The Science Behind Freezing: How a Walk-In Freezer Works
The Science Behind Freezing: How a Walk-In Freezer Works
Walk-in freezer hire is one of the services we offer at Icecool Trailers. Our walk-in cold rooms and freezers are available for a number of purposes, including emergency refrigeration/freezing, construction and expansion projects, and temporary cold storage for special events. Nevertheless, that's the business side of things. Have you ever stepped back to consider the science of freezing? Have you ever wondered how and why things freeze?
Most of our discussions regarding freezing are directly related to reducing the temperature of water molecules until they change from a liquid state to a solid. However, it's not just water that can be frozen. Just about any substance can reach a freezing point if temperatures are low enough. The question is, why? Understanding the science behind freezing helps us to better serve our customers.
The Molecular Equation
The science of freezing comes down to molecules. It matters not whether you are using a walk-in freezer from Icecool Trailers or a residential freezer in the kitchen. In order to freeze something, you have to change the way the molecules within that substance interact with one another.
Every substance in your freezer is made up of molecules that are held together through electrical bonds. Think of it in terms of magnets. Just as a positive and negative magnet are attracted to one another, the molecules in that piece of meat you froze last week are held together by the positive and negative bonds of the molecules it is made of. Freezing a substance is the process of manipulating those molecules so that the bonds between them are tighter, stronger, and more compact. One of the ways to accomplish this is through temperature reduction.
When the ambient temperature goes down, molecules do not move as freely within the space they occupy. It causes them to move closer together, thereby strengthening the electrical bonds between them. As temperature increases, the exact opposite happens. It is that simple.
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Different Freezing Points
Various substances have different freezing points depending on their molecular structures. Water, for example, freezes at a temperature of 0°C. In contrast, the freezing point of salt is quite a bit lower. That is why we can use salt to melt snow and ice during the winter. When salt is applied to ice, it raises the ambient temperature because it is warmer than the frozen water. This excites the water molecules and starts breaking the electrical bonds between them. Once the salt is washed away, the now melted ice will again freeze over if the temperature is cold enough.
Now that you know the science behind freezing, you should have a better understanding of why the different products you keep in cold storage have different optimal storage temperatures. A restaurant owner needs to store fresh vegetables at a higher temperature than frozen meats. A medical supplier can store tissue samples at a lower temperature than fresh blood. It all comes down to the substance being stored and what the freezing temperature of that substance is.
Should you need walk-in freezer hire to meet your cold storage needs, please feel free to contact us at Icecool Trailers. With decades of experience providing portable cold storage throughout London and most of England, we have the equipment and maintenance staff you need for reliable service. We offer several different sizes of both trailers and walk-in rooms for both refrigeration and freezing.
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