Refrigeration History, a question

While preparing a refrigeration systems class lesson I came across the following page on Refrigeration Research Inc page (http://www.refresearch.com/Social-Media/ArtMID/432/ArticleID/5/The-Grunow-Refrigerator ) on a refrigerator manufactured in the 1930’s that utilized a refrigerant identified as Carrene. This happened to be totally unrelated to the topic I was working on, but found it interesting.

I have never heard of a refrigerant named Carrene in the application used in the article. While I am aware of the name Carrene 7, first coming across a little round red metal tag affixed to an 06D or E cylinder head of a Carrier compressor in the late 1970’s. The tag only contained the chemical element compound for R-500, and the word Carrene 7. I was unaware until now the name referenced other refrigerant formulations.  Researching this further I found that in another article this refrigerant is identified as Dichloromethane, R-114 (http://musingsonentropy.com/2013/04/04/1930s-household-refrigerators/ ).  However, when I look up R-114 it is presently listed as Dichlorotetrafluoroethane.

My quest to learn more about the Carrene refrigerant lead me to an American Society for Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Refrigeration Research Museum page (https://www.asme.org/about-asme/who-we-are/engineering-history/landmarks/207-refrigeration-research-museum ), and other refrigeration system processes that I was aware of, but never really read about.  But in the last paragraph in this article states that the Grunow-type SD refrigerator was the only refrigerator to use the Carrene refrigerant. I also can’t find the origin of the word Carrene.

So as the industry transitions into the next generation of refrigerants and equipment, I think it’s relevant to look back at the history and some other industry advancement milestones and have the following questions: Does anyone have any information on the Grunow SD refrigerant, Carrene and the origin of the word? Thank you in advance for your assistance.

 

Picture Source: Refrigeration Research

Article was posted to LinkedIn Group Council of Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Educators (CARE) on March 31, 2015

Continuing Education / Training of HVAC Journeyman

The following question was originally posted to a LinkedIn HVAC Educators Group on March 26, 2015 to open a dialog on continuing education of HVAC  journeyman based on personal observations.

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/Continuing-Education-Training-4642714.S.5986812180463448065?view=&gid=4642714&type=member&item=5986812180463448065&trk=hp-feed-group-discussion


In this area (SE. PA, NJ and De) a contractor promotes in their advertising that their techs receive 150 hours of training annually. My question is: Assuming a tech has completed a structured training program that includes a combination of school and field experience such as an apprenticeship, how many hours of annual training should a tech service tech receive a year to maintain / improve proficiency, learn about new technologies and equipment, and new equipment specific service practices?

The reason for the question is once a person achieves journeyman status it appears the number of these techs participating in continuing HVAC education programs appears extremely low. This observation is based on resumes, job applications and interviews reviewed over the past two years for open positions I was hiring for, as well as a low enrollment in training programs of techs that fall into this category I am associated with.

HVAC Service Practices - A Closer Look

HVAC Service Practices

We have all seen poor, or at a minimum, questionable HVAC installations. Trade publications frequently post some of these. One publication has a slide show compiled from reader submitted pictures titled “Wall of Shame”.  I have been doing something similar for a number of years. I incorporate pictures I take during my travels in the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware areas into various Power Points for the respective training areas such as “How Not to Pipe”.  These are utilized in my training programs as examples and discussions on the problems and effects on the system.

Cost of Ownership, Efficiency and Life-Cycle

How do these poor practices really impact the overall operation, efficiency, cost of ownership and life-cycle?  After a class this semester in which some of the installations were discussed, I decided to find out and further chronicle five installations by engaging the owners of the equipment to look closer at the installation, equipment, and service history, along with their views of our industry as a result of their experiences.  

Purpose

The purpose of this project is not to criticize, or single out any segment of the industry or contractor, but analyze the information to see if the training that I provide can be improved as well as sharing the information for the benefit of all stakeholders.

Others as well as I, compare HVAC compressor failures to heart disease. In most instances, a compressor failure is not a result of a single action or misstep, but the effects of years of lack of proper timely preventive maintenance, poor installations, and service practices. What better of a way to demonstrate and reinforce the proper methods and procedures then by incorporating incorrect or poor practices and results?

Stay Tuned

Look for the detailed job analysis and pictures to begin in the next few weeks.