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James Harrison and the birth of mechanical refrigeration.

Author(s) : GOSNEY W. B.

Type of article: Periodical article

Summary

James Harrison was apprenticed to a compositor. Printing, publishing and journalism remained one of his main interests and professions. However, during the 1850's in Geelong, Australia, he experimented with the vaporisation of ether and patented a vapour compression refrigeration cycle. His first machine, made in Geelong, failed, but in London in 1857 he demonstrated a successful small ice making machine. This formed the basis of his future developments. By 1858 a plant had been installed in a brewery for wort cooling and Harrison took a further machine back to Geelong where he started an ice works. These machines and many to follow used ether as a refrigerant, cooled brine in flooded shell and tube evaporators, and had water cooled coil condensers and high side float expansion valves. In most respects, they were similar to machines built through to the present day. Harrison machines were the first and only mechanical refrigeration systems in commercial use for a wide variety of cooling needs during the 1860's and early 1870's. D.W.H.

Details

  • Original title: James Harrison and the birth of mechanical refrigeration.
  • Record ID : 1994-3937
  • Languages: English
  • Source: Inst. Refrig., Adv. Proof - 11 p.; 10 fig.; 27 ref.
  • Publication date: 1993/10/07
  • Document available for consultation in the library of the IIR headquarters only.

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