History and Development of Air-conditioning - Research Paper Example

History and Development of Air-conditioning Air conditioning is the process of modifying the condition of the airof a given place. Air conditioning is by heating, cooling, ventilating, or disinfecting the air to one’s comfort. An air conditioner is appliances, or equipment that used to change the humidity or the temperature of a given place. Heating or cooling depends on the air property at that time and the comfort required by the person. Air conditioning comes in with a funny slogan stating, “Man is a funny creature who wants it hot when it is cold, wants it cold when it is hot and always wants it the way it is not.” Air conditioning is a necessity especially in those continents that experience extremes of weather; where there is extreme cold and even snow during winter, and unbearable heat conditions during summer. This paper discusses the development of air conditioners and extensive research done to find useful materials. Most of these materials have the same content expressed in a different way. The internet is full of articles addressing the development of air conditioners some focusing on the history of air conditioners, including the inventors who have contributed, and some focusing on the evolution of technology over the years. This piece of work touches the basics of the technology behind air conditioners, history and fact based perception of the development of air conditioners. The best source to understand the history of the development of air conditioning is “History of Air Conditioning” on Bucknell University’s website. The source is highly credible as it comes from a reputed university website. This article formulated using another source, which is the article “Air Conditioning” by Malcolm Jones Jr. published in Newsweek in 1997 adding to the credibility of the source (Jones Jr). The article starts with the development of the actual idea of air conditioning rather than the air conditioning itself. The excerpt from the first line of the article is the idea of air conditioning started before a machine made to produce the cooling effect”(Bucknell Edu). The article tells about the first attempt on building an air conditioner by Dr. John Gorrie. It was not comfort ability that lead to the first attempt but the noble need to protect the patients suffering from yellow fever and malaria. This is essential as the first thought that comes to mind when we think of the air conditioners is comfort more than the need. The article does not go into the actual building of the machine but introduces the ideology behind it. The next idea in the article shows an attempt in the time need as President James Garfield was dying. It was successful with respect to results but a disaster to make it work on the large commercial scale. The article gives the years in which the breakthroughs achieved and description of the successful attempt of Willis Carrier in transforming the concept of air conditioners into a commercially viable business product. An excerpt showing how information in the article aimed at being factual and to the point is: A close ancestor to the modern air conditioner units made in 1902, by an American engineer by the name of Willis Carrier. The machine at that time called "Apparatus for Treating Air" and built for the Sackett-Wilhelms Lithographing and Publishing Co. in Brooklyn, New York. Chilled coils used in machines to reduce air and lower humidity to 55%. Although the apparatus made with enough precision that the humidity level desired was adjustable. ("History of Air Conditioning") The article explains how air conditioners started becoming a commercial product as it became increasingly in use for industrial purposes. The real breakthrough achieved when Carrier had the benign dielene together with a central compressor replacing the ammonia thus reducing the size of the unit. Willis Carriers invention came late in the 1900s, but before that, several attempts to air conditioning existed. In 180 AD, Ding Huan discovered the first ventilation system that was fan powered. The fan passed air from cold water and the air then spread in the house manually (Paventi). Later fountain water used to power the engine of the fan, thus reducing manual labor. Apart from the cooling effect of the water, the air became humid too (Paventi). In 1820 Michael Faraday, a British scientist, made a compressor that used ammonia (Paventi). Exhaustion of the toxic ammonia fumes became difficult and thus the cooling effect was unsafe. However, up to date his compressing technology is still in use. In the 1830s, an American physician, Dr John Gorrie, attempted to build an air conditioner while working in Apalachicola in Florida. He did this by using a device that brought a cooling effect when air blown over a bucket of ice. He further used the compression idea brought up by Michael Faraday to make ice that cooled down structures. Though it was not highly effective, this helped patients suffering from malaria and yellow fever ("History of Air Conditioning"). The next attempt in air conditioning was the construction of a box-like structure that carried clothes with water saturated melted ice. Naval engineers constructed the structure that had a fan blowing overhead hot air. The box-like unit structure has some significance since, the American engineer; Willis Carrier made an air conditioner that closely resembled the air conditioner units of the present time ("History of Air Conditioning"). Air conditioning started with the introduction of the refrigerator, which could make ice instead of depending on naturally harvested ice (Jeff 416). Steam engines used to drive machines in the refrigeration plants, but things became fine when Charles Tellier made a vapor compressing refrigeration machine. In the 1870s, David Boyle further advanced it by making an ice machine using ammonia. Raoul Picket also made one using sulfur dioxide. These innovations simplified the issue of powering the machines in the refrigeration companies. Willis Carrier came in 1902 where he invented the commercial air conditioner used to lower down the printing machine temperatures (“History of Air Conditioning”). In the process of cooling down the machine, it also regulated air humidity and this stroke him with a business idea. He opened up a factory in Syracuse, New York, where he supplied air conditioners worldwide in the 1900s. This industry grew serving cultural, commercial, and industrial markets. Willis made tremendous advances in air-conditioning and perfected his work in 1907. By 1911, the air conditioning industry grew that it served the manufacturing industries of candy, bread, photographic films, and highly explosives. It also applied in the drying and preparation of delicate materials as tobacco and macaroni. In the 1920s, indoor comfort cooling called for attention. Most industrial branches could no longer operate without air conditioning to the comfort of the workers and customers. Without conditioning, most theaters closed during the summer, and this called for installation of air conditioning equipments. In the 1920s and 1930s, air conditioners had gained various customers as the movie theatres operators and the hotels. In fact, 60% of motels and hotels in the nation used air conditioning by 1960s (Biddle 123). The popularity of comfort air conditioning came in after World War II. Air conditioners became affordable even to the middle class people. Further popularity gained due to advertisement of products in popular magazines. By mid 1930s, air conditioning gained acceptance as a common appliance and not as a luxury to most families as seen before then. In 1946, there was a remarkable increase in the demand of air conditioners. This continued and in 1953, the sale of room air conditioners exceeded one million units. However, there was high consumption of energy in 1974. The air conditioners needed redesigning to balance between the comfort and the energy consumption. New ways to recover thermal energy invented as other systems designed and installed using ice banks introduced. Ice manufactured at night and used at daytime for cooling. Heat pumps using less energy used to heat up conditioned areas, which made it cheap and promising for investors. In the mid 1970s, another problem arose where the environment called for attention. Use of CFCs or H-CFCs refrigerators caused damage of the ozone layer. Freon, for instance, is a chlorofluorocarbon, which use results in the interference with the ozone layer. This has led to the use of modern refrigerators as the R-410a that is eco-friendly. Engineers still research on ways to reduce emission of dangerous chemicals into the air. In the 1990, the semi conductor technology came in; this technology used the microprocessor control systems in refrigeration and air conditioning. By 1992, the R-22 Alternative Refrigeration Evaluation Program had replaced the R-22 and R-502. In the United States, the manufacture of chlorofluorocarbons ended in 1995 as more than 5.8 million unitary air conditioners sold. There was a circuit from the state council in 2007 that ordered regulation of air conditions in public places and this even increased the selling of the appliances. With the invention of magnetic motors that consume negligible energy, further advancement made in the air conditioning industry. In Japan, for example, this current technology has made a revolution for many manufacturing industries. There is a photo type-cooling fan, and the most amusing is the magnetic motor consuming negligible power. The motor has magnetic strength of embedded permanent magnets in the rotor that supplies the extra-unexplained power (Dodd 133). Ventilation and air conditioning have developed for many years. It started when fire invented, and there was a need for ventilation. It has undergone several evolutions to reach the current state. According to the article, “History of Air Conditioning” air conditioners started to appear in office buildings, railroad cars, and even department stores. The rapid pace of the success of air conditioners is evident from the following excerpt of the article Air conditions installed In 1928 in  the United States House of representatives following the suit by The senate, supreme court and the white house. ("History of Air Conditioning"). Of late, there have been developments that have made it easy to use and control the conditioning systems. The appliance now programmed to perform as per the needs of the user. One control system can serve several zones where a remote or phone used to control it. Air conditioning has become part of one’s daily needs in continents that experience extremes of weathers. The energy demand for cooling is, however, higher than for heating in the US and Japan. People can now sleep at their comfort during the summer, as people get refreshed at daytime. Air conditioners not only used at home nowadays but also in cars, offices, airplanes, restaurants and even schools. We salute all the inventors and those working in air conditioning and related industries. Works Cited "History of Air Conditioning." Bucknell University. Web. 14 Feb. 2012.  Biddle, Jeff E. "Making Consumers Comfortable: The Early Decades of Air Conditioning in the United States." Journal of Economic History 71.4 (2011): 1078-1094. Print. Cooper, Gail. Air-Conditioning America: Engineers and the Controlled Environment. Baltimore: JHU Press, 2002. Print. Dodd, John. “The Techno Maestros Amazing Machine.” J@Pan Inc 53 (2004): 28. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. Jeff, Biddle. "Explaining the Spread of Residential Air Conditioning, 1955–1980." Explorations in Economic History 45 (2008): 402-423. Oremus, Will. “A History of Air Conditioning: From Ancient Mountains of Snow to the Window Units of Today.” Slate 22, July 2011: 1. Print. Paventi, Jared. “When Was Air Conditioning Invented?” 2012. Web. 14 Feb. 2012. Read More