Foreword

These specifications are for equipment that recover, but does not recycle, any single, specific automotive refrigerant other than CFC-12 or HFC-134a, including a blend refrigerant.

1. Scope

The purpose of this standard is to provide equipment specifications for the recovery of any single, specific refrigerant other than CFC-12 or HFC-134a, including a blend refrigerant, which are either (1) to be returned to a refrigerant reclamation facility that will process the refrigerant to ARI Standard 700-93 or equivalent new product specifications at a minimum, or (2) to be recycled in approved refrigerant recycling equipment, or (3) to be destroyed. This standard applies to equipment used to service automobiles, light trucks, and other vehicles with similar air conditioning systems.

2. References

2.1  Applicable Documents—The following publications form a part of this specification to the extent specified. The latest issue of SAE publications shall apply.

2.1.1  SAE Publications—Available from SAE, 400 Commonwealth Drive, Warrendale, PA 15096-0001. SAE J639—Vehicle Service Coupling. SAE J2196—Service Hoses for Automotive Air-Conditioning (fittings modified)

2.1.2  ARI Publication—Available from Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute, 1501 Wilson Boulevard, Sixth Floor, Arlington, VA 22209. ARI 700-93—Specifications for Fluorocarbon Refrigerants.

2.1.3  Compressed Gas Association (CGA) Publications—Available from CGA, 1235 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA 22202. CGA Pamphlet S-1.1—Pressure Relief Device Standard Part 1—Cylinders for Compressed Gases.

2.1.4  DOT Publications—Available from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402.

DOT Standard, 49 CFR 173.304—Shippers—General Requirements for Shipments and Packagings.

2.1.5  UL Publications—Available from Underwriters Laboratories, 333 Pfingsten Road, Northbrook, IL 60062-2096.

UL 1769—Cylinder Valves.

UL 1963—Refrigerant Recovery Recycling Equipment.

3. Specifications and General Description

3.1  The equipment must be able to extract from a mobile air conditioning system the refrigerant other than CFC-12 or HFC-134a to which the equipment is dedicated.

3.2  The equipment shall be suitable for use in an automotive service garage environment as defined in section 6.8.

3.3   The equipment discharge or transfer fitting shall be unique to prevent the unintentional use of the extracted refrigerant for recharging auto air conditioners.

3.4   Equipment Certification-The equipment shall be certified by Underwriters Laboratories or an—equivalent certifying laboratory to meet this standard.

3.5   Label Requirements—The equipment shall have a label “Designed Certified by (Company Name) to meet EPA requirements for use only with (the applicable refrigerant). The refrigerant from this equipment must be processed to ARI 700-93 specifications or equivalent new product specifications before reuse in a mobile air-conditioning system.” The minimum letter size shall be bold type 3 mm in height.

4. Safety Requirements

4.1   The equipment must comply with applicable federal, state, and local requirements on equipment related to the handling of the applicable refrigerant material. Safety precautions or notices or labels related to the safe operation of the equipment shall also be prominently displayed on the equipment and should state “CAUTION—SHOULD BE OPERATED BY CERTIFIED PERSONNEL.” The safety identification shall be located on the front near the controls.

4.2   The equipment must comply with applicable safety standards for electrical and mechanical requirements.

5. Operating Instructions

5.1   The equipment manufacturer must provide operating instructions that include information equivalent to that required by SAE J1629, necessary maintenance procedures, and source information for replacement parts and repair.

5.1.1   The instruction manual shall include the following information on the lubricant removed: Only new lubricant, as identified by the system manufacturer, should be replaced in the air conditioning system. Removed lubricant from the system and/or the equipment shall be disposed on in accordance with the applicable federal, state, and local procedures and regulations.

5.2   The equipment must prominently display the manufacturer's name, address, the type of refrigerant it is designed to extract, a service telephone number, and any items that require maintenance or replacement that affect the proper operation of the equipment. Operation manuals must cover information for complete maintenance of the equipment to assure proper operation.

6.1   Functional Description

6.1   The equipment must be capable of ensuring removal of refrigerant from the system being serviced by reducing the system pressure to a minimum of 102 mm (4 in) of mercury below atmospheric pressure (i.e., to a vacuum). To prevent system delayed outgassing, the unit must have a device that assures that the refrigerant has been recovered from the air-conditioning system.

6.1.1   Testing laboratory certification of the equipment capability is required which shall process contaminated refrigerant samples at specific temperatures.

6.2   The equipment must be preconditioned by processing 13.6 kg (30 lb) of the standard contaminated refrigerant at an ambient of 21 °C (70 °F) before starting the test cycle. Sample amounts are not to exceed 1.13 kg (2.5 lb) with sample amounts to be processed at 5 min. intervals. The test method fixture, depicted in Figure 1 to appendix A of this subpart, shall be operated at 21 °C (70 °F). Contaminated refrigerant samples shall be processed at ambient temperatures of 10 and 49 °C, without equipment shutting due to any safety devices employed in this equipment.

6.2.1   Standard contaminated refrigerant, 13.6 kg (30 lb) sample size, shall consist of liquid refrigerant with 1000 ppm (by weight) moisture at 21 °C and 45,000 ppm (by weight) of oil (total of one-third mineral oil 525 suspension nominal, one-third PAG with 100 cSt viscosity at 40 °C or equivalent, and one-third POE with 68 cSt viscosity at 40 °C or equivalent) and 1000 ppm by weight of noncondensable gases (air). Refrigerant shall be identified prior to the recovery process to ±2% of the original manufacturer's formulation submitted to, and accepted by, EPA under its Significant New Alternatives Policy program, with the exception that any flammable components shall be identified to ±1%.

6.3   Portable refillable containers used in conjunction with this equipment must meet applicable DOT Standards.

6.3.1   The container color must be gray with a yellow top to identify that it contains used refrigerant. It must be permanently marked on the outside surface in black print at least 20 mm high “DIRTY [NAME OF REFRIGERANT]—DO NOT USE, MUST BE PROCESSED”.

6.3.2   The portable refillable container shall have a unique thread connection for the specific refrigerant.

6.3.3   During operation, the equipment shall provide overfill protection to assure that the storage container liquid fill does not exceed 80% of the tank's rated volume at 21 °C per DOT Standard, 49 CFR 173.304, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

6.4   Additional Storage Tank Requirements

6.4.1   The cylinder valve shall comply with UL 1769.

6.4.2   The pressure relief device shall comply with CGA Pamphlet S-1.1.

6.4.3   The container assembly shall be marked to indicate the first retest date, which shall be 5 years after date of manufacture. The marking shall indicate that retest must be performed every subsequent 5 years. The marking shall be in letters at least 6 mm high.

6.5   All flexible hoses must meet SAE J2196 for service hoses except that fittings shall be unique to the applicable refrigerant.

6.6   Service hoses must have shutoff devices located within 30 cm of the connection point to the system being serviced to minimize introduction of noncondensable gases into the recovery equipment during connection and the release of the refrigerant during disconnection.

6.7   The equipment must be able to separate the lubricant from the recovered refrigerant and accurately indicate the amount removed from the simulated automotive system during processing in 30 mL units.

6.7.1   The purpose of indicating the amount of lubricant is to ensure that a proper amount of new lubricant is returned to the mobile air conditioning system for compressor lubrication.

6.7.2   Refrigerant dissolved in this lubricant must be accounted for to prevent system lubricant overcharge of the mobile air-conditioning system.

6.8   The equipment must be capable of continuous operation in temperatures of 10 to 49 °C and must comply with 6.1 and 6.2.

7. For test validation, the equipment is to be operated according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Application

The purpose of this standard is to provide equipment specifications for the recovery of any refrigerant other than CFC-12 or HFC-134a for return to a refrigerant reclamation facility that will process it to ARI Standard 700-93 (or for recycling in other EPA approved recycling equipment, in the event that EPA in the future designates a standard for equipment capable of recycling refrigerants other than CFC-12 or HFC-134a).

Reference Section

SAE J639—Vehicle Service Coupling

SAE J2196—Service Hoses for Automotive Air-Conditioning

ARI 700-93—Specifications for Fluorocarbon Refrigerants

CGA Pamphlet S-1.1—Pressure Relief Device Standard Part 1—Cylinders for Compressed Gases

UL 1769—Cylinder Valves

49 CFR 173.304—Shippers—General Requirements for Shipment and Packagings

[62 FR 68055, Dec. 30, 1997]