With a non-operating system compressor, recovery equipment must be capable of recovering

With a non-operating system compressor, recovery equipment must be capable of recovering

• A. 100 percent of the refrigerant or achieving 10 inches of vacuum.
• B. 50 percent of the refrigerant or achieving 2 inches of vacuum.
• C. 90 percent of the refrigerant or achieving 6 inches of vacuum.
• D. 80 percent of the refrigerant or achieving 4 inches of vacuum.

Answer: (D)

When the compressor isn’t operating, you can’t rely on the system’s own working pressure to push refrigerant into the recovery unit. So the recovery equipment must be able to remove refrigerant by itself. The standard gives two ways to meet this requirement: it must recover at least 80 percent of the refrigerant in the system, or you must evacuate the system to 4 inches of vacuum. The 80 percent criterion ensures the majority of the refrigerant is captured, which minimizes venting and environmental impact. The 4 inches of vacuum option provides a practical alternative when achieving a high recovery percentage isn’t feasible; reaching that level of vacuum indicates the system has been evacuated to a point where most refrigerant has been removed, again reducing potential emissions.

When the compressor isn’t operating, you can’t rely on the system’s own working pressure to push refrigerant into the recovery unit. So the recovery equipment must be able to remove refrigerant by itself. The standard gives two ways to meet this requirement: it must recover at least 80 percent of the refrigerant in the system, or you must evacuate the system to 4 inches of vacuum.

The 80 percent criterion ensures the majority of the refrigerant is captured, which minimizes venting and environmental impact. The 4 inches of vacuum option provides a practical alternative when achieving a high recovery percentage isn’t feasible; reaching that level of vacuum indicates the system has been evacuated to a point where most refrigerant has been removed, again reducing potential emissions.