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The "Famous Engineers" Series
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The Father of Air
Conditioning |
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Imagine modern day life without air conditioning.
If not for a persistent engineer from the balmy state of New York,
we might all be toiling in the heat and humidity each summer. |
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The "Father of Air Conditioning" was born in 1876
near Angola, New York. At a young age, he began to
demonstrate mechanical skills, which he likely learned from his
Quaker mother who liked to tinker with clocks, sewing machines and
other mechanical items. |
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After graduating from Cornell University in 1902
with a Master's degree in Engineering, he took a job with Buffalo
Forge Company, a manufacturer of heaters, blowers and air exhaust
systems. |
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In 1902, at the age of 25, he was asked to solve a
complicated cooling problem. A printing plant in Brooklyn,
NY was struggling with humidity problems. Moisture in the
air was causing paper to expand and contract, resulting in
problems with color reproductions. |
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The young Cornell graduate reviewed National
Weather Tables to determine the precise temperature to maintain
appropriate moisture levels. He then designed a pumped
ammonia system to reduce the temperature inside of the plant to
achieve the optimum moisture levels. Thus, an industrial
application produced the first "air conditioner". |
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In 1911, while waiting for a train, the "Father of
Air Conditioning" came up with his Rational Psychometric Formulae,
which is still the basis today for all fundamental calculations in
the air conditioning industry. The foggy, humid night
inspired a "stroke of genius" in the young engineer. By the
time the train arrived, he had formulated a relationship between
temperature, humidity and dew point. |
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Who was this "Cool" Engineer?
read more |
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Find Answers to Your Questions |
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There's never a fee to access PDHengineer courses. |
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8/31 |
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| NH |
30 PDH |
Based on Engineer's Birthdate |
| NY |
36 PDH |
Based on Engineer's Birthdate |
| OK |
30 PDH |
Based on Date of Licensure |
| SD |
30 PDH |
Based on Date of Licensure |
| TN |
24 PDH |
Based on Date of Licensure |
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