Refrigeration? What’s that?
The International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR) and US body ASHRAE have spent the last year working to establish common definitions of five commonly used refrigeration words and terms.
After much discussion, both organisations came to an agreement on definitions for cooling, refrigeration, chilling, freezing and the cold chain.
“It was important that the differences that might exist in these definitions between the IIR and ASHRAE be erased for more consistency,” explained Jean-Luc Dupont, head of the IIR’s scientific and technical information department. “It now seems important for us to reach even greater harmonisation on an international level in order to establish universal definitions.”
To avoid confusion, the official definitions are:
Cooling
(1) Removal of heat, usually resulting in a lower temperature and/or phase change
(2) Lowering temperature
Refrigeration
(1) Cooling of a space, substance or system to lower and/or maintain its temperature below the ambient one (removed heat is rejected at a higher temperature)
(2) Artificial cooling
Chilling
Cooling of a substance without freezing it
Freezing
Solidification phase change of a liquid or the liquid content of a substance, usually due to cooling
Cold Chain
Series of actions and equipment applied to maintain a product within a specified low-temperature range from harvest/production to consumption
The Science and Technology Council of the IIR officially endorsed the new definitions on February 8, and has called on all national and regional organisations and associations to adopt and disseminate them.