Refrigeration is a process in which work is done to move heat from one
location to another. The work of heat transport is traditionally driven by
mechanical work, but can also be driven by heat, magnetism, electricity,
laser, or other means. Refrigeration has many applications, including, but
not limited to: household refrigerators, industrial freezers, cryogenics, and
air conditioning. Heat pumps may use the heat output of the refrigeration
process, and also may be designed to be reversible, but are otherwise
similar to refrigeration units.
Refrigeration has had a large impact on industry, lifestyle, agriculture and
settlement patterns. The idea of preserving food dates back to the ancient
Roman and Chinese empires. However, refrigeration technology has rapidly
evolved in the last century, from ice harvesting to temperature-controlled
rail cars. The introduction of refrigerated rail cars contributed to the
westward expansion of the United States, allowing settlement in areas that
were not on main transport channels such as rivers, harbors, or valley
trails. Settlements were also popping up in infertile parts of the country,
filled with new natural resources. These new settlement patterns sparked
the building of large cities which are able to thrive in areas that were
otherwise thought to be unsustainable, such as Houston, Texas and Las
Vegas, Nevada. In most developed countries, cities are heavily dependent
upon refrigeration in supermarkets, in order to obtain their food for daily
consumption. The increase in food sources has led to a larger
concentration of agricultural sales coming from a smaller percentage of
existing farms. Farms today have a much larger output per person in
comparison to the late 1800’s. This has resulted in new food sources
available to entire populations, which has had a large impact on the
nutrition of society.
During the early 1800’s, consumers preserved their food by storing food
and ice purchased from ice harvesters in iceboxes. In 1803, Thomas Moore
patented a metal-lined butter-storage tub which became the prototype for
most iceboxes. These iceboxes were used until nearly 1910 and the
technology did not progress. In fact, consumers that used the icebox in
1910 faced the same challenge of a moldy and stinky icebox that
consumers had in the early 1800’s.[20]
General Electric (GE) was one of the first companies to overcome these
challenges. In 1911, GE released a household refrigeration unit that was
powered by gas. The use of gas eliminated the need for motor and
decreased the size of the refrigerator. However, electric companies that
were customers of GE did not benefit from a gas-powered unit. Thus, GE
invested in developing an electric model. In 1927, GE released the Monitor
Top, the first refrigerator to run off electricity.
