Hot air powered table fan by Draeger-Ventilator
Object No. B1563
While a hot air cooling fan seems to be a paradoxical object, fans run by small hot air engines were made throughout the twentieth century and proved useful in areas not served by electricity. This fan was designed and made in Germany and was probably used in Sydney. The design of the fan is both functional and decorative. A hidden reservoir in the base holds liquid fuel, which burns during operation of the fan; the piston and displacer are housed in the stem; and the crankshaft is housed in a large sphere that sits on the stem. The four simple blades are curved for the purpose of moving air forward. The intricate shape of ventilation holes in the stem provides a decorative touch and, along with the cooling fins at the top of the stem, they create the temperature differential on which the operation of the engine depends. Fans work by evaporating sweat from skin and require much less power than air-conditioners. While a hot air fan will dump some heat into the surrounding air, so will the motor of the much more common electric fan. Debbie Rudder, Curator, March 2011
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Summary
Object Statement
Fan, hot air powered, metal / asbestos, designed by Alfred Draeger, made by Draeger-Ventilator, Lubeck, Germany, 1913 - 1930
Physical Description
Fan, table type, powered by hot air engine, metal / asbestos, designed by Alfred Draeger, made by Draeger-Ventilator, Lubeck, Germany, 1913-1930. The fan incorporates a Stirling cycle engine in its stem and a spirit burner in its base. Air heated by the burner rises, moving the loosely-fitting displacer piston upwards and allowing the air to be cooled via the decorative ventilation holes in the side of the stem and the fins at the top of the stem. The air and displacer piston then fall to repeat the cycle. The movement of the displacer piston causes the tightly-fitting power piston to move, and this movement turns the crankshaft, which sits horizontally in the spherical cowling above the stem, and hence turns the four fan blades.
PRODUCTION
Notes
Alfred Draeger patented the Hot Air Ventilating Fan in 1913. The date of manufacture of this fan is not known. The firm Draeger-Ventilation was founded in 1889 by Johann Heinrich Draeger as Draeger & Gerling in Lubeck, Germany. In 1891 Draeger was granted a patent for the Lubeca valve which was used in gas pressure regulation in brewing. Over the years the firm expanded its area of expertise in the general area of gas pressure regulation, especially oxygen pressure regulation in ventilation and respiratory apparatus and anaesthetic equipment. In 1947 the company manufactured an 'iron lung'. In 2003 it entered into a joint venture, called Draeger Medical, with Siemens.
HISTORY
Notes
The history of the fan is unknown.
SOURCE
Credit Line
Gift of Mr F Tipping, 1964
Acquisition Date
24 April 1964
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