Concerning Air Conditioning Unit - Research Paper Example

?Technology History: Concerning Air Conditioning Unit The present-day air conditioning unit is of modern invention. The 20th century saw the rise of air conditioning machine as a useful technology for man’s progress and comfort. Nonetheless, the history of “air conditioning” dates back to the early period of human civilization. In the passage of time, air conditioning as an idea and practice changes tremendously. According to Cooper (1998), the history of air conditioning is not the history of cooling but rather the history of air. This implies that the term “air conditioning” is not the conceptual framework prominent in today’s world when one speaks of air conditioner but rather the concept in its literal sense: conditioning air. To put in more bluntly, Cooper’s history of air conditioning refers to the human history of managing or controlling the atmosphere in relation to man’s needs. The history of air conditioning as the history of air becomes apparent in the debate on whether or not windows should be close in exchange for mechanical system; this debate largely transpired in the 1970s. As if following Cooper’s idea of air conditioning, Arora (2009) traces its history from Leonardo da Vinci’s 15th-century ventilating fan. This ventilating fan lessens the experience of heat generated by the natural weather. In the 17th and 19th centuries, Boyle and Dalton were able to find the scientific laws involving heat or gasses. Arora (2009) notes that it was Robert Buchanan in the 1815 who first wrote into text pertaining to the theories of heating and ventilating. On the other hand, Whitman, Johnson, and Tomczyk (2005) define the notion of air conditioning not only as an air filtration and ventilation but also as a “space cooling, heating, humidification, [and] dehumidification.” Following this definition, they state that the first “air conditioning” (i.e., storing natural ice) occurred in 1000 B.C. China; the stored ice was largely used for cooling beverages and other food items. The air conditioning for the early Greeks and Romans was the utilization of the underground pit for ice storage. Furthermore, the early people from Egypt and India conceived air conditioning as the cooling of water inside a porous earthen jar, which was done during the cold night. It is interesting that Whitman et al. (2005) put the time line, in a visual representation, of the history of air conditioning from the 1800s (p. xxvi). Here, they appear to view the concept of air conditioning in its present understanding. Of Scientific Theories There are several scientific theories and/or laws that predate the theory characterized in the modern-day air conditioning. So-called Charles’s Law and the Law of Partial Pressures are Dalton’s contributions to the understanding of temperature, pressure, and gasses. The former refers to the proportional expansion of gases given an equal increase of temperature at constant pressure; the latter points to the independent exertion of gasses, as if they are the “only gas[es] present,” upon their mixture “in a closed vessel” (Weber, 2000). Charles’s Law helps comprehend the phenomenon occurring within and outside the present-day air conditioner when temperature increases or decreases. Moreover, The Law of Partial Pressures provides a greater depth in understanding the gases that come in and go out from the air conditioning machine. However, the theory of present-day notion of air conditioning is traced highly to Michael Faraday’s 19th-century equation concerning gases and constant pressure. According to Freudenberger (2006), today’s scientists are able to figure out the quantitative measurement of the absolute zero: -273.15 degrees Celsius. In this theoretical state, cold is very much evident while heat is utterly absent. In Thermodynamics, heat is a form of energy. Since the theory of cold signifies the absence of heat, then the law of heat is quite essential in fully comprehending the nature of cold or cooling. In explaining the processes involved in refrigeration (e.g., air conditioning), one has to determine the relationship between heat and cold. The natural movement of heat is always towards the colder object from the warmer object (Freudenberger, 2006). In an air conditioning unit, heat transfer occurs; the heat present within a domestic home travels towards the “evaporator coils into the refrigerant, which carries it to the condenser where it dissipates as if trying to heat up the atmosphere” (Freudenberger, 2006). Of Invention and Development In contrast to Cooper’s notion of air conditioning, Whitman et al. (2005) significantly trace the history and development of air conditioning based from its present-day understanding. Any theory or practice that is related to cooling is widely considered as an integral part of such development. Whitman et al. (2005) generally trace the beginning of the history of air conditioning in the year 1823. In that year, a distinguished scientist uncovered the scientific equation of gases in relation to pressure. He observed that as gases were being subjected to constant pressure, such gases gradually condensed as they tend to cool down. However, it was in the late 19th century and onward that air conditioning radically transformed from theory to practice -- that is, from idea to material production. In 1894, Marcel Audiffren invented the refrigerating machine. Whitman et al. (2005) describe the Audiffren-Singrun refrigerating machine as “[h]ermetically sealed system.” Eight years later, Willis Carrier introduced his air conditioning machine, which was the pioneering modern air conditioner (Stoyles & Pentland, 2006). Known as the “father of air conditioning,” Carrier made an equation in which all contemporary air conditioning is largely based. In 1918, the Kelvinator Refrigeration unit was introduced to the general public. Originally called as Electro Refrigeration Corporation, Kelvinator sold its refrigeration units to several households or customers. The Kelvinator Refrigeration was a remote-split type in which two components -- i.e., condensing and evaporator units -- were connected from the household’s basement to its kitchen room. After one year, the General Motors bought the Guardian refrigerator -- which was developed by the Guardian Refrigerator Company -- and renamed it as Frigidaire. In the second decade of the 20th century, Nizer invented a water-cooled compressor and condensing unit, which functioned as an ice cream cabinet. Moreover, it was in the years 1935 to 1965 that chlorofluorocarbons (or CFCs) were heavily introduced and developed as refrigerants for the modern-day air conditioner. Of Present Concern In the early years of the 1970s, it was discovered that CFCs were depleting the earth’s ozone layer (Reitze, 2001). In 1985, in fact, it was discovered that the stratospheric ozone layer of the earth’s atmosphere had a hole. Upon discovering the presence of hole in such ozone layer, scientists have concluded that it was the impact of CFC emission into the earth’s atmosphere. In the succeeding decades, national and international laws were drafted and created that prohibited CFCs and other destructive refrigerants that vent “into the atmosphere.” Indeed, the discovery of the so-called “ozone theory” by Professors Rowland and Molina has generated a tremendous change in the perception of using air conditioning. The outside pressure -- such as the 1989 Montreal protocol and the 1990 Clean Air Act -- has dramatically shifted the attention of air conditioning companies from toxic-based CFC to environmentally friendly refrigerant. From the 1970s onwards, the focus of enhancing and developing the air conditioning machine has moved towards an environmental friendly air conditioning unit. There are several measures made in order to combat the total depletion of the earth’s ozone layer, or to avoid the catastrophic global warming. Besides outlawing CFCs and other dangerous refrigerants, one of the programs of the environmental-oriented international organization is to phase out the CFC refrigerants by the year 2030. Approximately twenty years from now, companies that create air conditioning unit will no longer incorporate the CFC refrigerant into their air conditioning machine. In 1997, moreover, HVACR Technician Certification, that is voluntary in nature, becomes a major focus. In phasing-out the CFC-based air conditioning unit, relevant factors are also addressed; it includes the workers who will be affected in such program. In 1998 to 2005, R-410A -- an environmental friendly refrigerant -- has been introduced for residential and commercial air-conditioning applications. The history of air conditioning as a history of air fundamentally dates back to ancient period; the early Chinese, Greeks, Romans, and other ancient civilizations have used techniques and methods of conditioning or controlling the atmosphere. From ancient time up to the pre-modern era, the history of air conditioning as a history of air is strikingly prominent. On the other hand, the history of air conditioning as the history of cooling is of early origin. Boyle’s and Dalton’s laws pertaining to gasses and pressures have laid down the groundwork for the realization of modern-day air conditioning. But it was Faraday’s theoretical framework that has made an important contribution in understanding the nature of cooling. Undoubtedly, the theory and practice associated to air conditioning have shown a remarkable gap. From a long period of time, it was only in the 20th century -- the modern epoch -- that today’s air conditioning unit has been fully developed and enhanced. Ironically, the air conditioning machine that aids comfort (i.e., cooling) to human living has also generated harm (i.e., ozone depletion) to the human race. References Arora, C. P. (2009). Refrigeration and air conditioning (3rd ed.). New Delhi, India: Tata McGraw-Hill. Cooper, G. (1998). Air-conditioning America: Engineers and the controlled environment, 1900-1960. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. Freudenberger, B. (2006). Air conditioning theory and policies. In J. Viegas (Ed.), The laws of thermodynamics: An anthology of current thought (pp. 94-104). New York, NY: Rosen Publishing Group. Reitze, A. W. (2001). Air pollution control law: Compliance & enforcement. Washington, DC: Environmental Law Institute. Stoyles, P., & Pentland, P. (2006). The A to Z inventions and inventors (Vol. 5). North Mankato, MN: Smart Apple Media. Weber, A. S. (2000). 19th century science: An anthology. New York, NY: Broadview Press. Whitman, W. C., Johnson, W. M., & Tomczyk, J. A. (2005). Refrigeration & air conditioning technology (5th ed.). Clifton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning. Read More