Abstract
IN the July number of Water Works and Sewerage the editor makes some timely comments on the future of air-conditioning. Apparently water supply managers have little definite information as to the probable demands on local water supply facilities that will be made in the near future. Another important problem that has to be considered is the question of sewerage facilities capable of handling the increased loading to be imposed in the form of spent water discharged from the cooling equipment into sewers that have not been designed for this load. At the recent convention of the American Water Works Association some interesting data were given. During the year 1935–36, the air-conditioning capacity installed had increased 35 ½ per cent in Chicago. During the same period, the water sold to air-conditioned premises had increased 38 per cent. The figures also show that the peak demand for a district which is now only 16 per cent air-conditioned is 130 per cent above the daily average demand. In July and August also, the demands per 24 hours in the districts most densely air-conditioned reached 170 per cent of the annual average. The average over non-conditioned districts during the same two months was only 10 per cent. In a block of buildings containing theatres, hotels and restaurants all using air-conditioning the maximum per cent of the daily average was 250. Chicago is in the happy position that its major mains and pumping capacity seem sufficient for ten years more at this rate of growth. On the other hand, deficiencies of sewers will have to be made good, unless wasteful evaporative type cooling devices are installed in air-conditioning plant.
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Future of Air-Conditioning. Nature 140, 579 (1937). https://doi.org/10.1038/140579b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/140579b0