When the first refrigerator was invented: history of creation

The question of when exactly the first refrigerator was invented worries not only technology historians, but also those who value the comfort of modern life. It is difficult to imagine a 21st century kitchen without this indispensable unit, which preserves food freshness and allows you to stock up for the week ahead. However, the path to creating an autonomous device capable of generating cold artificially took several centuries of intense scientific research.

Initially, humanity used natural sources of cold: ice cellars, deep dungeons and imported ice from frozen reservoirs. The turning point came in the 19th century, when physicists began experimenting with the evaporation of liquids and compression of gases. It was these experiments that laid the foundation for the technologies we use today.

In this article we will take a detailed look at the chronology of inventions, determine who exactly is considered the father of the modern refrigerator, and trace the evolution of refrigerants. You will learn how operating principles changed and why some early models were dangerous for use in everyday life.

The predecessors of refrigerators: the era of ice and saltpeter

Long before the advent of electricity, people were looking for ways to extend the shelf life of food. In ancient times they used glaciers special rooms where snow and ice were taken in winter, carefully insulating them from heat. But a revolution in understanding cooling processes occurred when scientists noticed the ability of some substances to absorb heat when dissolved.

One ​​of the first documented cases of artificially producing cold was the use of saltpeter. Back in the 16th century, it was noticed that when potassium nitrate is dissolved in water, the temperature of the mixture drops sharply. This made it possible to cool drinks and small volumes of food, although there was no talk of long-term storage yet.

• ❄️ The ancient Persians built yakhchals - dome-shaped ice storage facilities that worked on the principle of a wind trap.
• 🧊 In Russia and Europe there was a profession called “ice axe”, people mined ice on rivers for sale to wealthy houses in the summer.
• 🔬 The first experiments with vacuum and water evaporation were carried out in the 18th century to obtain low temperatures.

It is important to understand that these methods were passive. They did not generate cold constantly, but only stored it or created it for a short time due to a chemical reaction. Thermodynamic cyclewhich underlies the operation of modern compressors had not yet been discovered.

XIX century: the birth of artificial cold

A real breakthrough in The question of when the refrigerator was invented dates back to the first half of the 19th century. In 1834, American physician and inventor Jacob Perkins received a patent for a device that can be considered the prototype of the modern refrigerator. His machine operated by compressing and expanding ether.

⚠️ Warning: Early refrigerants such as ether and ammonia were flammable or toxic. The use of such devices in residential premises at that time was extremely dangerous.

The operating principle of the Perkins machine was based on the circulation of refrigerant in a closed loop. The liquid evaporated, taking heat from the environment, then the compressor compressed the vapor, and in the condenser it turned back into liquid. This cycle, known as vapor compression cycle, is used in the vast majority of household refrigerators to this day.

A little later, in the 1850s, Australian engineer James Harrison created a more advanced model that ran on ether, alcohol or ammonia. Its installations were primarily used for industrial ice production and cooling of breweries, since domestic use had not yet been considered due to size and danger.

Karl von Linde and the beginning of the era of ammonia

If we talk about the person who made refrigeration technologies accessible to industry, then this is, of course, the German engineer Carl von Linde. In 1876, he introduced the first successful gas refrigeration machine using ammonia as a refrigerant. This event is often called the second birth of the refrigerator.

Linde's machine was reliable and powerful. It made it possible to establish mass production of artificial ice and refrigerate warehouses. Breweries became the first commercial customers to appreciate the ability to brew beer all year round, not just in the winter. This changed food logistics around the world.

Linde's technology was based on a compressor that compressed ammonia gas to high pressure. The gas was then cooled in the heat exchanger and throttled, expanding sharply into a cold mixture of vapor and liquid. This process removed heat from the refrigerated chamber.

• ⚙️ Linde compressors worked on steam engines, which required a boiler room.
• 🏭 The first refrigerated warehouses appeared in ports for storing meat imported from Australia and America.
• 📉 The cost of refrigerating products began to fall rapidly, making they are more accessible to the population.

Despite their success, ammonia plants had a serious drawback. Ammonia is toxic and explosive if leaked. Therefore, such systems were never intended for installation directly in apartments. They required a separate engine room.

The first household electric refrigerators

The real revolution, which answered the question “when did the refrigerator appear in our kitchen,” occurred at the beginning of the 20th century with the spread of electricity. In 1911, General Electric introduced the model DOMELRE (DOMestic ELectric REfrigerator). This was the first refrigerator designed specifically for home use.

DOMELRE did not have the usual metal box. It was more of a wooden box-cabinet, inside of which an electric cooling unit was placed. The device was noisy, required constant maintenance and cost an exorbitant amount of money - about $900, which in modern money is more than $25,000.

In 1918, engineer Nathaniel Wyer improved the design, creating an automatically controlled refrigerator, which became the forerunner of mass models. However, mass production began only in the 1920s, when safer refrigerants and hermetic compressors appeared.

The key moment was the invention of freon in 1928 by Thomas Midgley. This gas was non-flammable and non-toxic (as was then believed), which made it possible to place the refrigeration unit directly in the kitchen cabinet. From that moment on, the refrigerator became a safe household appliance.

Evolution of refrigerants: from ether to eco-standards

The history of the refrigerator is in many ways the history of changing working fluids. The substances circulating within the system changed depending on the requirements for safety and effectiveness. Understanding this evolution helps to better understand the structure of modern technology.

At first, highly flammable liquids (ether, methyl ether) were used. Then came the era of ammonia and sulfur dioxide, which were effective but deadly if leaked. Freons (chlorofluorocarbons) seemed like the ideal solution until their destructive effects on the ozone layer were discovered in the 1970s.

Today most often used in household refrigerators isobutane (R600a). This is natural gas, which does not harm the environment, but requires special tightness of the system, since it is flammable. Modern standards ISO strictly regulate the amount of refrigerant in the circuit in order to minimize risks.

Soviet and Russian refrigerators: the path of development

In the USSR, the question of when the first refrigerator was invented had its own specifics. Mass production began in the 1930s at the Kholodmash plant in Leningrad. The first mass model was the HTZ-120, which copied the American models of General Electric.

After the war, with the start of the campaign to make life easier, refrigerators became a symbol of comfort. The legendary ZIS (later renamed Moskva) and Saratov became the first units available to ordinary citizens. They were distinguished by reliability, but high energy consumption and noise.

• 🏭 The Biryusa plant in Krasnoyarsk became one of the largest manufacturers in Siberia.
• ❄️ The first Soviet refrigerators often had only a small freezer.
• 🔧 The service life of compressors of that time allowed them to operate for 30-40 years without major repairs.

Modern Russian brands, such as Indesit (produced in the Russian Federation), Atlant i Biryusa, continue to develop these traditions, introducing inverter technologies and systems No. Frost, which were previously the domain of premium imported equipment.

⚠️ Attention: When purchasing an old Soviet refrigerator or restoring a retro model, remember that the oils and refrigerants used in them may not comply with modern environmental recycling standards.

Modern technologies: from drip defrosting to inverters

Today we are at a stage where the refrigerator is becoming a smart device. If earlier the main question was “how to freeze,” now it is “how to preserve vitamins and not make a fuss.” The advent of the system No Frost relieved users of the need for manual defrosting.

The operating principle of No Frost is based on forced air circulation. The fan drives cold air from the evaporator, hidden in the wall, throughout the chamber. The moisture settles on the evaporator, where it freezes and is then automatically removed when the compressor is turned off. This prevents the formation of an ice coat on the products.

Another important innovation is the inverter compressor. Unlike classic ones, which operate in an “on-off” mode, the inverter smoothly regulates power. This allows you to maintain the temperature with an accuracy of 0.1 degrees, save energy and operate almost silently.

The future belongs to “smart home” technologies, where the refrigerator itself orders products, monitors expiration dates through built-in cameras and optimizes operation depending on electricity tariffs.

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