Types of Refrigeration Equipment and Cooling Systems

in Food & Drink

For all who plan to buy commercial refrigeration equipment, a little market survey could prove to be beneficial.

With so many choices available, deciding on one refrigerator model could appear challenging. If you are looking for one model that befits your refrigeration needs, companies like Iron Mountain Refrigeration offer a range of equipment that you can select from. Knowing the different types of refrigeration mechanism can make your search precise.

The basic mechanism on which refrigeration systems work is by transferring heat from one area to another. In the process, it cools the designated area. How this process unfolds varies across refrigeration systems. Here’s an illustration of the basic mechanisms used in refrigeration equipment.

Refrigerators with mechanical compression system

Most commercial freezers are designed using the mechanical compression system. They transfer the heat by compressing the refrigerant mechanically into a cold liquid under low-pressure conditions. This expands the liquid then into the hot gas that escapes the system.

Are you wondering what is meant by a refrigerant? These are substances that can boil at different temperatures under various pressure conditions. These substances can absorb heat when boiled into gas. In the process of their condensation, they release this gas.

On the low-pressure end, liquid refrigerants absorb heat from the warm air that circulates inside the unit. On the high-pressure side, the heat travels from warmer to the cooler air outdoor. This process continues in a loop helping maintain the desired low temperature inside the unit.

Absorption system

Refrigerators that work on the absorption system usually compress and expand the refrigerant to transfer the heat. Thus, relying on the absorption process, such units use the refrigerants and transfer it from low pressure to high pressure instead of using an electrically powered mechanical compressor.

Ammonia is commonly used as a refrigerant in most residential chilling units. It is combined with water which acts as the absorbent.

The water placed in the absorber draws the ammonia from the low-pressure chamber and cools it in the process of absorbing it. This concoction is transferred to a generator that heats it to the level of boiling it thus separating the ammonia content from the water before transferring it to the high-pressure end of the refrigerator. As the process of absorption takes place, the refrigerant travels throughout the unit with the help of the heat.

Speaking of the various types of refrigeration systems, fridges and freezers can be found in different sizes, shapes, and capacities. Most of the systems have some of the other forms of ventilation system for their compressor as discussed above. The ventilation system can be located either on the bottom or the side of the fridge.

The commercial units have a large capacity and can be used to store food and beverages in large quantities. If you are looking for the back-bar refrigerators, the ones with glass doors in front make a great choice. For those who want a unit only for beverages, the commercial wine bottle coolers that are designed as top loaders allow the storage of many bottles at a time. If you’re running an online business that specializes in sending foods that you’re storing frozen, you might want to look into how to ship frozen food so that it reaches your customers in the same condition it left.

If you are looking for a unit that can store hundreds of cans, bottles, etc required for commercial purposes, the merchandiser unit would make a good choice. These are also equipped with front ventilation enabling easy display of beverages with the glass door in front. Check out the pros of using a refrigerator with a glass door at https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-advantages-of-a-refrigerator-with-a-glass-door.

If you are searching for something smaller, the under-counter reach-in units can double up as freezer. These usually complement the larger refrigerators in commercial kitchens and offer a good temperature range. Many places use the top of the under-counter fridges as a prep table. The smaller size of the unit is a space saver and handier than the larger commercial prep-table cum refrigerators.

The reach-in refrigerators offer greater capacity. These come in both commercial and residential fridge designs and can store various kinds of food and beverage items; thanks to its well-segmented interiors.

From the mobile models equipped with casters to those with glass doors, there are several options available. Some with double doors also allow storage at different temperatures as a split option.

Before finalizing any one model for your home or commercial purpose, consider conducting a quick research on different brands, designs, prices, etc. to match your requirements.

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