Upstate Modern MAKING METROPOLITAN AMERICA ALONG THE ERIE CANAL
Upstate Modern is a series of courses and public programs at Syracuse University examining the urban history of Upstate New York through transdisciplinary research that draws on archives, buildings, landscapes, and communities.
Changing Criteria for Refrigerants
by Allie Sutherland.
Description of NaturaLINE refrigeration technologies
Carrier has maintained its status as a nationwide leader in refrigeration and air conditioning systems by developing and advertising products based on strong consideration of the most crucial economic and environmental issues since its founding in 1915. Specifically, the 1928 stock market crash followed by the Great Depression, the OPEC oil crisis in 1973, and the ozone protection accord of 1987. Each issue was responsible for creating a set of goals to strive for in refrigeration design in order to be a successful company, and as time progressed, each of these goals became a prerequisite for a successful product rather than a selling point.
The early years of refrigeration were defined by human safety as well as the cost effectiveness of both units as a whole as well as the refrigerants driving them. Freon in particular became a crucial component of Carrier refrigeration products as it was able to be both efficient and inexpensive as it was further developed into different strains. This particular refrigerant, as well as others that are now known to be detrimental to the environment, were valued for their ability to be safe for users before the environment was studied and taken into account.
The Oil crisis of 1973 which came from an embargo that quadrupled gas prices resulted in an increase of energy efficiency and awareness, as the prices of energy created an incentive to conserve, which would only continue to increase between 1979 and 1980 as a result of the decreased oil output due to the Iranian Revolution, raising oil prices to almost $40 a barrel and caused widespread panic. As a result of this second energy crisis, energy efficiency was taken into much greater account in refrigeration equipment in the early 1980s, which became an important way to evaluate future machinery.
By 1987, the Montreal Protocol, which was designed for the purpose of phasing out chemicals and substances that deplete the ozone layer increased public awareness of the ability for refrigerants particularly to negatively impact the environment, which by the 1990s, greatly broadened the spectrum by which refrigerants and refrigeration units needed to be evaluated, as they now needed to satisfy the prerequisites for human safety, economy, energy efficiency, and now environmental awareness. Refrigerants such as Co2 and Freon could no longer be relied upon due to their greenhouse gas effects, and as a result, Carrier pioneered the use of more natural and environmentally friendly substances such as Puron, and led the nationwide effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
As a result of these three particular economic and environmental events spanning the 20th century, Carrier developed effective responses that enabled it to maintain its status as a leader in the design and development of refrigeration equipment up through the 21st century. These events challenged the current refrigeration methods, ultimately demonstrating the need for adaptability in the business of comfort cooling. It was Carrier’s adaptability and leadership that allowed a new set of guidelines to emerge in the 21st century to evaluate the success of refrigeration equipment, which now involves the combined emphasis on human safety, cost effectiveness, energy efficiency, and environmental awareness.
Description of the Cost effectiveness of phasing out R-12 in automobiles and replacing it with Puron
Article about Carrier’s leadership role in the phasing out of ozone depleting refrigerants and in environmentally friendly design in the 21st century.
For image captions and credits, please see the associated spreadsheet.
Bibliography
“Aramco Press Release.” Carrier Corporation 28 July 1977.
“Carrier Joins US EPA in Celebration of Ozone Protection Accord.” Carrier Corporation 17 Sept. 2002.
“Centirfugal Refrigeration Machines.” Carrier Brunswick Refrigeration & Related Equipment 1 May 1935: 18. Carrier Archives, Cornell Collection Box 13.
“Innovation Key to NaturaLine Technologies.” 22 Jan. 2014.
“Limited Edition Heat Pump.” Carrier Corporation 1980.
“Oil Embargo 1973-1974.” Office of The Historian . Web. 3 May 2014. <http://history.state.gov/milestones/1969-1976/oil-embargo>.
“Puron Refrigerant Graph.” Carrier Corporation 1997.
“Steam Ejector Water Cooler.” Carrier Brunswick Refrigeration & Related Equipment 1 May 1935: 18. Carrier Archives, Cornell Collection Box 13.
“Store Weathermakers.” Carrier Brunswick Refrigeration & Related Equipment 1 May 1935: 19. Carrier Archives, Cornell Collection Box 13.
“The Montreal Protocol.” United Nations Environment Programme . Web. 3 May 2014. <http://ozone.unep.org/new_site/en/montreal_protocol.php>.
“The Story of Freon.” Carrier 18 May 1965. Carrier Archives, Cornell Collection Box 13.