The contemporary lifestyle is hard to imagine without the appliances. The appliances surrounding us are meant to make our lives easier. Be it a dishwasher, toaster, air conditioner, refrigerator, or hot blower. One cannot imagine life without most of them. But have you ever wondered about the primary working mechanism of these appliances? In this article, we will be discussing the operating mechanism of the refrigerator. Let us see a simplified explanation of their working so that the learning could be fun and useful too!
Before we begin, you might be wondering why we are learning about refrigerators and not any other appliance. So here are some reasons behind why refrigerators?
● Refrigerators help in preserving food. And as we know, in India, nearly 40 percent of the food produced goes wasted; therefore it is essential to learn about their preservation.
● Refrigerators are an all-weather appliance. Extreme summers and winters can both spoil the food.
● A basic understanding of the appliance is needed to manage it on a day-to-day basis better.
A good understanding of the working of appliances will help you in making an informed buyer and decision-maker. So, let us dive into the matter.
Refrigerators are of different types. Depending upon the use of technology, the look provided, the volume it can hold, etc., refrigerators are categorized into various kinds. If you walk into an electronics store, they will say things like, ‘Ma’am/Sir, this is a 190L fridge, it has a double door, it’s frost-free, and so on.’ However, no matter how they differ superficially, they have the exact core working mechanism. We can understand it by knowing the four essential components of the fridge and how they work.
The components are summarized as CCEE- Compressor, Condenser, Evaporator, and Expansion device. The compressor, as the name suggests, compresses the refrigerant. This compression helps in increasing the temperature and the pressure of the refrigerant. The condenser simply condenses the hot refrigerant coming out of the compressor. This condensation makes the refrigerant a saturated liquid. The next step comes to the expansion device which enables dropping the pressure of the refrigerant liquid and helps in preparing it for the next step of Evaporation. The evaporation device is a fan that runs and enables the refrigerant to absorb heat from the refrigerator box.
Here summing up the working of the refrigerators, you might be wondering about the energy efficiency of refrigerators because this is what matters when it comes down to paying the electricity bill. Here it’s essential to understand the star rating labels. BEE i.e., Bureau of Energy Efficiency in India helps in initiating the rating system and enables the users to make energy-efficient choices while buying electronic appliances. The ratings are given from 1 star to 5 stars. This means 1 star and 2-star refrigerators are less efficient than the four and five-star refrigerators. So usually, it is advised to buy appliances with a 3 or more-star rating.
Having understood the science behind the working of the refrigerator and energy efficiency, now you are well equipped with the knowledge required to make a smart purchase of the same. Also, having a basic understanding makes you a smart user of the appliance. It reduces the chances of being misled by a salesman or a technician in case of an appliance malfunction.
