A freezer’s compressor is the one major component around which the refrigeration process revolves. One glitch in the compressor and the refrigerator will lose its capacity to maintain the required temperature for freezing. The basic concept behind a freezer’s cooling process is quite simple. It involves the evaporation of a certain liquid substance, which helps absorb the hot air and this process begins in the compressor.
Typically, a refrigerator consists of a freezer compressor, some pipes that serve as heat exchanging units from the machine’s interior and exterior, a refrigerant, and an expansion valve. If you want to begin to understand the mechanism of a freezer, one of the first things you should learn about is the refrigerant. A refrigerant is a certain type of liquid substance that undergoes evaporation in order to generate the cooling temperature inside the freezer or refrigerator. One of the most popularly used forms of refrigerants is pure ammonia, which only requires 32 degrees Celsius to evaporate.
Here is a step-by step of what happens inside the compressor when it initiates and sustains the refrigeration process:
- The refrigerant is initially in a gaseous state when the compressor exerts pressure on it. The pressure of the gaseous refrigerant increases with its temperature and the heat exchange pipes facilitate heat transmission.
- After the first level of heat transfer is complete, the gaseous refrigerant condenses to liquid form and makes its path through an expansion valve.
- Changes in the color of the refrigerant gas are notable as it transforms from one state to another. The refrigerant gas in the compressor is initially orange, which denotes the beginning of the compression process. The orange gas then turns to purple as it transforms to liquid. A third change takes place during the evaporation process.
- The refrigerant liquid turns a light blue color as it evaporates to a gaseous state. It absorbs heat inside and fills up the vacuum created with cool air.
- Heated gas passes out through the inner heat exchange pipes and coils, allowing the refrigerator to remain cool from the inside. The entire process repeats itself while the refrigerator remains turned on.
