OT-88-21-2 — Recovery of CFC Refrigerants During Service and Recycling by the Filtration Method

While servicing air-conditioning and refrigeration systems, in many cases, particularly with smaller systems, the refrigerant is removed by opening a valve and exhausting to the atmosphere. Current EPA regulation proposals would make refrigerants 11, 12, and 502 controlled substances due to their contribution to depletion of atmospherico zone.T herefore, it should becomein creasingly desirable to recover the refrigerant during service for later recycling and reuse.

This paper explores means whereby refrigerant may be recovered while servicing an air conditioning or refrigeration system. It further examines some relatively simple and widely accepted in-system refrigerant cleanup procedures, such as are described in the ASHRAE Handbook–1986 Refrigeration. Using these basic devices and methods familiar to the service technician offers a viable recycling solution for many situations.