How does a refrigerator work?

Question

The part that actually makes the food cold. I heard it has something to do with sound waves. Is this true?

Answer 1

wow that was a longwinded answer up there.
i will dumb it down for you. A refrigerator is just like a window air conditioner mounted on a closed box. no sound waves.

Answer 2

Refrigerators work by the use of heat pumps operating in a refrigeration cycle. An industrial refrigerator is simply a refrigerator used in an industrial setting, usually in a restaurant or supermarket. They may consist of either a cooling compartment only (a larger refrigerator) or a freezing compartment only (a freezer) or contain both. The industry has nicknames for these units as well sometimes referring to them as a “cold box” or a “walk-in.” The dual compartment was introduced commercially by General Electric in 1939.

The vapor compression cycle is used in most household refrigerators. In this cycle, a circulating refrigerant such as freon enters the compressor as a vapor at its boiling point. The vapor is compressed and exits the compressor as a superheated vapor. The superheated vapor travels through part of the condenser which removes the superheat by cooling the vapor. The vapor travels through the remainder of the condenser and is condensed into a liquid at its boiling point. The saturated liquid refrigerant passes through the expansion valve (also called a throttle valve) where its pressure abruptly decreases. The decrease in pressure results in the flash evaporation and auto-refrigeration of a portion of the liquid (typically, less than half of the liquid flashes). The cold and partially vaporized refrigerant travels through the coil or tubes in the evaporator. There a fan circulates across the coil or tubes, and the refrigerant is totally vaporized, extracting heat from the air which is then returned to the food compartment. The refrigerant vapour returns to the compressor inlet to complete the thermodynamic cycle.

An absorption refrigerator works differently from a compressor refrigerator, and typically runs more quietly.

Some refrigerators are now divided into four zones to store different types of food:

* -18 °C (0 °F) (freezer)
* 0 °C (32 °F) (meats)
* 4 °C (40 °F) (refrigerator)
* 10 °C (50 °F) (vegetables)

The capacity of a refrigerator is measured in either liters (EUR) or cubic feet (US). Typically the freezer volume is 100 liters (3.53 cubic feet) and the refrigerator 140 liters (4.94 cubic feet), although these values are highly variable.

Temperature settings for refrigerator and freezer compartments are often given arbitrary numbers (for example, 1 through 9, warmest to coldest) by manufacturers, but generally 3 °C (37 °F) is ideal for the refrigerator compartment and -18 °C (0 °F) for the freezer.

You could get more information from the link below...

Answer 3

Refrigerators work by the use of heat pumps operating in a refrigeration cycle. An industrial refrigerator is simply a refrigerator used in an industrial setting, usually in a restaurant or supermarket. They may consist of either a cooling compartment only (a larger refrigerator) or a freezing compartment only (a freezer) or contain both. The industry has nicknames for these units as well sometimes referring to them as a “cold box” or a “walk-in.” The dual compartment was introduced commercially by General Electric in 1939.

The vapor compression cycle is used in most household refrigerators. In this cycle, a circulating refrigerant such as freon enters the compressor as a vapor at its boiling point. The vapor is compressed and exits the compressor as a superheated vapor. The superheated vapor travels through part of the condenser which removes the superheat by cooling the vapor. The vapor travels through the remainder of the condenser and is condensed into a liquid at its boiling point. The saturated liquid refrigerant passes through the expansion valve (also called a throttle valve) where its pressure abruptly decreases. The decrease in pressure results in the flash evaporation and auto-refrigeration of a portion of the liquid (typically, less than half of the liquid flashes). The cold and partially vaporized refrigerant travels through the coil or tubes in the evaporator. There a fan circulates across the coil or tubes, and the refrigerant is totally vaporized, extracting heat from the air which is then returned to the food compartment. The refrigerant vapour returns to the compressor inlet to complete the thermodynamic cycle.

An absorption refrigerator works differently from a compressor refrigerator, and typically runs more quietly.

Some refrigerators are now divided into four zones to store different types of food:

-18 °C (0 °F) (freezer)
0 °C (32 °F) (meats)
4 °C (40 °F) (refrigerator)
10 °C (50 °F) (vegetables)
The capacity of a refrigerator is measured in either liters (EUR) or cubic feet (US). Typically the freezer volume is 100 liters (3.53 cubic feet) and the refrigerator 140 liters (4.94 cubic feet), although these values are highly variable.

Temperature settings for refrigerator and freezer compartments are often given arbitrary numbers (for example, 1 through 9, warmest to coldest) by manufacturers, but generally 3 °C (37 °F) is ideal for the refrigerator compartment and -18 °C (0 °F) for the freezer.

Answer 4

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