BRADENTON, FL —  The School District of Manatee County is a patent holder, due to Dr. Michael Afanasiev, an air conditioning, refrigeration, and heating technology instructor at the district’s Manatee Technical College (MTC). Afanasiev invented an air conditioner educational demonstration system and method of operation, for which he received United States patent, which he assigned to the school district. MTC is in the process of identifying the best ways to share the invention so that ACHR educators across the country can benefit from this new method for teaching air conditioning systems. 

Afanasiev invented a simple, inexpensive simulator to teach a complex system safely. The training simulator represents the entire A/C refrigeration cycle and uses nitrogen, a harmless gas, instead of traditional refrigerants. Afanasiev said most training simulators that accomplish the same task cost between $25,000 to $35,000 — his costs about $100 to make. 

“This patent is an example of the creative and educational excellence our Manatee County teachers possess,” said Doug Wagner, deputy superintendent of the School District of Manatee County. “We are proud that our students are learning from the best of the best!”

See more details about the patent here.

Publication date: 6/6/2019

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