How common is ammonia refrigeration?

Many years ago, the food and beverage industry embraced ammonia refrigeration. The economic advantages alone made it the refrigerant of choice for cold storage facilities and food processing facilities as well as the dairy and meatpacking industries. Almost all of the food on the family breakfast, lunch and dinner table passes through an ammonia refrigeration facility before reaching your grocery store including fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, poultry and fish, frozen convenience foods, milk, cheese and ice cream, and beverages such as soft drinks, beer and wine.
How long has ammonia been used as a refrigerant?Ammonia was among the early refrigerants used in mechanical systems, and it’s the only one of the early refrigerants to secure a lasting role as a refrigerant. Mechanical refrigeration was developed in the 1800s based on the principle of vapor compression. The first practical refrigerating machine using vapor compression was developed in 1834 and by the late 1800s refrigeration systems were being used in breweries and cold storage warehouses. The basic design of the vapor compressor refrigeration system, using ammonia as a refrigerant in a closed cycle of evaporation, compression, condensation, and expansion, has changed very little since the early 1900s.
When was ammonia first synthesized?Ammonia was first synthesized in 1823 by reacting air and hydrogen. The first commercial production of synthetic ammonia began in 1913. Presently, there are an estimated two billion metric tons of ammonia present in the world. Of this amount, approximately five percent is man-made. Approximately 18 million metric tons of ammonia are produced annually in North America alone, and of this amount, less than two percent is used for refrigeration.