Carrier Corporation Celebrates 100th Anniversary Of The Invention Of Centrifugal Chiller Technology That Changed The Way We Live And Work

On the evening of May 22, 1922, 300 people were invited by Willis Haviland Carrier, the Founder of Carrier Corporation, to a sheet metal shop in Newark, New Jersey, USA, for a free meal and a boxing match, followed by the unveiling of the first centrifugal chiller technology.

Today, Carrier Corporation celebrates the 100th anniversary of the invention of the centrifugal chilling machine that in many ways made the modern world possible. Carrier Corporation is a part of Carrier Global Corporation, the renowned global provider of healthy, safe, sustainable and intelligent building and cold-chain solutions.

Centrifugal chilling machine

Carrier’s breakthrough invention opened the door to large-scale comfort air conditioning"

Gaurang Pandya, the President of Commercial HVAC at Carrier Corporation, said “Carrier’s breakthrough invention opened the door to large-scale comfort air conditioning, while improving the effectiveness of process cooling.”

He adds, “Each day we build on that legacy, innovating with purpose to create what’s next, get ahead of changing requirements, unleash the power of digital technology, run smarter with IoT and help customers deploy commercial HVAC solutions aligned tightly with their business objectives.”

Centrifugal chillers for enhanced process cooling

Carrier Corporation’s conception to combine a centrifugal refrigeration compressor with a shell, a new type of condenser and a chiller on one frame enhanced process cooling in factories, around the world.

Following the first installation of three centrifugal chillers at a Philadelphia chocolate factory in 1923, Carrier Corporation’s innovation soon provided process cooling to rayon manufacturers in India and cracker factories in Mexico.

Centrifugal technology offers comfort cooling

In 1924, Carrier realized their dream of comfort cooling, when the owners of a Detroit department store added centrifugal chillers. The centrifugal technology reliably and affordably delivered comfort air to the public, in theaters, stores, restaurants, sports venues, ships, hospitals and office buildings.

A decade later, centrifugal refrigeration had driven process air into more than 200 industries. Food and beverage production became safer, hospitals were more comfortable and sanitary and new life-saving drugs, such as penicillin, became possible to be stored securely.

Centrifugal chiller technology supports Infrastructure

Carrier engineers have never stopped driving new advancements in centrifugal chiller technology

By providing precise temperature and humidity, centrifugal chiller technology has supported the infrastructure of the modern digital age, including electronics of every type, semi-conductor chips, data centers and robotics. These new inventions and new technologies couldn’t have existed without centrifugal chiller technology.

While the fundamental physics of centrifugal technology have not changed in a century, Carrier engineers have never stopped driving new advancements in centrifugal chiller technology.

AquaEdge 19DV and 19MV water-cooled chillers

Today, the Carrier AquaEdge 19DV water-cooled chiller provides world-class energy efficiency, with its unique free cooling and heat recovery options that boost the total energy savings of the system, while using ultra-low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerant.

The AquaEdge 19MV water-cooled chiller offers a wide operating range in a greatly reduced machine size, in order to replace older chillers. Both machines feature the unique EquiDrive two-stage back-to-back compressor technology, which helps to dramatically reduce energy consumption.

From digitally-enabled applied systems and connected controls to business process-focused offerings to efficient high-rise residential systems to healthy buildings with automation systems and sustainability solutions, Carrier Corporation’s HVAC technology continues to shape the future.