tons of refrigeration

Noun

ton of refrigeration (plural tons of refrigeration)

1. (US) A unit of power chiefly applied to the cooling capacity of a refrigerator, freezer, or air conditioner, equal to 12,000 British thermal units (Btu) per hour (200 Btu per minute); it denotes the amount of heat required to melt one short ton of ice in 24 hours.
   • The short crop of ice, owing to the phenomenally mild winter, has given quite an impetus to the manufacture of ice making machines and mechanical refrigerators. These machines have attained great perfection within the last ten years, and are extensively used by hotels, breweries, abattoirs, packing...1890 August 2, “Making ice and refrigerating by machinery [reprinted in The Engineer courtesy of Progressive Age]”, in The Engineer, volume 20, number 3, page 34

   Synonyms:

   refrigeration ton

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see ton, of, refrigeration.