Minisplit refrigerant recovery
It means the reuse of recovered refrigerants following a basic cleaning process to remove non-condensable materials, oil, water vapor and particles by means of dryers, filters and filter driers.
When a recycled refrigerant does not meet the requirements of recycling or reclamation, the recovered refrigerant can not be used, it should be considered a hazardous waste and must be delivered to an authorized waste manager for destruction.
It is the process of transforming or permanently decompose all or most of a fluorinated greenhouse gas in one or more stable substances that are not fluorinated greenhouse gases.
When a refrigerant is extracted to repair or replace a compressor whose electric motor has failed causing a short circuit in its winding, the extracted refrigerant must be delivered to a waste manager for destruction because if it is reused it will undoubtedly cause a new failure in the replaced compressor.
How a refrigerant gas reclaimer works
Recycling of air conditioning equipmentAs we explained in the article on the recycling of electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), there are specific regulations on the manufacture, transport, collection and recycling of certain equipment, especially if they contain harmful or highly polluting substances, which requires their decontamination prior to recycling.
Air conditioning equipment contains oils and chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) and hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) gases, which are considered gases that contribute to global warming. Therefore, these appliances are classified as highly polluting and inadequate waste treatment can cause significant environmental damage.
In addition to these hazardous substances, it should be taken into account that the recycling of air conditioning machines allows the recovery of materials such as aluminum, copper or iron, which can be reused in new industrial processes. It is estimated that approximately 92% of the weight of air conditioning equipment is recyclable and that approximately 3 to 6% is hazardous waste.
How to recover refrigerant gas without a recovery unit
Liquid phase: used when the equipment is very large and the refrigerant volume is considerable. In some cases, the refrigerant can be extracted from the receiver tank with centrifugal pumps or pneumatic pumps, and sent directly to the recovery tanks.
To carry out this procedure, it is recommended to remove the valve pivots to speed up the extraction process. As in the various varieties of coolant extraction, hoses with integrated manual ball valves should be used to avoid spilling the coolant.
In vapor-liquid phase when the compressor is not working: in this process, it is recommended to heat the system with lamps to evaporate the refrigerant diluted in the system oil. Procedure:
In vapor-liquid phase when the compressor does work: in this process, the force of the compressor is used to extract the refrigerant; it is not necessary to heat the system because the compressor pressure pushes the refrigerant out of the system.
Important aspects of refrigerant gas recovery
The Refrigerant Recycling Center offers services to refrigerant users who want to switch to Good Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Practices to help stop further degradation of the Ozone Layer and reverse the effects of Global Warming, working together we can provide a solution to the irresponsible release of refrigerants, we are authorized by SEMARNAT to deliver the Manifest in the services we offer the Information System and Monitoring of Imports, Exports and Production of Ozone Depleting Substances (SISSAO).
Each CRR has the capacity to recover and recycle approximately 90 tons of refrigerants, which is equivalent to stop emitting 295,000 tons of carbon dioxide, these actions contribute to reduce the emission of ozone-depleting substances and greenhouse gases.