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Hot Topics for a Cooling Industry: A/C Contamination and BlendsPosted 3/17/1998By Ben McNamara
While change might be inevitable, transitions are not always smooth. Two key issues - contamination and alternative blend refrigerants - are currently affecting the MVAC industry during its transition from an R-12-only industry to an industry coping with servicing systems for R-12, R-134a and various blends.
Contamination The other findings of these reports were: 20 percent R-22 in R-12; 20 percent hydrocarbons in R-12 (and some R-134a); 15 percent mixed refrigerant; 10 percent blends; and 5 percent air contamination. Halpern noted that the 5 percent "air" statistic is misleading and should be higher because many in the industry don't view air as a contaminant and therefore don't report it. IMACA conducted its Retrofit and Refrigerant Contamination Survey - mailed in September 1997 to 4,700 businesses in the United States and Puerto Rico involved in air conditioning service and retrofitting. Of those 4,700 mailed, 564 surveys were completed and returned by Oct. 31, 1997. Businesses with identifiers in this survey reported how many contaminated systems they identified in 1997. From these figures, it was estimated that between 2.4 percent to 4.7 percent of vehicles serviced in 1997 had contaminated A/C systems. These figures increased over the 1996 estimate of between 1.3 percent to 2.4 percent. According to IMACA's survey, 110 businesses with identifiers reported that 61 percent of the contaminated vehicles were contaminated with air. Twenty-nine percent were contaminated with unknown or mixed refrigerants. Flammables accounted for 10 percent.
Why more contamination? In late 1995 and 1996, alternative blends entered the market of automotive service. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approves alternative refrigerants for use in MVAC systems through its Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program. These approvals are based on the risks these alternatives pose to human health and the environment; however, they do not consider the performance or compatibility of the blends within specific A/C systems. Technicians are therefore now faced with vehicles coming in with R-12, R-134a or a blend refrigerant, and shops might not have the equipment to properly handle the refrigerants. Based on IMACA's survey, 96 percent of businesses that perform A/C service have R-12 equipment (24 percent have recover-only equipment and 87 percent have recover/recycle equipment). Seventy percent of respondents have R-134a equipment (16 percent recover-only, 60 percent recover/recycle equipment). Eight percent have recover-only equipment dedicated for use with one of the EPA acceptable blends, and 1 percent reported having "other" equipment dedicated for use with flammables and contaminated refrigerants. "There are still shops out there that do not have recovery/recycling equipment to deal with R-134a," said IMACA's Allison. Some shops contend there isn't an essential need to have the equipment yet, he said, but cars with R-134a systems are now starting to come out of warranty. Allison concedes that having more products on the market increases the likelihood of contamination in systems, but added, "It takes a human being to screw it up. A can or cylinder doesn't contaminate it [the A/C system] by itself." The majority of contamination problems are caused by air - and that's a service issue, said Allison, not a product issue.
Checking refrigerant pressures does not guarantee that you will recognize the refrigerant is contaminated or is a brand that is unfamiliar to you. Unusual head pressures may tip you off that a system labeled to indicate that it has pure R-12 or R-134a in it actually is highly contaminated or contains another refrigerant altogether. However, you may also encounter a contaminated system, or a system that contains a blend refrigerant, that indicates pressures similar to those of pure R-12 or R-134a. To prevent contamination, technicians need education and training, according to Allison. But, he added, a lot of contamination is caused by ignorance. Many times, a technician doesn't know that he's recovering a contaminated refrigerant. That ignorance can be avoided by having the proper equipment in the shop to identify when a refrigerant is contaminated, according to Allison. "I don't own stock in those [refrigerant equipment] companies," he said jokingly since he advocates use of certain equipment, "but there is a point where identifying equipment is essential in a shop." Unless you have equipment to identify what you have, you're merely guessing and are therefore taking a risk, he added. EPA also strongly recommends that technicians obtain identifiers to properly service A/C systems, but EPA does not require their use. Only 31 percent of respondents in IMACA's survey reported they used refrigerant identification equipment in 1997. Of those, 76 percent reported their equipment could identify air. Identifiers can be effective, according to John Rhea, general manager of Environmental Products Division, Yokogawa Corp., but keep in mind that there is no one product that will identify all blends.
Recovering and recycling As a first step, the contaminated or unfamiliar refrigerant must be recovered. EPA prohibits venting any automotive refrigerants (including "unacceptable" refrigerants), no matter what combination of chemicals is in the refrigerant. A technician could permanently dedicate an older piece of equipment in the shop to recovering one or more blend refrigerants. The technician may also use this equipment to recover contaminated R-12 and R-134a and other "mystery mixtures." This equipment, however, may no longer be used to recover uncontaminated R-12 or R-134a. Another option for recovering a blend refrigerant is to use a new piece of EPA-approved equipment designed to recover, but not recycle, any single, specific blend refrigerant. The standards for this type of equipment were recently established by EPA in December 1997. (For more information on this and other new EPA standards, see the sidebar to this article titled, "EPA issues new regulations on MVAC refrigerants.") Once recovered, refrigerant should not be recycled on-site unless it is uncontaminated R-12 or R-134a. EPA regulations do not currently permit the recycling of blend refrigerants - contaminated or not. Recovering contaminated R-12 or R-134a refrigerant into recycling equipment may damage the equipment. EPA currently prohibits the conversion of existing R-12 or R-134a recycling equipment for either temporary or permanent use with a blend refrigerant, and the agency is not aware of any equipment currently on the market designed to recycle any of these blends. Therefore, a blend refrigerant currently must be reclaimed or destroyed after it has been recovered. If you have questions about disposing of specific blend refrigerants, call the refrigerant manufacturer. Most manufacturers of blend refrigerants have made arrangements with specific reclaimers to handle their used refrigerant. EPA is currently working with independent testing laboratories and equipment manufacturers to devise a standard for new equipment that can recover, but not recycle, both multiple blend refrigerants and contaminated R-12 and R-134a. At the same time, it is also trying to devise a standard for new equipment that can both recover and recycle one or more blend refrigerants. The agency expects to finalize a standard for this type of equipment by the end of 1998, and also expects to "grandfather" any equipment purchased in 1998 before the EPA standard becomes finalized. In addition to new equipment, EPA may issue regulations allowing conversions of existing R-12 or R-134a recycling equipment for use with a blend refrigerant.
Storage and disposition In many cases, the contents of the tank should be reclaimed or destroyed. You should investigate all your options and pick the one that makes the most economic sense for you. EPA maintains a list of reclaimers that is available through its hotline, and will update its fact sheet whenever receiving more specific information about which reclaimers will accept mystery mixtures of refrigerant.
Why use blends? Christine Dibble, a policy analyst with the Stratospheric Protection Division, U.S. EPA, said that as of the spring 1997, there were between 30 million and 70 million pounds of R-12 left nationwide. The annual demand in all sectors - automotive and commercial - is between 55 million and 60 million pounds a year. Dibble said there will probably be enough R-12 for 1998 and possibly 1999, depending on the weather and other factors, including successful recycling of current supplies of R-12. In addition, R-134a is plentiful, cheap and universally accepted. Why "rock the boat" by using blends? "The alternatives are available and they do work," said Joe Fortunato, technical director for McMullin Oil Products Inc., an alternative blend manufacturer. He contends that their product consistently outperforms R-12 and R-134a "when used correctly." Fortunato performed tests on seven vehicles using R-12, R-134a and the company's blend in all seven cars. In every instance, the pressure and temperature readings showed the blend to be equal to or better than the other two refrigerants. Allison thinks the issue of component compatibility with alternative blends hasn't been settled. Yes, some blends have performed well in studies, he said, but the industry still does not know about the material compatibility of blends with A/C systems and their components. Based on information available today, Allison says he would still use R-134a because of unknowns about the material capability issue of alternative blends. As far as he knows, there have been no extensive studies of the effects of blends on material components of A/C systems.
Retrofits According to IMACA's survey, almost 73 percent of responding shops performed retrofits in 1997. Of that 73 percent, 92 percent identified R-134a as their refrigerant of choice for retrofits. Six percent of respondents did not answer and 2 percent identified a blend as their refrigerant of choice. EPA's Dibble thinks that in the summer of 1997, there were between two million and three million retrofits performed. For the upcoming summer, she estimates that between three million to four million retrofits will be performed throughout the country.
Retrofitting blends As a service shop owner, Fortunato estimates he has retrofitted between 200-300 cars to McMullin's product. He uses the product in his own cars and says he has over 60,000 miles on some of them without experiencing any significant problems. According to Forrest Blackburn, vice president of operations, sales and marketing for Alternative Gases LP, retrofitting an R-12 system to the company's blend also requires less time than retrofitting to R-134a. When retrofitting, he said, the technician simply removes the R-12, changes the high-side and low-side settings, and charges the blend in.
How will blends survive? "I'm seeing a variety of problems with R-134a [within the shop]." He says he has seen evaporator failures, compressor failures, condenser leaks and O-ring leaks. Fortunato contends that R-134a advocates are criticizing blends without actually trying the product. "You shouldn't condemn a product you haven't tried," he said. Both Fortunato and Blackburn say their products perform better than R-134a, require less time to retrofit than doing so to R-134a and are cheap. They blame misinformation for some of the negative perceptions associated with blends. The industry tends to group all alternatives together, according Blackburn. "We're not in this for the short term," he said. They offer a warranty program whereby if it can be proven that their refrigerant caused damage to any part of the A/C system, his company will repair the damage. Not many blend companies stand behind their products to the same degree, he contends. Blackburn and Fortunato both contend that they receive extremely positive responses from those who attend live demonstrations of the effectiveness of their products. They echoed the same sentiments about what it takes to convince technicians to use these refrigerants: once they see it, they believe it. For more information on refrigerants for MVACs, call EPA's Ozone Protection Hotline at (800) 296-1996, or visit the EPA's Web site at ( http://www.epa.gov/ozone). For information about IMACA's 1997 Retrofit and Refrigerant Contamination Survey, contact IMACA at (817) 338-1100.
Questions to Ask Before Purchasing an Alternative Refrigerant If your shop is considering the use of blends, you should take the time to determine how well an alternative will work and whether it could pose any problems for your customers or liability for you. Consider asking your supplier, whether it is the refrigerant manufacturer or a distributor, the following questions available on EPA's Web site: 1) Is the refrigerant on EPA's SNAP (Significant New Alternatives Policy) Program list of acceptable substitutes? If so, are there any restrictions on how the refrigerant can be used? EPA evaluates the alternative refrigerant's ozone-depleting potential, global warming potential, flammability and toxicity. The SNAP evaluation, however, does not determine whether the alternative will provide adequate performance or will be compatible with the components of an A/C or refrigeration system. 2) What does the system manufacturer have to say about this refrigerant and whether it is compatible with system components? The best source of information on how a given substitute will perform in an A/C system are the manufacturers of the system and its components. In addition to questions about the alternative's performance in a particular end use, you should determine whether charging a system with a new refrigerant will void any warranties. 3) What recycling and/or reclamation standards apply to the refrigerant? Can the refrigerant be recycled or reclaimed to those standards? 4) Has the alternative refrigerant been evaluated by the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI)? If an alternative is to be reclaimed, will it be reclaimed to ARI's 700 standard? If not, then how will the purity of the reclaimed alternative refrigerant be assured? 5) Has the alternative refrigerant been classified by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) under Standard 34? ASHRAE sets many of the stationary A/C and refrigeration industry's standards and guidelines. Standard 34, together with Standard 15, provides a uniform method of rating refrigerants for toxicity and flammability, assigns refrigerant numbers (e.g., R-12 or R-502), and establishes safe practices in designing and installing equipment. ASHRAE classification is not required to gain SNAP acceptability. 6) Is the alternative refrigerant flammable? 7) Is the refrigerant readily and widely available? 8) What is my liability if I sell an alternative not yet approved by EPA or if I put it in a customer's system? Under EPA regulations, a refrigerant manufacturer must submit information on a new refrigerant for SNAP review at least 90 days before marketing the product. However, the Clean Air Act does not prohibit sale and use of that refrigerant after the 90-day period. Thus, if the Agency is still engaged in its review when the 90 days elapses, the product can be sold and used, even though it is not "EPA approved." However, EPA may later determine that the product is unacceptable under SNAP's conditions. It makes sense then to determine whether SNAP review is complete - if not, it may be only temporarily legal to use the alternative refrigerant. If you purchased the refrigerant during the SNAP review, and EPA later determines that it is unacceptable, you may be stuck with a large inventory of refrigerant no one can legally use! The Clean Air Act only granted EPA the authority to regulate the use of alternative refrigerants, not the sale of them. Even if EPA determines that an alternative is unacceptable, it is still legal to sell it. However, putting it in a customer's A/C or refrigeration system is considered use, not sale. A service technician who charges a system with an unacceptable refrigerant may be subject to a $25,000 fine and up to five years of jail time. These questions were compiled by EPA's Stratospheric Protection Division. To obtain further information, call EPA's Ozone Protection Hotline (800-296-1996) or visit EPA's Web site (http://www.epa.gov/ozone/title6/609/).
EPA Issues New Regulations on MVAC Refrigerants
Refrigerant recovered from motor vehicle disposal facilities
Mobile recovery and recycling
Record-keeping requirements
Technician training and certification
Sales restrictions
Other practices The new regulations also require those who handle motor vehicle refrigerants to invest in the necessary equipment and training. No longer can uncertified technicians charge or "top off" air conditioners. Automotive Service Association (ASA) Washington Representative Bob Redding said, "This new regulation is positive overall for our members and member businesses. ASA has supported the requirement that all technicians handling motor vehicle refrigerants be certified; however, this could mean that certain entities that rarely service air conditioners could vent the refrigerant into the atmosphere. This regulation addresses this by allowing the mobile recovery and reducing of refrigerants. This new regulation is good for ASA members and for the environment." For a free copy of EPA's "Final Rule Governing Substitutes for CFC-12 Refrigerant in MVACs" or "Recovering Refrigerant at Salvage Yards and Other Motor Vehicle Disposal Facilities," please call ASA's Mechanical Division at (800) 272-7467, ext. 224.
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Copyright (c) 1996-2009. Automotive Service Association®. All rights reserved.
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In just a few short years, the motor vehicle air conditioner (MVAC) industry has faced an assortment of fairly new vocabulary words - such as reclaim, recover, recycle, fractionation and toxicity - and new acronyms - including EPA, SNAP Program, PAG, POE and HFC - which have changed the way MVAC companies do business, according to Frank Allison, executive director of the International Mobile Air Conditioning Association (IMACA).
Identifying refrigerants
