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This is the fifth article in our special series to commemorate a century of innovation in the HVAC&R arts and sciences.
The application of carbon dioxide (CO^sub 2^,) refrigeration systems for comfort air cooling reached its highest point in the 1920s. In the early 1930s, new CO^sub 2^ refrigerating systems for air-cooling and cold storage applications practically disappeared. The Depression caused a significant reduction in the number of installations and the advent of R- 12 for comfort-cooling systems replaced the use of CO^sub 2^, as the "safe" refrigerant.
During this time, a number of established refrigeration companies manufacturing ammonia compressors also made a line of carbon dioxide compressors. This enabled them to participate in the growing market for comfort cooling.
CO^sub 2^ in the 19th Century
In the ASHRAE book Heat and Cold: Mastering the Great Indoors, the historical use of carbon dioxide as a refrigerant is explained as follows: Carbon dioxide (also known as carbonic acid gas and carbonic anhydride) was first proposed as a refrigerant for vapor-compression systems by Alexander Twining, who mentioned it in his 1850 British patent. Thaddeus S. C. Lowe experimented with carbon dioxide for military balloons in the 1860s and recognized the possibilities of using it as a refrigerant. He went on to build refrigerating equipment obtaining British Patent 952 in 1867 and erected an ice machine about 1869 at Jackson, Miss. He also constructed a machine on board a ship for the transport offrozen meat in the Gulf of Mexico. Lowe did not develop his ideas further
Carl Linde also experimented with carbon dioxide when he designed a machine for F Krupp at Essen, Germany, in 1882. W. Raydt received British Patent 15475 in 1884 for a compression ice-making system using carbon dioxide. British Patent 1890 was granted to J. Harrison in 1884 for a device for manufacturing carbon dioxide for refrigerant use. Still, the use of carbon dioxide really did not advance until Franz Windhausen of Germany designed a carbon dioxide compressor, receiving British Patent 2864 in 1886. Windhausen s patent was purchased by J&E Hall of Great Britain, who improved it, commencing manufacture about 1890. Hall's carbon dioxide machine saw widespread application on ships, replacing the compressed air machines theretofore used. Carbon dioxide machines were...