AbstractsEngineering

The earliest historical records tell us that the artificial production of temperatures below that of the surroundings was already used by the Egyptians of 2500 B.C. who knew that water could be cooled in porous jars by fanning them. A similar old Indian custom for ice making involved the rapid evaporation of water into a very dry atmosphere. Other methods, such as the use of freezing mixtures, have been known for centuries.