Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Condensers and Receivers – Commercial
A vertical water-cooled condenser and receiver for low-pressure refrigeration machines, as found in Canadian food stores, restaurants and institutional applications in the early years of the 20th century. Painted in machinery black of the period, and holding 20 lbs. of noxious, anhydrous sulphur dioxide, it was fabricated in heavy, rolled steel plate with brazed steel end plates, and equipped with 3/8″ IPS water inlet with 1/2 union, 3/8″ SAE flare water outlet, and refrigerant valves – including 1/2″ SAE flare, hot gas inlet and 1/4″ SAE flare, liquid outlet, Frigidaire, 1929.
Technical Significance:
An example of the significant over design that characterised much of the engineering of early refrigeration machines, following the introduction of low-pressure refrigerants such as SO2. While the pressures were substantially lower than with ammonia refrigerants, manufactures, with little engineering data to draw on, still used similar high-pressure designed vestals. This practice would quickly change, however, to light rolled steel construction. Containing enough noxious SO2 to clear the house and the neighbourhood, the manufacturer, for now, wished to take no chances.