ISO Standards By Mary McDonald
marymcd@mcdcg.com
RecoveringContaminatedAutomotiveRefrigerants, Part 1 W
hile researching information for a client on a sister topic of recycling automotive electronics, I came across this article from the EPA.
Rather than paraphrase it, since it was well-written and covers all the points that I would have highlighted, I’ve published their website info here. I hope you find it as interesting and informative as I did! Handling Contaminated Automotive Refrigerants: Motor vehicle air condi- tioner (MVAC) refrigerants can become contaminated in a number of ways, including from outside elements (air, dirt) or by other refrigerants from improper servicing. The information below can help technicians identify, recov- er, and dispose of contaminated refriger- ants.
Identifying Refrigerants: All vehicles should have a label identifying the refrig- erant used in their MVACs. Additionally, each MVAC refrigerant has unique fit- tings attached to the high- and low-side service ports. However, MVACs could be retrofitted to another refrigerantandnot properly relabeled or refitted, or could contain highly contaminated refriger- ants.
Methods for Identifying MVAC Refrigerants: • Check the refrigerant pressure. This does not guarantee that you will recog- nize a contaminated or alternative refrig- erant; however, unusual head pressures may tip you off.
• Purchase a refrigerant identifier. EPA strongly recommends (but does not require) that technicians obtain this equipment. Basic identifiers simply con- firm if a refrigerant is pure and unconta- minated. More advanced models can identify: > The chemical composition of a refrigerant. > The presence of flammable substances,
which require special care and safe handling (see below). • Whether the air purge cycle feature
26 Automotive Recycling | November-December 2016
on your recycling equipment is function- ing properly. Excess air in an MVAC sys- tem can lead to false readings in electronic low charge indicators, rapid clutch cycling and potential clutch fail- ures, and noisy compressor operation. Even the most sophisticated identi-
fiers cannot properly identify all combinations of chemicals used in blend refrigerants. Most units identify potential chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)-12andhydrofluorocarbon (HFC)- 134a contaminants (such as air,hydroflu- orocarbon [HCFC]-22, and hydro- carbons), but many were not designed to identify components in new substitutes. The Society of Automotive Engineers
(SAE) International has developed SAE Ground Vehicle Standards for MVAC service equipment. The standards, also known as SAE J Standards, are available at
http://standards.sae.org.
Before you purchase a refrigerant iden-
tifier, check that the unit meets the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J1771 standard. This indicates that the unit accurately identifies refrigerants. The identifier should also have a label stating its level of accuracy. If you are reluctant to invest in an identifier, con- sider borrowing or renting an identifier from a nearby service facility.
Recovering Contaminated Refrig- erants:Techniciansmust recover any con- taminated or unfamiliar refrigerant before repairing or recharginganMVAC. EPA prohibits venting all automotive refrigerants, with the exceptionof carbon dioxide (R-744). The best way to recover contaminated or unfamiliar refrigerants is to dedicate a recover-only unit to impure refrigerants. Some equipment manufacturers also offer recover-only units designed to remove these refriger- ants.
Some refrigerants might be contami- nated with flammable substances such as propane and butane. Learn your equip-
ment’s safety features to guard against the risk of ignition. Technicians should recover the refrig-
erant into standard U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)-certified, gray- with-yellow-top recovery tanks. If the tank is not equipped with a float valve (which serves as overfillprotection),make sure it is never filled beyond 60 percent of its gross-weighted capacity, as specified in the SAE J1989 and J2211 standards. If MVAC service is not a large portion of your business, contact a nearby shop thatmay have theequipmentnecessary to recover contaminated refrigerants or unknown refrigerants.
SOURCE: EPA website The link to this topic is here:
www.epa.gov/mvac/ handling-contaminated-automotive-refrigerants
Mary McDonald is the CEO/CTO of The Mc- Donald Consulting Group since 1995, working to help clients improve processes to positively affect the bottom line. She is a Certified Qual-
ity Auditor and a RABQSA Certified Lead Auditor in several standards, as well as an author and speaker on systems integration and strategic business planning.
iStock.com/John1179
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