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Recovery
Recovery refers to the removal of refrigerant from
equipment and collection in an appropriate con-
tainer. As defined by the Air Conditioning and
Refrigeration Institute (ARI), recovery does not
involve processing or analysis of the refrigerants.
Suva
®
HP refrigerants may be recovered from re-
frigeration equipment using permanent on-site
equipment or many of the portable recovery devices
now available in the marketplace. The portable
devices contain a small compressor and an air-
cooled condenser, and may be used for vapor (and
in some cases, liquid) recovery. At the end of the
recovery cycle, the system is evacuated thoroughly
to remove vapors. In the United States, the Environ-
mental Protection Agency (EPA) sets standards for
recovery equipment. Before purchasing a specific
recovery unit, check with the manufacturer to be
sure that it contains proper materials of construc-
tion and lubricant for the refrigerants you intend to
recover.
Due to the fact that Suva
®
HP products are not
azeotropes, it is important that all refrigerant is
removed from a system during recovery or recycle.
It is always recommended that refrigerant transfers
be made liquid phase whenever possible to mini-
mize composition changes in the products.
Recycle
Refrigerant recycle refers to reducing the contami-
nant levels in used refrigerants by passing the re-
frigerants through devices that separate out or
reduce the amount of lubricant, water, acidity and
particulates. Recycle is usually a field or shop pro-
cedure with no analytical testing of refrigerant.
Suva
®
HP refrigerants may be recycled using many
of the devices now available. In the United States,
the EPA sets standards for these devices. Recycle
is already standard practice in many portions of
the commercial refrigeration industry. Consult with
the manufacturer before specifying a recycle device
for any refrigerant.
If you routinely recycle Suva
®
HP refrigerants
through several cycles, we recommend that you
have the composition of the refrigerant checked
periodically. This will prevent loss of performance
in the unlikely event that the composition has
shifted.
Reclamation
Reclamation refers to the reprocessing of used re-
frigerant to new product specifications. Quality of
the reclaimed product is verified by chemical analy-
sis. In the United States, Suva
®
HP refrigerants are
included in DuPont’s refrigerant reclamation pro-
gram. Contact DuPont or one of our authorized
distributors for further information.
Reclamation offers advantages over on-site refrig-
erant recycling procedures because recycling sys-
tems cannot guarantee complete removal of all
contaminants. Putting refrigerants that do not meet
new product specifications into expensive equip-
ment may cause damage.
Disposal
Disposal refers to the destruction of used refriger-
ant. Disposal may be necessary when the refriger-
ant has become badly contaminated with other
products and no longer meets the acceptance speci-
fications of DuPont or other reclaimers. Although
DuPont does not presently accept severely contami-
nated refrigerant for disposal, licensed waste dis-
posal firms are available. Be sure to check the
qualifications of any firm before sending them
used refrigerants.
