Who could today live without air conditioner? To think of being in a car, or in the office, or more simply at home without air conditioner, without the possibility of enjoying a cool temperature in the summer months, is practically impossible.
But have you ever wondered, when was it or who invented the first air conditioner? Mark the year: 1902 or more than 120 years ago: that is the age of the air conditioner.
Index:
- Invention of air conditioning
- Willis Haviland Carrier: The inventor
- How he invented air conditioner
- Air conditioner invention
- Carrier’s revolution
Invention of air conditioning
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, year 1902, the paper industry had no small problem. The city, in fact, was located around The Point, the place where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers converge to form the Ohio River: the presence of these waterways generated a very high level of humidity.
Due to this humidity, the paper, in contact with the ink, deformed, losing its true dimensions and causing many printing errors.
Willis Haviland Carrier: The inventor
The Sackett & Wilhelms Lithography and Printing Company, due to this problem, began to generate losses and, in order to find a solution, turned to the Buffalo Forge company, which manufactured stoves and ventilation systems.
Willis Haviland Carrier worked in this company as a young engineer. He was given the task of solving the problem. Carrier set to work and, at only 25 years of age, invented a cooling system to control heat and humidity in printing processes.
His invention was then patented four years later, in 1906.
How he invented air conditioner
Willis Carrier ‘s stroke of genius came one morning when, from the platform of the Pittsburgh station, he could not see two metres in front of him because of the thick fog that had risen.
Having boarded the train, the young engineer had an idea: he would try to dry the air by passing it through water to change the amount of moisture contained within it. He thus created a plan with a series of mechanical drawings, which he then transformed into a machine.
Air conditioner invention
Carrier’s idea was to replace the steam with cold water which flowed inside the heating coils, trying to balance the temperature of the outer surface of the coil with the speed of the air flow, to lower the air temperature to the desired temperature.
This device, which he created in the Sackett & Wilhelms printing works, brilliantly solved the problem of paper sheet deformation. The first air conditioner, although rudimentary and rather large, was born.
Carrier’s revolution
A lot of time has passed since 1902. Certainly, Willis Carrier’s intuition revolutionised our everyday life. The ability to precisely control temperature and humidity, thanks to his invention, has also enabled the development of shopping malls, transatlantic flights, computers and servers that power the internet.
Thanks to a very humid day that started on a foggy platform at Pittsburgh station.
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