small hermetic refrigeration compressors were produced refrigerators and freezers began to be used in the home. Today, these appliances are regarded as normal household necessities.