The Washington times., 1922-07-03
ELECTRICITY IS .
INTRODUCING.
REAL COLD AIR
Same Force Which Provides
Heat Is Useful for
Refrigeration.

There appears to be something
mysterious about our being able
to produce cold by electricity-the
same force which is used to heat
y flatiron or light lamp. AS II
matter of fact, the electrical ice
less ice box" does not produce cold
by means of electricity, but only
utiliZes the power OF an electric
motor to manipulate the chemicals
or gasses which are the actual re-
frigerants.
Mechanical refrigeration is simply
the production of cold by vaporiZa
tion, or boiling. We all understand
that when we apply heat to water
II will boil away. Heat Is absorbed
by the water: the water vaporizes;
the heat which causes this boiling
is actually used up" in the process.
Now, a very similar thing hap
pens in an iceless ice box. Instead
of water. which vaporizes at 2l2
degrees Fahrenheit, refrigerant
is used which "bOils" or vaporiZes
at something like IA degrees or
about IS degrees colder than the
freezing point of water. The refrig'
Grants most commonly used are sui,
phur dioxide. ethyl chloride and
methyl chloride.
One of these chemicals is com
pressed in the motor driven ma
chine, and is condensed into liquid
form. II then passes into copper
tube and begins to boil or vaporiZe.
Since It vaporizes at point con
s.derably below the freezing point
OF water il absorbs. or uses up
the heat from the surrounding air,
just as water uses up the heat OF
fire. and naturally this air be-
comes colder and colder. The
process OF absorbing the heat from
the air inside the ice box continues
as long as there ia any compressed
gas in the machine to vaporize.
Since the compressed gas Is Sc
cured by the operation OF a com
pressor run by an electric motor,
we can control the temperature of
our ice" box by controlling the
operation of the motor. This con.
troll is, now made automatic. a
form OF thermostat and switch Is
devised which will start the motor
when the temperature in the box
rises 10 a certain point. and which
as the temperature has sufficiently
fallen. Thus when the ice box
door is frequently opened or left
open few minutes. the automatic
controller Immediately starts the
"cOld maker" and keeps it going
until the box is again at the prop
er degree OF CoolneSs
Mechanical refrigeration provides
dry cold. partly because there is
no dampness due to the melting Of
ice and partly because whatever
dampness may exist within the box
is quickly congealcd into frost upon
the pipes which contain the re-
frigerant. This phenomena is ex'
aCtly the Same as frost upon n
window II "A room is damp, dur
ing very cold weather, the moisture
immediately Congeals upon the glass
and the room becomes relatively
free from dampness.
Electrically operated iCeless re-
frigerators are quite inexpensive as
compared with equal service from
ice Tests on household types of
these machines show that box
recurring refrigeration equal to the
melting of 100 pounds of ice each
"a hours, costs from s to IL cents
per day to operate, this expense
maintaining the box at ~ degrees
when the average room tenpera
ture was SO degrees Fahrenheit.
Comparing this cost with ice at 60
cents hundred pounds, we see
that the iCeless ice box is no long.
er an extravaganza. but money
saver. in addition to having the
other merits of being much more
healthful. convenient and reliable.