TREATMENTS AND FLUIDS
Don’t let your profits drip away
Each year, more than 100 million gallons of costly fluids, including refrigerants, are lost to leaks. Worse still, for acr engineers, finding and repairing these leaks can be time-consuming and costly. Advanced Engineering discusses.
W
hile larger leaks are easier to detect, locate and repair because refrigerant is escaping, it is those small, hidden or intermittent leaks that remain a problem. Thankfully, times are changing, thanks to Advanced Engineering, the UK distributor for Spectroline, and an easy two-step process. Advanced Engineering managing director, Barry Lea, says: “If you’re running multiple systems in the same space, being able to identify exactly what’s leaking and where is essential to keeping your systems running efficiently and reliably. “Because Spectroline dyes are available in a wide range of distinctive colours, you can colour code your systems – using a different colour in each for visual clarity – significantly saving your customers’ time and money.”
Many engineers are cautious about introducing additives to closed-line systems, but Spectroline has engineered the dyes to prevent damage. Cool Seal is composed of aliphatic compounds and is simply injected into the low-pressure
service point, so that it can circulate harmlessly throughout the system.
Mr Lea explains: “When leaks occur, internal pressure causes refrigerant and oil molecules to rush to the leak site to be expelled. Cool Seal’s molecules do the same exact thing. Because its molecules are larger and longer, they group together at the leak in a process known as flocculation. This blocks and physically seals the leak, preventing refrigerant or oil from escaping. “Unlike polymer-based leak sealants which react with moisture or oxygen to form a hard patch, Cool Seal is entirely polymer-free, so there is no hardening whatsoever and no clogs. “The remaining Cool Seal will continue to circulate throughout the system, on guard and ready to fix any future leaks, making it ideal as a preventative maintenance measure.” Safe to use, Cool Seal meets ASHRAE 97 standards and works in all acr systems, sealing leaks in components such as compressors, condensers, evaporators, O-rings, and hoses.
The most
hated leaks Some leaks are much worse than others, so we asked a group of service engineers to come up with their most hated, time-consuming leaks.
The top four: 1. Pinhole leaks:
These tiny, microscopic, hairline cracks release very small traces of refrigerant and are very difficult to locate.
2. Intermittent leaks:
These slow, sporadic, leaks – which come and go – can be near impossible to detect.
3. Hidden leaks:
These leaks occur within concealed pipework that cannot be accessed.
4. Multiple leaks:
These numerous small leaks occur within the same system. Frustratingly, as often as you fix one, another appears elsewhere.
Did yours make the list?
42 June 2018
www.acr-news.com
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