Refrigerant Flow Controls – Household
An early high side float control for household cabinet refrigerator, housed in refrigerant receiver and used for metering liquid refrigerant into a flooded evaporator \r\nModel E1, Kelvinator of Canada, London Ont., Circa 1933.
Liquid line valve moulded foam rubber insulated cover
Technical Significance:
Typical of the technology of the period, a series of high side floats were developed and used in various applications by Kelvinator, principally in their household cabinet refrigerators in the mid and latter 1930’s – including their model series D and E float assemblies.
A brass float valve and needle seat assembly was located in the base of the refrigerant, liquid receiver, from where the liquid was metered into an insulated liquid line carrying it to the inlet of the evaporator. The float opens the valve at a predetermined level of refrigerant in the receiver, as it is returned from the high side of the compressor.
The system is subject to critical refrigerant charge, much like the capillary tube device to follow. However maintaining the critical charge necessary for trouble free operation in open type condensing units, subject to compressor seal and other leaks was always a challenge.
Industrial Significance:
The high side float refrigerant meter system, used for flooded evaporators, was the source of some engineering interest and production in the mid 1930’s, but was then largely abandoned, along with the low side float, for the mainstream of household and small commercial refrigeration applications – for reasons of cost, reliability and serviceability and the engineering design constraints it introduced. By this time much simpler trouble free metering technology was at hand.
