Baltzar von Platen (1898-1984)
Encyclopedia
Baltzar von Platen together with Carl Munters
, was the inventor of the gas absorption refrigerator in 1922 while they were both Swedish
engineering students at the Royal Institute of Technology
in Stockholm
, Sweden
. The technique produced "cold" from a heat source such as propane, electricity, or kerosene. In 1923 production by AB Arctic began. In 1925 AB Arctic was purchased by Electrolux
, which began selling them worldwide. Servel purchased rights to manufacture the refrigerator in 1925 and was the only U.S. manufacturer for many years. Von Platen was awarded the Franklin Institute
's John Price Wetherill Medal in 1932.
Baltzar von Platen also worked with ASEA, Sweden's major electrical company, on the development of a process which used heat and pressure to produce diamond
s. Von Platen left the project before it succeeded in producing the first synthetic diamonds in 1953.
Carl Munters
Carl Georg Munters was a Swedish inventor, most known for inventing together with Baltzar von Platen the gas absorption refrigerator now sold by Electrolux...
, was the inventor of the gas absorption refrigerator in 1922 while they were both Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
engineering students at the Royal Institute of Technology
Royal Institute of Technology
The Royal Institute of Technology is a university in Stockholm, Sweden. KTH was founded in 1827 as Sweden's first polytechnic and is one of Scandinavia's largest institutions of higher education in technology. KTH accounts for one-third of Sweden’s technical research and engineering education...
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. The technique produced "cold" from a heat source such as propane, electricity, or kerosene. In 1923 production by AB Arctic began. In 1925 AB Arctic was purchased by Electrolux
Electrolux
The Electrolux Group is a Swedish appliance maker.As of 2010 the 2nd largest home appliance manufacturer in the world after Whirlpool, its products sell under a variety of brand names including its own and are primarily major appliances and vacuum cleaners...
, which began selling them worldwide. Servel purchased rights to manufacture the refrigerator in 1925 and was the only U.S. manufacturer for many years. Von Platen was awarded the Franklin Institute
Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute is a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest centers of science education and development in the United States, dating to 1824. The Institute also houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial.-History:On February 5, 1824, Samuel Vaughn Merrick and...
's John Price Wetherill Medal in 1932.
Baltzar von Platen also worked with ASEA, Sweden's major electrical company, on the development of a process which used heat and pressure to produce diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
s. Von Platen left the project before it succeeded in producing the first synthetic diamonds in 1953.