After The Icebox: A Brief History Of The Chiller

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Although a lot of people might claim that they do not know what a chiller is, the truth is that they most likely use it on a daily basis. In a textbook definition, it is any machine that uses a heat absorption cycle to cool a designated area. In the common vernacular, it is your basic air conditioner or refrigerator.

Of course, it is used for many functions other than cooling the house in the summertime or keeping perishable foods fresh for a little while. The medical industry relies on chillers to cool down technological equipment like MRI machines and CT scanners. They are similarly utilized in commonplace technology like computers and DVD players. Yes, as you read this article, a tiny chiller function is occurring inside your netbook or iPad in order to keep its temperature cool enough to function.

When you consider the history of cooling systems, the modern-day device becomes quite remarkable. Two hundred years ago, people who wanted to keep themselves or their food cool relied upon collecting ice in the wintertime and attempting to store it in underground vaults for as long as possible. One hundred years ago, refrigeration as we know it was just taking its first baby steps. Ideas like transporting California strawberries to people in Pennsylvania were laughed at, and considered science fiction. Even fifty years ago, when refrigerators and freezers were in full-swing, an air conditioned home was not something that your average middle-class family enjoyed.

Today, the technology of this machinery would amaze anyone. Just consider the fact that the same technological principles operate the cooling device in a tiny laptop and the air conditioning in a restaurant.

The technology for it can become quite involved, which is why HVAC technicians go to school to learn the systems and processes. The heart of this amazing devices' technology is the heat absorption process. Heat absorption relies upon the principle that certain liquids will collect the heat like a magnet picks up nails, and can actually transport the heat away from a designated area. If you have ever boiled macaroni noodles, and put them in a colander under running cold water, then you understand the basic principles of heat absorption.

Few chillers actually use water as a heat absorption liquid, however. The most popular heat absorption liquids used to be refrigerants such as Freon. Now, in these environmentally conscious times, chiller manufacturers no longer use refrigerants and depend instead upon environmentally friendly options.


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