Other Refrigerating and Air conditioning Components and Parts – Commercial
A modulating, water flow, regulating valve for use on water cooled refrigerant condensers, equipped with brass body and 2 ply copper bellows, operates on refrigerant system head pressure to minimize water consumption, adjusting water flow to meet the needs of the system without overrun and wastage, Model 68A, Automatic Products, 1948.
Features:
Brass casing with aluminium sleeve
Technical Significance:
It was the mid 20th century, a period before water conservation was a matter of wide spread public interest and concern. Yet water costs were escalating in many urban centres, where water metering had been introduced – thus making water conservation much more a matter of economics than an essential and mandatory conservation practice.
Industrial Significance:
Many early commercial refrigeration applications in dairies, food stores and confectioneries, were water-cooled systems. More efficient than air cooling the practice prevailed through out much of the 20th century, where the cost of water made it an affordable condensing medium.
In larger and multiple installations involving a number of condensing units a water tower would be used allowing the water to be evaporatively cooled and recycled.
Air cooling became increasingly popular in the latter part of the 20th century, with water conservation an ever increasing public issue, and with the development of large remote, multiple pass air condensers and head pressure control devices [See item ID # 195]