The history of air-cooling devices spans more than one millennium. In the heat, we used a fan, ice, and vessels with evaporating water. The concept of “air conditioning” appeared in 1815. Frenchman Jean Chabannes patented a room ventilation system. Thanks to him, the word “air conditioning” appeared in the lexicon, which denoted a device that maintains a comfortable temperature in the room.
The first steps to the invention
The building ventilation system, created by scientific calculations, appeared in 1810 in one of the London hospitals. In England, there were many scientists working to solve the problem of cooling air in homes. Michael Faraday was actively experimenting with ammonia, studying the change in its properties upon transition to various states of aggregation. The British chemist found that the substance absorbs heat during evaporation, and releases into the environment during condensation. The refrigerant was found, it only remained to assemble the apparatus in which its properties would be applied.
In the USA, doctor John Gorrie, in search of ways to treat tropical fever, solved the problem of lowering the temperature and humidity in the wards of the hospital. His invention was a machine that produces dry ice. Gorrie designed a compressor to compress air for cooling. The principle of its operation is applied in all systems of refrigeration and climatic equipment. The inventor did not advance beyond the creation of artificial ice.
The appearance of the first air conditioner
Almost 100 years have passed from the moment the first natural ventilation system was installed to the invention of the air conditioner. The appearance of the apparatus, humanity owes to the American engineer Willis Carrier. From childhood, he was fond of developing ventilation systems on the parent farm.
After graduation, the gifted young man took up the practical development of devices that change air parameters.
In 1902, the first air conditioning in the world appeared.
The machine was created for the Brooklyn printing house. The device was supposed to reduce air humidity, preventing the drying of paint. Together with the expected dryness, the room became cooler. In comfortable conditions, the productivity of workers increased. The news of the chiller became a sensation and spread throughout the world.
A year later, air conditioning was installed in the hall of the Cologne Theater. The audience didn’t go to the show en masse, but for the unusual sensations of the cool hall.
Carrier received a patent for his invention in 1906, and had earlier organized his own company Carrier Corportion. His first customers demanded that the devices only reduce moisture. Such machines were installed in textile factories.
Since the invention of the centrifugal chiller by Carrier, the problem of equipping large areas with climate systems has been resolved.
After installing the air conditioner in the Detroit department store, store revenue tripled. Soon, numerous commercial establishments and the government building were equipped with climate technology. Towards the end of the 1920s, air conditioning systems appeared in the Senate and the US Congress. 300 American theaters were equipped with Carrier products.
For several years, it was possible to enjoy the coolness on a hot day only in a public place, until General Electric introduced the first household split-system. Carrier invented air conditioning, where ammonia was used as the refrigerant. The harmful substance coped well with heat removal, but it was a threat to human life. In this regard, the air conditioner was made of two blocks, a part with a compressor and a condenser was located on the street.
Freon's invention
The use of toxic substances in refrigeration units has repeatedly led to fatal poisoning.
In 1928, Thomas Midgley, an employee of the American company General Motors, managed to obtain a chemical compound, later called freon.
The chlorofluorocarbon combination was characterized by inertness, incombustibility and safety for human health. The term “refrigerant” has appeared. DuPon has proposed the designation R (Refrigerant). The numbers and letters in the name determine the molecular formula of the compound. The first refrigerant was designated Freon 12 or R12.
Carrier Corporation quickly redesigned its products. Its air conditioners became monoblock, a window model appeared. The use of safe freon as a refrigerant did not require block separation. Window models are still relevant in African countries and in India. They are distinguished by an affordable price, easy to install and maintain.
Technology development
For a long time, American designers remained the pioneers in the development of climate and refrigeration technology, while Japanese companies seized the initiative in the late 1950s. Daikin introduced air conditioning with a heat pump to customers. This technique received an additional heating mode. In 1061, the mass production of split systems began.
Toshiba has shown a new level of comfort when using climate equipment. The noisiest mechanisms were placed in one of the units of its air conditioners and carried out of the premises. The compressor, vibrating and humming during operation, was mounted on the roof or the outer wall. There was a part with an evaporator in the room, working in a comfortable sound range. The difference with window models was striking. In addition, the new model could be placed in a convenient place.
After 7 years, the Japanese company managed to create a multi-split system in which several internal units were connected to one external unit.
Device and principle of operation
The main structural elements of HVAC equipment have not changed since they came up with air conditioning and began its mass production. New materials, types of filters, electronic control units appeared, but the device remained the same.
Main nodes:
- compressor - a unit compressing the refrigerant to increase pressure up to 15-25 atmospheres;
- capacitor - the device of the external unit, where the gas goes into the liquid phase;
- evaporator - part of the indoor unit in which freon is converted into gas;
- fans - parts that create air flow;
- copper pipe - a pipeline connecting two parts of a split system, serves as a route for the circulation of freon.
In monoblock models, all elements were placed in one housing; there was no need to install connecting pipes. The principle of operation of the air conditioner is one for all models and types of equipment. The compressor compresses freon, causing an increase in pressure and temperature. The refrigerant enters the condenser, where it cools and turns into a liquid. Then through the capillary tube enters the evaporator. Being in the radiator goes into the gaseous phase, absorbing heat. From the evaporator it goes back to the compressor, the cycle repeats. Fans create an air stream that cools when the evaporator is blown.
Thanks to the development of technology, a block has appeared that controls the operation of the compressor engine.
The first split system with inverter control was created by the Japanese company Toshiba in 1980.
The continuously adjustable model was characterized by low noise and high efficiency. A year after the development of a commercial air conditioner, a version for domestic use appeared. Inverter equipment received tangible benefits: reduced wear on parts, electricity consumption, increased service life. After 7 years, the news accounted for 95% of sales.
The development and improvement of climate technology continues.There are models with intelligent controls, automatic sensors that do not require human intervention. The equipment is able to precisely control any air parameters.
