How Refrigerant Reclamation Works

The process of refrigerant recycling reduces the contaminants in a refrigerant so that it can be used again. Once recycled, the refrigerant must be returned to its original piece of equipment or to another owned by the same company or person. Recycling differs from refrigerant reclamation, which uses multiple filtrations to bring a refrigerant to an AHRI - 7000 industry's purity standards. Following is a brief overview of refrigerant recycling, what the law says about it, benefits, and decisions to be made about refrigerant recycling.

How Recycling Is Performed

In refrigerant recycling, special equipment fitted with a compressor is used to vacuum the refrigerant from its original system. The refrigerant is then passed through a recycling system one or multiple times, depending on the type of recycling equipment used. From there, the refrigerant is cleansed by oil separation and such devices as core filter-driers, which reduce its particulates and moisture acidity. Oil and fans are used to keep the refrigerant from freezing from the cooling elements or expanding from too much heat.

Environmental Protection Agency Law

Anytime a refrigeration or air conditioning system is opened to be serviced, EPA law requires that an EPA-certified recovery device is used to remove the refrigerant. The refrigerant must then be transferred to a separate container, at which time the HVAC contractor will decide whether the refrigerant should be recycled on-site for reuse by the equipment owner or sent to a reclaimer for restoration to industry AHRI-700 purity specifications.

To Recycle or Reclaim

Often the equipment owner's decision to recycle a refrigerant depends upon its condition, or whether it will be used to recharge the same equipment. Other factors are whether the contractor has invested in recycling equipment, or if the equipment owner or contractor has decided to reclaim refrigerants.

Benefits of Refrigerant Recycling

Refrigerant recycling can benefit equipment owners by removing impurities that may build up over time and eventually pose threats to the entire system. Even so, recycling cannot cleanse the refrigerant to the levels at which a certified reclaimer can restore it to meet the purity requirements of AHRI Standard 700. Also, by law, only reclaimed refrigerants can be resold or used in another owner's system.

We at Refrigerant Solutions are here to help with recycling and reclaiming refrigerant materials for HVAC contractors and building and facility managers. Please call us at 508-543-5482 or fill our contact form.

Performing a Refrigerant Cleaning and Removal After a Motor Burn Out

Refrigerant reclamation professionals know that when a hermetic compressor's motor burns out, there may be contaminants left behind inside. This means it's also possible that contaminants are pumped out into the entire system, in which case they must be removed to avoid causing the next, new compressor to fail as well.

Here's how the most common cleanup method, a repetitive filter changeout, is performed.

The Cleanup

Once it has been determined that acids are present in a system's refrigerant, the certified technician will first recover the existing refrigerant. If it's reclaimed adequately, it may be reusable within the same system.

Next, the old compressor will be removed from the system entirely. Reusable components can be transferred to the new compressor prior to installation.

After determining the severity of the system's contamination, a suction-line filter and an oversized liquid-line drier are installed into the system.

Once all the parts have been checked, replaced, or refurbished, and the filter-driers have been installed, the whole system must be properly triple-evacuated with a vacuum pump and gauge.

After recharging and restarting the system, the technician will recommend allowing the system to run one for a few hours. They will observe any pressure drops across the suction-line filter-drier. If it's excessive, the technician will change the filter-drier again and check the oil. This process must be repeated until the pressure drop of the suction-line filter-drier remains below an acceptable amount.

Guaranteeing Results

After letting the system run for 24 hours, the technician will again check any pressure drops across the suction-line filter-drier and sample more oil. If the pressure is good according to refrigerant reclamation professionals, and the oil shows no signs of contamination, consider the system clean.

To finish, the technician will simply remove the suction-line filter-drier and come back to recheck the oil after a couple of weeks to ensure that the system stays clean.

For more information about refrigerant reclamation, cleaning, and removal, contact Refrigerant Solutions today.

What Is the Difference Between Refrigerant Recycling and Reclamation?

Refrigerant recycling and reclamation are important options for any business invested in cooling equipment. As refrigerant circulates through a system over time, it tends to accumulate contaminants and impurities. After extraction, many refrigerants can be recycled after filtration and oil separation processes. The Underwriters Laboratories and Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute both have standards of certification for equipment that can be used for refrigerant recycling. Many businesses choose recycling to save money, particularly for equipment that uses refrigerants like R-22 that are being phased out by the EPA. Recycled refrigerant must be used by the same owner or business. Given the rising costs of some increasingly scarce types, reclaimed refrigerants can be sold to an EPA-certified reclaimer instead of being recycled.

Challenges and Advantages of Reclamation

The refrigerant reclamation process requires that refrigerants at least meet the ARI-700 purity standards. In other words, the refrigerant must be filtered to the point where it meets the purity standards for new product, much more than that of refrigerant being recycled by the same company. By contacting a reclaimer with a "buyback program," businesses can inquire about whether the refrigerant in their system may be worth selling.