The world's first air conditioner was invented by engineer W. Carrier at the very beginning of the last century in the USA. This happened only after almost ninety years since the invention of J. Chabaness the very method of cooling the air. However, attempts to create a cooling device were made earlier, and the ancients had their own methods.

It all started with the fact that in the fifteenth year of the nineteenth century in France a patent was issued for the name Jeanne Chabanesa. It outlined the revolutionary technology of air conditioning for that time. But for some reason, the inventor did not advance further than theory.

And now, in the twentieth century, design engineer Willis Carrier was approached by the owners of a large printing house in New York. They needed a new ventilation system because the high humidity inside the room was deteriorating the quality of the printed matter.

It was attempts to lower the level of humidity that led to the creation of an air conditioning device. At the same time, they did not even think about comfortable conditions for workers.

Room air cooling systems

The new invention quickly gained popularity among various factories, workshops and storage facilities, which also need to regulate humidity and lower temperatures. But over time, air conditioners were appreciated in other industries.

In the twenties of the last century, the leadership of the Cologne theater decided to install an air conditioning device. This instantly made their establishment one of the most popular in Europe.

And just a few years later, a similar idea came to the minds of the owners of the largest department store in Detroit (USA). This provided not only an influx of new customers, but also a broad public interest in air conditioners.

In 1929, the "great-grandfather" of modern split systems was created. This design was necessary due to the use of ammonia for cooling. But with the invention of freon in the early thirties, window air conditioners familiar to the eye appeared.

Interesting facts about air conditioners

Interestingly, various air conditioning systems existed long before the advent of mechanics or electricity:

• The Bedouins lowered the free edge of the turban into special jugs of water, mounted on belts or saddles. Water gradually rose through the fabric and evaporated, which made it possible to avoid overheating.
• In ancient Persia, during the construction of palaces and mansions, special mines with water associated with the ventilation system. Thanks to this, a comfortable temperature was maintained inside.
• In India, even now, in the heat, mats and rugs are moistened, and then they are placed at open windows or doors. In this simple way, you can cool the room a little.
• Camels are living "air conditioners". In their noses, hot, dry air is humidified on inhalation, and on exhalation, all moisture is filtered out and remains in the body.

Air conditioning systems continue to improve. And their widespread distribution, according to researchers, contributed to a decrease in the level of infectious diseases and mortality both in countries with a hot climate and in the summer for countries with a continental climate.

Air conditioning was first attempted in Persia thousands of years ago. Air cooling in Persian devices occurred on the principle of water cooling during evaporation. A typical air conditioner of those days was a special shaft that caught the breath of the wind, in which porous vessels of water were placed or water flowed from a source. After cooling and saturation with moisture in the mine, the air entered the room. Effective in hot and dry climates, such an air conditioner would be useless in conditions of high relative humidity.

In India, an attempt to withstand the hot summer climate has led to the creation of a virtually perpetual motion machine. Having installed a frame entwined with a coconut palm - tatti, instead of the front door to the room, the Indians placed a container above it, which was slowly filled with water due to the capillary effect of tatti. When the water level reached a certain value, the tank overturned, spraying water on the door, and returned to its original state. This process was repeated many times.

Few people know that the word air conditioning was first spoken aloud back in 1815. It was then that the Frenchman Jeanne Chabannes received a British patent for the method. However, the practical implementation of the idea had to wait quite a long time. It wasn't until 1902 that the American engineer-inventor Willis Carrier assembled an industrial refrigeration machine for the Brooklyn printing house in New York. The most curious thing is that the first air conditioner was not intended to create a pleasant coolness for workers, but to combat humidity, which greatly degraded print quality.

True, a year later, the aristocracy of Europe, visiting Cologne, considered it their duty to visit the local theater. Moreover, the keen interest of the public was caused not only (and not so much) by the troupe's performance, but by the pleasant chill that reigned in the auditorium even in the hottest months. And when in 1924 the air conditioning system was installed in one of the department stores in Detroit, the influx of onlookers was simply mind-blowing. If the owner of the establishment had guessed to charge an entrance fee, then, probably, he would have overtaken both Ford and Rockefeller in a short time. However, the institution was not left for nothing - in a matter of days, its turnover increased more than three times!

In the 19th century, British inventor Michael Faraday discovered that compressing and liquefying a certain gas cooled the air. But his ideas were largely theoretical.
Electric air conditioning was invented by Willis Carrier around 1902. He also designed the first air conditioning system for a Brooklyn print shop. In the summer, during the printing process, the constant change in temperature and humidity did not allow to achieve high-quality color reproduction. Carrier developed an apparatus that cooled the air to constant temperature and dried it up to 55%. He called his device "an apparatus for treating air."

In 1915, he and six fellow engineers founded their own company, Garner Engineering Co., later renamed Carrier. Today, Carrier is one of the leading manufacturers of air conditioners, owning 12% of the world's air conditioner production.

These first units became the ancestors of modern central air conditioning systems. Already in those years there were water-cooling machines - chillers, indoor units - fan coil units and something resembling modern central air conditioners.

The ancestor of all modern split systems and windows can be considered the first room air conditioner, released by General Electric back in 1929. Since ammonia was used as a refrigerant in this device, the vapors of which are unsafe for human health, the compressor and condenser of the air conditioner were taken outside.

That is, at its core, this device was a real split system! However, since 1931, when a refrigerant safe for the human body - freon, was invented, the designers considered it good to assemble all the units and assemblies of the air conditioner in one case. This is how the first window air conditioners appeared, the distant descendants of which are successfully operating today. Moreover, in the USA, Latin America, the Middle East and India are still the most popular type of air conditioners. The reasons for their success are obvious: they are about half the price of split systems of similar power, and their installation does not require special skills and expensive tools. The latter is especially important far from the centers of civilization, where it is easier to catch Bigfoot than to find a citizen familiar with a pipe cutter and a gas station with a block of pressure gauges.

The first car air conditioner had a cooling capacity of 370 watts, was created by C & C Kelvinator Co in 1930 and installed on a Cadillac.
Thomas Midgley Jr. was the first to propose the use of difluoromonochloromethane as a refrigerant, later named freon in 1928. This refrigerant turned out to be much safer for people, but not for the ozone layer of the atmosphere.

For a long time, the leadership in the field of the latest developments in ventilation and air conditioning belonged to American companies, however, in the late 50s and early 60s, the initiative was firmly transferred to the Japanese. In the future, it was they who determined the face of the modern climate industry.

In 1958, the Japanese company Daikin developed the first heat pump, thereby teaching air conditioners to work on heat. And three years later, an event occurred that largely predetermined the further development of domestic and semi-industrial air conditioning systems. This is the beginning of the mass production of split systems. Since 1961, when the Japanese company Toshiba first launched the air conditioner divided into two blocks into mass production, the popularity of this type of climate equipment has constantly grown. Due to the fact that the most noisy part of the air conditioner - the compressor is now placed outside, in rooms equipped with split systems it is much quieter than in rooms where windows work. The sound intensity has been reduced by an order of magnitude! The second huge plus is the ability to place the indoor unit of the split system in any convenient place.

Today, many different types of internal devices are produced: wall-mounted, sub-ceiling, floor-standing and built into a false ceiling - cassette and channel. This is important not only in terms of design - different types of indoor units allow you to create the most optimal distribution of cooled air in rooms of a certain shape and purpose.

In 1969, Daikin released an air conditioner in which several indoor units worked simultaneously with one external unit. This is how multi-split systems appeared. Today they can include from two to six indoor units of various types.

A significant innovation was the appearance of an inverter-type air conditioner. In 1981, Toshiba offered the first split system capable of smoothly regulating its power, and already in 1998, inverters occupied 95% of the Japanese market.

And finally, the last of the most popular types of air conditioners in the world - VRV - systems were proposed by Daikin in 1982. VRV type central intelligent systems consist of outdoor and indoor units, which can be separated from each other by 100 meters, 50 of them vertically. In addition, the installation of VRV systems is quite simple and does not take much time. Installation can be carried out even after finishing work, and in case of urgent need - without interrupting the work of the office. Stage-by-stage input of capacities, from separate floors or rooms is also possible. But traditional central air conditioning systems should be included in the project at the construction stage.

Due to a number of unique advantages, VRV systems have become a serious competitor to traditional central air conditioning systems, and in a number of countries, such as Japan, they have almost completely ousted them from the market.

Of course, the progress in the development of climate technology did not end there, but now existing types of equipment are being improved. New functionality, design is changing, new refrigerants are being developed. However, this is material for a separate article.

About the fact that our distant ancestors can and should fight against the debilitating heat
guessed thousands of years ago. Probably the first refrigerator can be considered
Neanderthal who discovered that even on the hottest days, a pleasant atmosphere reigns in the cave
cool.
When, bowing their heads, tourists pass through narrow corridors carved into the rocks
Valley of the Kings in Egypt, and find themselves in the burial chamber of the pharaoh, their only
salvation from the stuffiness of the dungeon is a small piece of cardboard, prudently issued
servant of the underground museum at the entrance. The builders of the tombs, whose source of light
served as an oil lamp, must have suffered even more from suffocation. Therefore, above the entrance to
tombs they depicted the goddess Maat, whose wings were supposed to bring the pharaoh
a breath of fresh wind. These images are jokingly called drawings of the first air conditioners.
The inhabitants of ancient India laid grass mats moistened with
water. Evaporating, the water cooled the air entering the room. So long before the advent
household appliances man has found a way to increase comfort in his home.
Curiously, the underlying principle of air conditioning is to cool the air by
evaporation of moisture is also realized in wildlife. It has recently been found that "live
air-conditioned" is a camel. The mucus produced in his nose saturates dry
desert air entering the lungs. However, when an animal exhales, unlike a human, this
the moisture is again filtered in the nose and remains in the body of the camel. Exhaled by a camel
the air is sometimes 9 °C cooler than the surrounding air, while the exhalation of a person has
the same temperature as his body. In order to somehow escape the heat, the rulers
ancient people surrounded their palaces with shady gardens and ponds, filled cellars with ice, and
servants armed with fans created a refreshing movement of air. And down to the middle
In the 18th century, they didn’t come up with anything better than the “Arapa” boy.
However, the technological revolution that began in the century before last very quickly
changed the way people think about climate. Modern concept"air conditioner" (from
English air-condition - “air condition”) as a designation of a device for maintaining
the set temperature in the room has existed for a long time. Interestingly, for the first time the word
air conditioning was spoken aloud as early as 1815. It was then that the Frenchman Jeanne Chabannes
received a British patent for a method of "air conditioning and temperature control
in dwellings and other buildings. However, the practical implementation of the idea had to wait.
long enough. Only in 1902, the American engineer-inventor Willis Carrier
assembled an industrial refrigeration machine for a Brooklyn print shop in New York. Most
curious that the first air conditioner was not intended to create a pleasant coolness
workers, but to combat humidity, which greatly degraded print quality ...
True, a year later, the aristocracy of Europe, visiting Cologne, considered it their duty to visit
local theatre. Moreover, the lively interest of the public was caused not only (and not so much) by the troupe's performance, but
a pleasant chill that reigned in the auditorium even in the hottest months. And when in 1924
year, an air conditioning system was installed in a Detroit department store, an influx of
the onlooker was simply mind-blowing. It was just right to introduce an entrance fee, however,
the enterprising owner did not remain for nothing. These first devices became the ancestors
modern central air conditioning systems.
The "fossil" ancestor of all modern split systems and windows can be considered the first
room air conditioner, released by the General Electric company back in 1929. Because in
Ammonia was used as a refrigerant in this device, the vapors of which are unsafe for
human health, the compressor and condenser of the air conditioner were taken out into the street. That is, by
At its core, this device was a real split system! However, since 1931,
when freon, safe for the human body, was synthesized, the designers considered it
the benefit is to collect all the components and assemblies of the air conditioner in one building. This is how the first windows appeared.
air conditioners, the distant descendants of which are successfully operating today. Moreover, in the USA,
Latin America, the Middle East, as well as Taiwan, Hong Kong, as well as India and
window frames are still the most popular type in most African countries.
conditioners. The reasons for their success are obvious: they are about half the price of similar
power split systems, and their installation does not require special skills and expensive
tool. The latter is especially important far from the centers of civilization, where it is easier to catch
bigfoot than to find a citizen familiar with the installation of refrigeration equipment.
Long time leadership in the field of the latest developments in ventilation and
air conditioning was owned by American companies, however, in the late 50s,
In the early 60s, the initiative firmly passed to the Japanese. In the future, it is they
defined the face of the modern climate industry.
So in 1958, the Japanese company Daikin offered the first heat pump, thereby
having taught air conditioners to work on heat.
And three years later, an event occurred that largely predetermined
further development of household and semi-industrial air conditioning systems. it
start of mass production of split systems. Since 1961, when the Japanese company Toshiba
for the first time launched into mass production an air conditioner divided into two units,
The popularity of this type of climate control equipment has been constantly growing. Thanks to
the most noisy part of the air conditioner - the compressor is now placed outside, indoors
equipped with split systems is much quieter than in the rooms where the windows work.
The sound intensity has been reduced by an order of magnitude! The second huge plus is the ability to place
the indoor unit of the split system in any convenient place.
Today, many different types of internal devices are produced: wall-mounted,
subceiling, floor and built-in false ceiling - cassette and channel. it
important not only in terms of design - various types of indoor units allow you to create
the most optimal distribution of cooled air in rooms of a certain
forms and purposes.
And in 1968, an air conditioner appeared on the market, in which one external unit worked
several internal ones. This is how multi-split systems appeared. Today they may include
itself from two to six indoor units, of various types.
A significant innovation was the appearance of an inverter-type air conditioner. In 1981
year, Toshiba offered the first split system capable of smoothly adjusting its
power, and already in 1998, inverters occupied 95% of the Japanese market.
And finally, the last of the most popular types of air conditioners in the world - VRV-
systems were offered by the company in 1982 by Daikin.
MILESTONES IN HISTORY
1734. In the building of the English Parliament, the first of the known axial
fans. It was powered by a steam engine and worked without repair.
over 80 years.
1754. Leonhard Euler developed the theory of the fan, which formed the basis for the calculation of modern
mechanical ventilation systems.
1763. Mikhail Lomonosov publishes his work "On the free movement of air in the mines noted."
The ideas presented in this work formed the basis for the calculation of natural ventilation systems.
1810 The first calculated system was installed in the hospital of the suburb of London - Derby
natural ventilation.
1815. The Frenchman Jean Chabannes received a British patent for a "method of air conditioning and
temperature control in dwellings and other buildings…”
1852 Lord Kelvin developed the basics of using a refrigeration machine for space heating
(Heat pump). Four years later, the idea was practically implemented by the Austrian Rittenger.
1902 American engineer Willis Carrier developed the first industrial plant
for air conditioning.
1929 In the United States, General Electric developed the first room air conditioner.
1931 The invention of a refrigerant safe for human health - freon. Produced a real
revolution in the development of climate technology.
1958 Daikin has proposed an air conditioner that can work not only in the cold, but also in
heat according to the "heat pump" principle.
1961 Toshiba was the first in the world to start industrial production of air conditioners divided into two blocks,
called split systems.
1966 Hitachi was the first in the world to offer a dehumidifying window air conditioner. Through
four years, she was the first to introduce this function in split systems.
1968 Daikin offered an air conditioner with one outdoor unit and two indoor units. So
multi-split systems appeared.
1977 Toshiba is the first in the world to release a microprocessor-controlled air conditioner.
1981 Toshiba has developed a variable speed compressor. In the same year on the market
air conditioners equipped with them, called inverter air conditioners, appeared.
1982 Daikin has developed and introduced into production a new type of central systems
air conditioning system VRF, allowing to solve the issues of air conditioning and
ventilation.
1998 Sanyo offered a VRF system with inverterless power control.
1995 A decision has been made to phase out the use of refrigerants that are hazardous to
ozone layer. In Europe, their production should be completely stopped by 2014.
2002 Haier is the first company in the world to offer a home air conditioner capable of increasing
oxygen concentration in the room.
AND WE HAVE A HISTORY
In the Soviet Union, air conditioning long time considered an unaffordable luxury
diverting the proletariat from the class struggle. So in 1940 for the publication of a number of materials on
air conditioning was destroyed by the Heating and Ventilation magazine. These articles were
perceived as "propaganda of bourgeois views in technology", and until 1955 (when
it turned out that Soviet ships are absolutely not adapted to sailing in the tropics) this topic
remained under an unspoken ban.
Somewhat later, in 1963-65, in the city of Domodedovo near Moscow, the production of
air conditioners for communication centers and missile weapon control points, the Equator plant in the city of
Nikolaev began to produce marine air conditioners, and, finally, several enterprises began
production of climatic equipment for aviation.
The production of air conditioners for industrial enterprises was mastered in Kharkov, and in
on a smaller scale and at a number of industrial enterprises.
Production of domestic air conditioners in the territory Soviet Union only started in the 70s
years, after the factory built in Baku began manufacturing products under license
Japanese firm Hitachi. In their best years, which occurred in the mid-80s, Baku
the plant produced 400,000 - 500,000 air conditioners per year, of which about 120,000-150,000 went to
export. Most of the Soviet windows were sold to Cuba - about 700,000 pieces.
China, Iran, Egypt and Australia were major importers. And in other years on green
more than 10,000 vehicles were sent to the continent.
It is now fashionable to scold BC for large dimensions and high level noise, but you can't
admit that they turned out to be extremely unpretentious and durable. Same Australia
some devices still work! In addition, Soviet prices were so pleasantly pleasing.
local farmers that in the homeland of kangaroos these products are still remembered with a kind word.
Not a single Japanese, American, Israeli or Korean-made air conditioner
was so durable. Perhaps the fact is that all over the world the concept
the durability of manufactured equipment has undergone significant changes already at the turn of 70-80
years. If earlier they tried to make it last for centuries, now the service life does not exceed time
obsolescence. At the current pace of technology development, this is no more than 10 years.
By the way, at least this fact speaks about the quality of BCs released in the 70-80s. Plant by
production of compressors (estimated at 1,000,000 pieces per year) half of the production
sent for export, fulfilling the order of Toshiba.
After the collapse of the USSR and the departure of the best specialists, the production of air conditioners in Baku
began to decline and by 1997-98 it had completely collapsed. Of the former 6,000 workers on
the company has no more than 500 people engaged in the repair and maintenance of equipment. Era BC
ended.
Another Soviet project, now almost forgotten, was
air conditioners "Neva", a small batch of which was made in Leningrad.
The first air conditioners made in Russia were the Fedders windows, which at the beginning
The 90s were collected in the city of Zheleznogorsk (Kursk region). However, due to the poor quality
production did not last long, and by 1996 it was completely curtailed.
The baton was picked up in Elektrostal near Moscow. In 1997, the Elemash plant mastered
production of split systems from Samsung assembly kits, and then production was established
products under their own brand.
And, finally, in the last two years, the production of split systems has begun in Fryazino (Rolsen),
Khabarovsk (EVGO), Moscow (MV), Izhevsk (Kupol), Rostov-on-Don (Artel).
2. A LITTLE PHYSICS
Understand how the air conditioner works and where does the refreshing
cool is not that hard. Consider this on the example of a split system. As known from school
course of physics, during evaporation, any liquid absorbs heat. If you put alcohol on your hand or
cologne, you will immediately feel cold. Conversely, when steam condenses, heat is released.
It is this well-known principle that any split system exploits. Exaggerating a little
we can assume that its main element is a closed copper tube. One part of her
passes through the indoor unit, the other through the outdoor unit
external. This is the refrigeration circuit, inside which freon circulates. When passing
through the indoor unit, freon turns into gas, which means it cools the room. In the outer
block, it again becomes a liquid, giving off excess heat to the surrounding air. And so once for
at once.
True, freon is a lazy liquid and will not flow anywhere by itself. For this in
the air conditioner has a special “pump” - a compressor that creates in the refrigeration
the required pressure in the circuit. In addition, sections of the refrigeration circuit inside the units
equipped with aluminum plates that help freon is more efficiently divided with
the surrounding air is warm or cool. These devices are called heat exchangers.
And in order for the process to go even faster, air is blown through them with the help of
fans. The same thing happens in the window air conditioner, only all its components and assemblies
housed in one building.
If necessary, the air conditioner can also be used for heating. Only in this case
heat is transferred not from the room to the street, but vice versa. Air conditioner in operation
space heating is called a heat pump.
3. REFRIGERANTS
The first room air conditioner recognized by technical historians was released in 1929
by General Electric worked on ammonia. This substance is not safe for humans, which in
significantly hindered the development of refrigeration technology.
The problem was solved in 1931 when harmless to
Freon is the refrigerant in the human body. Subsequently, more than four were synthesized
dozens of different freons, differing from each other in properties and chemical composition.
The cheapest and most effective were R-11, R-12, which for a long time
arranged. True, in the past 15 years they have fallen out of favor due to their ozone-depleting
properties.
For takeout:
All freons are substances formed on
based on two gases - methane CH4 and ethane - CH3-
CH3. In refrigeration, methane has the brand
R-50, ethane - R-70. All other freons
obtained from methane and ethane by substitution
hydrogen atoms chlorine and fluorine atoms.
For example, the well-known R-22 is obtained from
methane by replacing one hydrogen atom
chlorine and two - fluorine. Chemical formula
this freon - CHF2Cl.
The physical properties of refrigerants depend
from the content of three components - chlorine,
fluorine and hydrogen. So as you decrease
number of hydrogen atoms combustibility
refrigerants drops while stability rises.
They can exist for a long time in the atmosphere,
without decomposing into pieces and causing harm
environment. And as the number increases
chlorine atoms increases the toxicity of refrigerants
and their ozone-depleting potential.
Harm caused by freons to the ozone layer
estimated by the ozone-depleting value
potential, which is 0 for ozone-friendly refrigerants (R-410A, R-407C, R-134a) and up to 13 for
ozone depleting (R-10, R-110). At the same time, the ozone-depleting potential of freon R-
12, until recently the most widespread throughout the world. As a temporary
R-22 freon was chosen as an alternative to R-12, the ozone depletion potential of which is 0.05.
In general, the rapid evolution of refrigerants in the last 15 years is associated mainly with problems
ecology. Freons used in air conditioners and refrigerators were called the main
the culprits of the infamous ozone holes (which is highly doubtful). So it's really
or not, but in 1987 the Montreal Protocol was adopted, restricting the use
ozone depleting substances. In particular, according to this document, manufacturers will
are forced to abandon the use of R-22 freon, which is used today by 90% of all
conditioners. In most European countries, the sale of air conditioners on this freon will
discontinued already in 2002-2004. And many new models are already shipped to Europe only for
ozone-friendly refrigerants - R-407C and R-410A.
refrigerant
Properties R-22 R-410A R-407C
Isotropy
(possibility of refueling
air conditioner leak)
yes yes no
Mineral polyester polyester oil
pressure at temperature
condensation +43C
16 atm. 26 atm. 18 atm.
Price per kilogram USD 4.8 32.7 29.4
Unlike traditional refrigerants, R-407C and R-410A are mixtures of different
freon, and therefore less convenient to use. So in the composition of R-407C, created as
alternatives to R-22, three freons are included: R-32 (23%), R-125 (25%) and R-134a (52%). Each of them
is responsible for providing certain properties: the first contributes to an increase
performance, the second - excludes ignition, the third determines the working pressure in
refrigerant circuit.
This mixture is not isotropic, and therefore, in case of any leakage of the refrigerant, its fraction
volatilize unevenly and the optimal composition changes. Thus, at
depressurization of the refrigeration circuit, the air conditioner cannot simply be refueled; leftovers
refrigerant must be drained and replaced with new. This was the main obstacle for
distribution of R-407C.
In addition, its “environmental friendliness” in practice can lead to an additional burden on
environment. Freon evacuated from air conditioners must be disposed of, and in
Russia or Asian countries, no one will get involved with this. He is simply pitted in the nearest
gateway. And although R-407C is not dangerous for the ozone layer, it is one of the most
strong greenhouse gases.
R-410A brand refrigerant, consisting of R-32 (50%) and R-125 (50%) is conditionally
isotropic. That is, when leaking, the mixture practically does not change its composition, and therefore
the air conditioner can simply be topped up. However, the R-410A is not without some drawbacks.
Unlike R-22, which is highly soluble in ordinary mineral oil, new
refrigerants and assume the use of synthetic polyester oil. What does this mean
on practice?
Polyester oil has one very significant drawback - it quickly
absorbs moisture, thus losing its properties. Moreover, during storage, transportation and
refueling, it is necessary to exclude not only the ingress of dripping moisture, but also contact with wet
air, from which the oil actively absorbs water. Moreover, it does not dissolve any
oil products and organic compounds that become potential pollutants
substances.
In addition, the climate equipment itself on R-410A with the same performance
turns out to be significantly more expensive. The reason is the higher working pressure. So at
condensation temperature +43 C, for R-22 it is about 16 atm., and for R-410A - about 26
atm. For this reason, all components and parts of the refrigeration circuit of the air conditioner on the R-410A, including
compressor, should be more durable. This increases the consumption of copper and makes the entire system
more expensive.
And finally, the ozone-friendly refrigerants themselves are several times more expensive than traditional ones.
So for a kilogram of R-410A you will have to pay almost 7 times more than for a kilogram
familiar R-22. Slightly cheaper than R407C, to which semi-industrial
range of equipment. There will be a 6-fold difference, and taking into account the fact that with any leak it
must be drained real costs on freon will grow by an order of magnitude. It should also be taken into account that with
increase in operating pressure, the number of leaks will inevitably increase, since the strength of brazed,
and most importantly the rolled joints remain the same.
By 2002, split systems using ozone-friendly freons were presented at
Russian market almost all leading companies. Although the final ban on
the use of air conditioners on the currently used R-22 will only come into effect in 2014.

With today's material, we open a series of articles on the very first units that have become familiar to the modern driver.

At first, there was no problem with air conditioning, since the first cars had a completely open body. This went on for almost ten years, until 1908, when cars with a closed body appeared. Until 1940, the only way to improve the well-being of passengers and the driver was either a special windshield (which could be folded completely or in parts), or special side curtains that retracted and let fresh air into the car. Windshield opened about half an inch (or 13 mm), this was not due to the fact that the air flow became too rapid, but to the fact that with a larger gap, heat from a running engine entered the cabin and the effect was reduced to zero. A little later, they came up with air ducts that took air in front of the windshields and released it in the cabin in convenient places.

These systems were primitive, they did not filter dust, fluff and insects. In addition, the passenger compartment was practically not ventilated at all. This continued until 1940, when heaters began to be installed on cars. Almost immediately, after their appearance, engineers came up with the idea that the fan that was used to blow through the radiator could be used to force air into the cabin. Thus, cars that were equipped with a heater had a bonus in the summer - minimal ventilation, which added little, but added comfort to passengers.

The first air conditioner was created in 1884 by William Whiteley. He suggested placing a bucket of ice blocks under the bottom of the horse-drawn carriage, which would be blown by a fan, and after that the air would enter the cabin. The fan drive had to be carried out from the wheels of the carriage, so the system worked only in motion. However, the idea of ​​such a system was not new, as it was used for cooling in the White House in 1881. That year, on July 2, President James Garfield was wounded, who, until his death on September 19, was in the White House and to make life easier for the patient in his room there was a large basket of ice and a fan that blew it. It took 198 kilograms of ice every hour to cool the room!

Technology did not stand still, and in the 1930s, traditional air conditioners in our understanding began to appear in public places such as shops and theaters. In 1930, C&C Kelvinator modified John Hamman's Cadillac of Houston, Texas with a 0.5 hp compressor powered by a 1.5 hp internal combustion engine. Near the doors of the passenger compartment there were two air ducts that supplied air to the installation. The air conditioner came out so compact that it could fit in the luggage compartment.

After that, the development of air conditioners slowed down. This was due to the fact that it was necessary to select a refrigerant that would be safe to use and could lower the temperature by a significant number of degrees. During testing, it turned out that the air conditioner could only change the temperature inside the car by 5.6 degrees Celsius. By the way, at that time it was believed that if the temperature is changed by more than 7 degrees, a person will experience a thermal shock.

More powerful air conditioners appeared not on cars, but on buses. The first mention dates back to 1934. Then the installation received a fairly compact body and was located on the roof of the bus. It was made by Houde Engineering of Buffalo, New York and Carrier Engineering of Newark, New Jersey. A year later, it began to be tested on a Ford V8, where it passed tests 20 thousand kilometers long.

In 1939, the first prototype of a normally working air conditioner appeared, which was installed in the trunk of a car. It looked strange, it worked unreliably, only top-end Cadillacs were equipped. In the same year, the first air conditioner appeared, which was devoid of almost all the shortcomings of its predecessors. It was installed on Packard cars, and this installation no longer looked like an alien box, but was completely part of the car's design. At that time, the cost of such an option was $ 274, while the price of a good car started at $ 750.

The cost and distrust of buyers at first resulted in only 1,500 cars sold in the first two years of deliveries (from 1940 to 1942). Low sales played into the hands of the fact of declaring war on the Axis. Air conditioning came on the Packard Model 120, Super-Eight 160, and Custom Super-Eight. But even such modest figures were more than GM, which for the whole of 1941 managed to supply about 300 air conditioners to all Cadillac models. A total of 3,000 air-conditioned vehicles were sold in the United States before the start of the war.

Immediately after the war, buyers turned their attention to cars with air conditioning, and Cadillac offered them not just this option, but even more - now you could control the operation of the installation. True, for this it was necessary to get out of the car, since the regulator was located on the roof.

In 1947, the states of Texas and Michigan became centers for the distribution of air conditioners. Heat and low humidity played into the hands of sellers of free-standing air conditioners. These air conditioners resembled built-in window air conditioners, operated from a cigarette lighter and required cold water or ice.

The next push came in 1953 when GM, Chrysler and Packard introduced the next generation of air conditioners. They cost $600 and could be supplied with almost any model of the brand. Manufacturers sold 29,000 air-conditioned cars that year. In 1953, GM's Harrison Radiator department developed an air conditioner that fit entirely under the hood, and in 1954 the first Pontiacs were released, which were equipped with installations that have survived to this day almost without significant changes. Such an air conditioner attracted the attention of buyers, and after three years the cost of such an option was $ 355. As a result, 228,000 air-conditioned cars were sold in the US in 1957. And already in 1959, the million mark was broken.

Today, 99% of manufactured cars are equipped with air conditioners. And what buyer would refuse them?

• , 03 Apr 2015