Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Compressors – Household
A FRIGIDAIRE, MODEL G, TWIN CYLINDER, 1/4 HP, ULTRA SLOW SPEED COMPRESSOR, 1929: With 16″ flywheel, operating at 350 RPM, this compressor, used in large cabinet refrigerators, would stand as a kind of “metaphor”, a shortcut in language, standing for an historic genre of high displacement, slow speed compressors for sulphur dioxide refrigerant, part of the design idiom of the time, dictated by conservative engineering preference, limited know-how, materials and manufacturing methods.
16 inch, light weight, pressed steel, riveted fly wheel, with fan hub, representing new approach in flywheel design by Frigidaire, in contrast the heavy cast iron fly wheel exemplified in item # 100
Technical Significance:
The slow speed, high displacement, engineering design idiom manifest here stands in sharp contrast to high (medium) speed, low displacement designs emerging about the same time, for example by Kelvinator of Canada, London Ontario. Designed also for sulphur dioxide refrigerant, but with 8 inch flywheels, their engineering would allow them to operate at close to twice the speed, making for much more compact lighter weight refrigeration equipment. See for example items #090 to #093