Refrigerants

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Recovery of refrigerant may be a common practice in HVACR servicing, but it is still a skill that requires care and caution. Awareness of step by step procedures can help all technicians better understand what’s involved in the process.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) has joined the ruckus over questions about the importation of HFC-134a refrigerant from China. On April 14 the federal agency released what it calls a “preliminary Countervailing Duty Determination (CVD).”

New Era Group Inc. announced that it has filed an appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia over a ruling issued in mid-2013 allowing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to continue to allow production and importation of HCFC-22 refrigerant.

What has changed over the past 25 years or so is the recovery equipment, and the latest generation of such equipment is a considerable improvement over that of the first generation.

To see where the sector is headed over the next five years, The NEWS collected comments from numerous companies involved in reclamation services. Here, in alphabetical order by company, is a collection of the responses.

Two years after Carrier entered into an agreement with EOS Climate Inc. to ensure responsible end-of-life management of used refrigerants, the program has prevented 111,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to removing 23,000 passenger vehicles from the road for a year.

Group intends to file suit against the EPA, claiming the federal agency is allowing excessive amounts of virgin and imported R-22 into the U.S. market.

Asahi Glass Co. Ltd. (AGC) has announced the development of AMOLEA™, a new refrigerant for air conditioning systems that has a global warming potential (GWP) of about one-sixth that of HFC-410A while delivering equivalent performance.

When it comes to things like refrigerants and regulations, challenges remain for compressor manufacturers.

Migration of refrigerant to the compressor’s crankcase during an off cycle is a serious problem, as significant compressor damage can occur if the problem is not remedied.