Even in ancient times, it became clear to people that the use of low temperature allows you to save products. For a long time, our ancestors used natural sources of cold. It was ice that collected in frosty weather and was laid in pits or cellars. In the same artificial glaciers, food was also stored in the summer. So many civilizations acted in which had a similar opportunity. The peoples living in hot climates had to act differently. For example, the Egyptians used special vessels filled with water for food preservation, which were cooled at night.
Of course, all these methods were so primitive that they did not allow to obtain the proper cooling effect. Everything changed only at the beginning of the 20th century, when a refrigeration device was invented. This device, amazing in its functionality, during its existence has turned from a bulky unit into an indispensable assistant, which you can already find in every home.
The first Russian developments
A device that allows you to cool products in our country appeared in the early 20th century. The first units were made during the tsarist regime. The volume of these devices was 100 l, and the mass was 50 kg. Their sizes were equal to 365x505x900 mm.
Such a cabinet was made of wood, and the shelves were made of galvanized metal. The device chilled products to seven degrees above zero. However, the production of refrigerators did not receive its development in tsarist Russia. He was prevented by the outbreak of the First World War, and after it - the revolution. During the Civil War, and then collectivization, refrigerators were not even remembered.
Created in the USSR
Under Soviet rule, the development of units for cooling products began only in the late thirties of the twentieth century. The first Soviet refrigerator was released in 1937. Kharkov Tractor Plant (KhTZ) became its manufacturer . That is why the model of this unit was called HTZ-120.
The first Soviet refrigerator had a volume of 120 liters. He worked with a hermetic compressor and created a temperature of minus three degrees on the middle shelf. In the evaporator, it dropped to twenty degrees below zero. There was a light bulb in the inside of the refrigerator. It turned on automatically when the door was opened. The dimensions of the inner chamber were equal to 755x455x380 mm. The first Soviet refrigerator had insulation made of wood fiber. Its thickness reached 80 mm.
Setting up the production of food storage devices has not been easy. That is why these first refrigerators of the Soviet Union were put into mass production only in 1939. Already a year later, 3,500 units came to the consumer market. However, further development of the production of refrigerators was suspended. It was interrupted by the outbreak of World War II.
Other type refrigerators
In addition to the HTZ-120 brand, which was compression, in the pre-war era, the development of absorption structures for refrigeration units was carried out. After the research, its prototype was made. This Soviet refrigerator had a useful volume of 30 dm. The temperature in his chamber dropped to minus five degrees, and the power consumption was 100 watts. However, despite successful trials, he was never put into production due to the outbreak of war.
Resumption of work on the creation of the refrigerator
In the post-war period, the development of absorption structures was continued at the Gazoapparat plant. As a result of the work done, the Soviet refrigerator of this type was launched into mass production. The first batch of such units came off the assembly line in 1950. The gas chamber of the Gazoapparat refrigerators, having the same name as the manufacturer, was 45 liters.
Improvement of the developed devices
After the release of the first batch of refrigerators, the Gazoapparat plant did not stop there. The company's specialists have developed and put into production a more advanced unit. It was a refrigerator of the brand "North", with a usable capacity of 65 liters. Both models of refrigerators manufactured at the Gazoapparat plant had electric heating.
Experience in the design of devices to save food did not go unnoticed. Many other factories that began the production of absorption-type household refrigerators began to use it in their work. So, from Orenburg to the consumer market of the country came units "Orenburg". The Velikoluksky factory began production of Morozko refrigerators, and Penza - the production of Penza appliances. All these brands of Soviet refrigerators were in great demand among the population and became faithful helpers in many kitchens of the country.
Brand "Crystal"
The most advanced absorption refrigerators were produced thirty kilometers from the city of Kiev, at the Vasilkovsky factory specially created for this purpose. The enterprise was built in 1954 and was fully focused on the production of Crystal devices.
The plant provided the necessary capacity for the manufacture of almost all components for refrigerators. Workshops of metal rolling, as well as the production of foam rubber, polystyrene and plastic products worked here. There were assembly sites at the factory.
The most advanced absorption refrigerators in the Soviet Union had their advantages and disadvantages. Consumers were satisfied with their silent operation, which was accompanied by an almost complete absence of vibration, as well as the possibility of using not only electricity but also gas as an energy source. But such refrigerators also had disadvantages. Among them - increased power consumption, as well as continuous operation without blackouts.
In the eighties of the last century, the plant began producing Crystal-9 refrigerators. The total volume of such a device was 213 liters, and the freezer, in which the temperature was maintained at -18 degrees, was 33 liters.
"Crystal-9" was a full-size unit. However, its remarkable characteristics were supported by greater energy consumption than that of compressor devices.
This drawback was corrected in the Crystal-9M model. For the production of this unit, the Soviet Union bought a license from the Swiss company Sibir.
The new apparatus for cooling products consumed significantly less electricity, had a temperature regulator capable of maintaining a given temperature in the chambers, as well as an automatic defrosting system.
Brand "Saratov"
In addition to absorption in the Soviet Union, production of compressor household refrigerators was established at many industries. One of such enterprises was factory No. 306. Initially, aircraft engines were manufactured here. In 1951, the Saratov refrigerator came off its conveyor. Contemporaries talked about this model that it was “not well tailored, but well stitched.” A similar characterization could be given to many goods produced during the construction of socialism.
The Saratov refrigerator had a body made of steel. Such devices were coated with white enamel. The internal shelves of the freezer, as well as the evaporator, were stamped from stainless steel. Chrome was used in the decoration of the refrigerator.
The first models of these devices were single-chamber with a volume of 85 liters. Thermal insulation of the unit was provided through the use of glass or mineral wool. Somewhat later, the factory launched the production of two-chamber refrigerators, the work of which was carried out on freon safe for human health.
Refrigeration units "Saratov" were successful not only among consumers of the Soviet Union. The plant’s products were exported to thirty-three countries of the world, including Germany and France, Italy, Belgium, England and others. And today, the old Soviet refrigerators of this brand serve as a real example of technology that corresponds to the slogan of those times, calling for "building for centuries."
The best compressor unit
A real legend among Soviet cooling devices was the ZIL refrigerator. This is a compression unit, the mass production of which was organized in 1949-1951. at the Moscow Automobile Plant.
The first models of such refrigerators were developed by the Design Bureau of the enterprise. They were called ZIS-Moscow. The first sample of such a refrigerator had a volume of 165 liters.
A year after the organization of the workshop for the production of home cooling appliances, the world saw a pilot batch in the amount of 300 units. These were the first compression refrigerators, which had a volume sufficient for the consumer.
The plant continued to develop rapidly. Soon, other models of the legendary refrigerator were launched on the
consumer market . So, in 1960, the ZIL-Moscow KX-240 unit entered retail chains. The volume of its cooling chamber left 240 liters, and the freezer compartment - 29 liters. The new ZIL-Moscow refrigerator made it possible for consumers to place products on the inner door panel.
In 1969, a new domestic rectangular refrigerator appeared. It was the unit model ZIL-62 KSh-240. Such a refrigerator fits easily into the interior of a standard kitchen. In addition, the designers first used a magnetic seal for his doors. This made it possible to operate the refrigerator in areas not only with a temperate, but also with a tropical as well as subtropical climate.
Devices of the Minsk manufacturer
According to the Decree of the Council of Ministers of the BSSR, in August 1959, preparations began to create household cooling electrical appliances at the gas equipment plant. Production was in Minsk. It became the basis for the current Atlant software.
The first Minsk-1 refrigerator went off the assembly line in 1962. It was a 140 liter compression unit. Its freezer compartment was 18.5 liters. At the bottom of the chamber of this refrigerator, the designers provided two vessels that were intended for vegetables and fruits. The first models were built-in. They were released immediately with a countertop. And on the left was provided a cabinet for food and utensils.
Since 1964, production of units of the second model began. The Minsk-2 refrigerator was freestanding. Then they launched the production of models of the third and fourth generations. They differed from their predecessors in that they became taller and narrower.
Under the license of the French company, the Minsk-5 refrigerator was produced. Its shelves had a removable installation height, and a special pedal served to open the doors. This model formed the basis of the improved and standardized Minsk-6 refrigerators.
But the most popular units of the Belarusian manufacturer are still two-chamber. This is the Minsk-15 model and its various modifications. For the first time, polyurethane foam was used in them as a thermal insulating material.
Iceberg Plant Products
Since 1962, the production of refrigerators also began at a factory opened in the city of Smolensk. These were compression refrigerators, the volume of which until the eighties of the last century did not exceed one hundred and twenty liters. Compact units were very popular among the population of our country, despite the fact that they were single-chamber and had a fairly simple design with strict straight lines. The cases of Smolensk refrigerators were made of plastic of white or milk colors, and the control was carried out mechanically.
From 1964 to 1999, the company mastered and produced eleven models of this household appliance, the total volume of which amounted to more than five million units.
The success of the Krasnoyarsk plant
Many people of the older generation are well acquainted with the Soviet Biryusa refrigerator. Its release was established in 1963. This happened after the decision by the Government of the country to establish the production of refrigerators at the Krasmash plant.
After the enterprise reached its design capacity, units began to appear on the consumer market in the amount of 150 thousand annually. But they were so popular in the USSR that there was a need to increase their output. Already since 1967, the plant had a capacity thanks to which 350 thousand refrigerators were produced annually.
In the early 70s, the company launched the production of compressors with improved technical characteristics. In 1982, the plant noted the release of the 10 millionth unit.
Murom producer
The Soviet refrigerator “Oka” entered the country's markets in the fifties of the last century. These products, produced by the Murom Engineering Plant, work in some houses to this day.
The very first models of Oka refrigerators were two-chamber, having standard sizes. Such a device was quite suitable for a family of 4-5 people. The design style of these refrigerators was quite strict. The case had sharp corners, and its height did not exceed 150 cm. In the refrigerator, removable shelves of the lattice type were provided. Below placed containers for fruits and vegetables. The total volume of the first model was 300 liters. Power consumption - 50 kW / h for a month.
The defrosting of such a refrigerator was manual, and its work was accompanied by a contented loud noise.
Units "Absheron"
The very first small single-chamber refrigerators began to descend from the conveyor of the Bashkir plant. Their main difference was the high climate class. In this regard, the Absheron refrigerator became in demand not only in the Soviet Union, but also in foreign countries. It was bought with pleasure by the countries of Latin America and Africa.
The Bashkir refrigerator was made of durable materials. For example, steel was taken for the body, covering it with a special anti-corrosion compound.
Among the shortcomings of these models, a small volume of the freezer can be distinguished, which was extremely inconvenient for the hostesses.
In the 80s, the company began producing dimensional two-chamber models. Their volume reached 300 liters. Such units were distinguished by high cooling capacity.
In general, the process of producing refrigerators in the USSR can be described as successful.