As many of you know, we are having an incredible time doing daily trivia over on our Tik Tok channel, @Skillcatapp! I thought it would be fun to write a blog with a few more fun facts since you all seem to really enjoy the "nerdy" side of SkillCat!
Let's start with the largest air conditioner in the WORLD! The Holy Mosque in Mekkah(Mecca), Saudi Arabia began its largest expansion in 1982, but its massive air conditioning revamp began with Johnson Controls signing the contract in 2010 to build the worlds largest air conditioning system ever! With 27 multi-stage centrifugal chillers, and a building management system, the millions of visitors who make their pilgrimage to Mecca each year can now enjoy a break from the heat when they arrive!
Next up on our list of random facts, we have The Global Seed Vault AC system in Norway! In 2018, after water infiltrated the seed vault, Norway began a major renovation (including new cooling systems) in order to freeze not only the "cold room" but also the tunnel leading to it to ensure that any water that could seep in would immediately freeze, saving the precious seeds. Four dual compact air coolers, ten cubic compact air coolers, and two vertical compact gas coolers were installed to solidify the viability of the worlds crops should any catastrophe destroy the global food supply! See, HVAC/R is sometimes incredibly important!
Last, but certainly not least, I'd like to showcase a badass woman in our random fact collection! As a female mechanical engineer, Margaret Ingels has always been one of my greatest influences. As the first woman to earn a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Margaret faced many trials and tribulations, but none that compared to her innovations! In 1921 Ingels joined the American Society of Heating and Ventilation Engineers, and in 1931 returned to work at the Carrier-Lyle Corporation helping to perfect the sling psychrometer which we now use to read relative humidity!
Should you happen upon this blog and perhaps, learn something you didn't know also check out our blog post HVAC: An Interesting History for more fun facts, that are not so random;-)