A little Autocascade history
The history of mixed-refrigerant technology, to our knowledge, starts in 1936 when W.J. Podbielniak of Chicago obtained a U.S. Patent. His single-compressor low-temperature refrigeration system contained a mixture of hydrocarbons. Although “Freons” were not then in common use, he knew that they would work in his system. His invention was notable considering he developed it 70 years ago. Earlier, in the 1920s, work done on gas separation laid a foundation for mixed refrigerant systems. The same physical principles apply.
In the fall of 1968 Dale Missimer contacted friends at DuPont to learn more about mixed-refrigerant systems. He had heard of low-temperature cooling based upon mixtures. This was shortly after selling his company, Missimer Inc., to Gulf+Western Industries. A DuPont engineer sent a copy of a 1963 U.S. Patent issued to A. Fuderer of Jugoslavia. Correspondence lead to a license from Dr. Fuderer to Conrad-Missimer Div. of G + W Industries.
Later he discovered that A.P. Kleemenko, a Russian, had published 1958 technical paper describing the mixed-refrigerant system he developed. Also some European inventors created cryogenic mixed-refrigerant systems. Their application included large systems (more than 1,000 horsepower) for liquefying natural gas. However, he could not find any organization designing or making small systems.
In 1970 Dale Missimer and others at Conrad-Missimer Div. of G+W Industries began two years of research and development efforts. The goal was to produce reliable low-temperature refrigerators using the “Fuderer” low-temperature refrigeration process. He made and sold several models with the Conrad-Missimer label.
