06-10-2017, 11:24 AM
The Einstein-Szilard or Einstein refrigerator is an absorption refrigerator that has no moving parts, operates at constant pressure and requires only one source of heat to operate. It was co-invented in 1926 by Albert Einstein and his ex-student Leó Szilárd, who patented it in the United States on November 11, 1930 (U.S. Patent 1,781,541). This is an alternative design of the original invention of 1922 by the Swedish inventors Baltzar von Platen and Carl Munters.
From 1926 to 1933, Einstein and Szilárd collaborated in the improvement of the domestic refrigeration technology. Both were motivated by reports from contemporary Berlin family newspapers that they had died when a seal on their refrigerator failed and emitted toxic fumes in their home. Einstein and Szilárd proposed that a device without moving parts would eliminate the potential for seal failure, and explored practical applications for different cooling cycles. Einstein used the experience he had acquired during his years at the Swiss Patent Office to apply for patents valid for his inventions in several countries, which were finally granted 45 patents in their names for three different models.
It has been suggested that most of the actual invention was done by Szilárd, with Einstein merely acting as a consultant and assisting with patent-related paperwork, but others claim that Einstein worked on the project.
The refrigerator was not immediately put into commercial production, being the most promising of its patents bought quickly by the Swedish company Electrolux. Einstein and Szilard earned $ 750 (the equivalent of $ 10,000 today). Some demonstration units were built from other patents.
From 1926 to 1933, Einstein and Szilárd collaborated in the improvement of the domestic refrigeration technology. Both were motivated by reports from contemporary Berlin family newspapers that they had died when a seal on their refrigerator failed and emitted toxic fumes in their home. Einstein and Szilárd proposed that a device without moving parts would eliminate the potential for seal failure, and explored practical applications for different cooling cycles. Einstein used the experience he had acquired during his years at the Swiss Patent Office to apply for patents valid for his inventions in several countries, which were finally granted 45 patents in their names for three different models.
It has been suggested that most of the actual invention was done by Szilárd, with Einstein merely acting as a consultant and assisting with patent-related paperwork, but others claim that Einstein worked on the project.
The refrigerator was not immediately put into commercial production, being the most promising of its patents bought quickly by the Swedish company Electrolux. Einstein and Szilard earned $ 750 (the equivalent of $ 10,000 today). Some demonstration units were built from other patents.