Recovery, Recycling, Reclamation by DI~NNISR

Recovery, Recycling, Reclamation BY DI~NNISR. O’MEARA

...... Processes and fterJuly I, 1992,noone islegallyallowedto determine that appropriate product specifications ...... vent refrigerants during any type of service are met. Reclaiming implies the use of processes or procedures for A work. All refrigerants must be recovered proceduresavailableonlyat a reprocessingor manu- ...... and either recycled or reclaimed. Recovery is to re- facturing facility. handling used move refrigerant in any condition from a system and USEPA has proposed that changes in ownership ...... store it in an external container, without necessarily of refrigerant will require that the refrigerant be refrigerant. testingorprocessingitinany way. Recycleis toclean reclaimed. Such transfers introduce uncertainties ...... the refrigerant for reuse by oil separation and single into the marketplace regarding the purity of the or multiple passes through devices such as replace- refrigerant. Unless the refrigerant is docu.mented to able core filter driers, in order to reduce moisture, be reclaimed according to the specifications of ARI acidity and particulate matter. Material that is re- 700-88, there would bea significant riskofcontami- cycled can never be transferred or sold to another nated or mixed refrigerant damaging equipment. customer. If it is sold or transferred to another Therefore USEPA requires that whenever used re- customer the refrigerant must be reclaimed. Reclaim frigerant ownership changes, the refrigerant must be is to process refrigerant by means which may include reclaimed. distillation to new specifications, such as Federal Record keeping is required of all persons servic- Specification BB-F-1421B or ARI Standard 700-88. ing ordisposingofairconditioningandrefrigeration Chemical analysis of the refrigerant is required to equipmentto keep invoicesofservicecalls, including information on the quantity of refrigerant sold, the type of equipment services, the procedures performed, the date and the name, address and telephonenumberofthe equipment owner and the name of the technician who performed the service. Busi- nesses must also need to maintain a record of the amount of refrigerant pur- chased and consumed each month. De Minimis is the amount allowed to be vented by service personnel during nor- mal repair or service work The Recovery Praters: and still be environmentally A recovery acceptable. Deliberate vent- machine removes ing is not allowed. Refriger- refrigerant from ant that is vented under the the system and de Minimis rule must have transfers it to a beenminimizedwith the best container or available control technology. cylinder for on- Hoses should have self seal- site recyclins or ing valves. Properly cerrified off-site recovery equipment should reclamation. he used to reduce to the lowest possible amount thc release of refrigerants are dedicated to removal only. during service work. Two types of machines are available for recycling. Under the proposed regulations, reclaimers of One typc USCS~combinationoffiltersand refrigerant refrigerant mist be certified and licensed by USEI’A. oil separators to remove contaminants. It is impor- The reclaimer of your used refrigerant should pro- tant to follow the manufacturer’s instructions and vide to you some documents to show the movement procedures. Change-out the filter-driers as recom- and proper handling of your used refrigerant. Any mended. Run an occasional leak test. Use low-per- refrigerant reclaimed should be able to be certified meation rated hoses equipped with shutoff valves. that it meets the ARI 700-88specifications. Another type of recycling unit uses vapor compres- You may choosetosend yourrecovered refrigerant sion and condensing. It withdraws the refrigerant in to one of several reclaiming facilities in operation its vapor state and condenses it into liquid. During across the US.Or the refrigerant wholesaler may this process it will pass the refrigerant through a have a program to buy back or credit you for used series of driers and oil separators. refrigerant you return. The wholesaler, in this case, The size and pumping rate of a recovery or recy- would handleall dealingswith a refrigerantreclaimer. cling unit should match the typical air conditioning With the possible increase in various surcharges, system you service. If you normally service small refrigerants will become more valuable. With the systems of less than 10 Ib., a recovery/recycling phase out of production of new material after 1995, machine with a pumping rate of 1 Ib. per minute the only source of CFCs will be older equipment should be sufficient. being retired. It must be noted that phase-out of If you service systems containing various types of production of CFCs after 1995 does not prohibit the refrigerant, youmust beabletoremoveall refrigerant proper use of these refrigerants. Only production of from your recoverylrecycling unit before working on new refrigerants is halted. Service work on units another air conditioning system that uses a different using reclaimed refrigerant can continue. refrigerant. Maintain separate recovery containers for different refrigerants. By keeping separate con- RECOVERY/RECYCLING PROCEDURES tainers and labeling with the type of refrigerant they A growing number of manufacturers sell recovery contain reduces the possibility of mixing different and recycling equipment. USEPA has suggested that types of refrigerant. recoverylrecycling machines perform minimum lev- Historically, many service personnel have only els of evacuation to insure that the used refrigerant used one or at most three different types of refriger- has been removed to acceptable levels. ants. With the new alternatives and various blends, you could be faced with up to over 50 different types of refrigerants. Know the type of refrigerant yon are working with, do not guess. Never mix refrigerants. Mixed refrigerants are very difficult to separate and in some cases impossible to reclaim properly. Mixed refrigerants are expensive to properly and environmentally dispose. Don’t forget to remove the recovered oil from your recoverylrecycling machine. Many refrigerant oils are not compatible with each other. If you recycle refrigerant, you are liable for the quality of the refrigerant returned to any system. Without testing of the refrigerant, there can be no guarantee that it meets ARI specifications. An important note: refrigerants have unusual water solubility characteristics. Except for HCFC- 22, refrigerant vapor actually can hold more water than can refrigerant liquid. So refrigerant must be thoroughly processed in both vapor and liquid states through the filter-driersof your machine. Otherwise, you might return large quantities of water to the air conditioning system. Be aware, too, that when driers are used to remove moisture from systems, the driers usually capture or retain only about 10 percent of their original weight By purchasing equipment that meets the above in moisture. After they become saturated with water, specifications, you have the proper equipment and no further drying is accomplished. means of recovering the refrigerant from the equip- There are legal requirements for refrigerant con- ment you service. tainers. Except for drums of CFC-11 and CFC- 113, A recovery machine simply removes refrigerant a considerable amount of new refrigerant is sold in from a system and transfers it to a container or cylinders, which are deposit-type containers. This cylinder. These units are lighter and less costly. They means ownership of the cylinders is retained by the

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