Refrigerants and the environment

CHAPTER 5
Refrigerants and the Environment

Automotive Heating and Air Conditioning, 6/e
By Thomas S. Birch
Copyright © 2012, 2010, 2006, 2001, 1997, 1991 Pearson Education
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 • All rights reserved.2
KEY TERMS
• Blend
• Clean Air Act
• Drop in
• EPA (Environmental Protection
Agency)
• Fractionation
• Glide
• Global warming
• Global warming potential (GWP)
• Greenhouse effect
• Greenhouse gases (GHGs)
• Heel
• Ozone
• Ozone depletion potential (ODP)
• Recovery
• Recycling
• SAE (Society of Automotive
Engineers)
• Section 609
• Small can
• SNAP (Significant New
Alternatives Policy)
• Stratosphere
• Topping off
• Vent
• Zeotrope

By Thomas S. Birch
After studying Chapter 5, the reader will be able to:
1. Discuss the ozone layer and the adverse effects
of a CFC on it.
2. Discuss global warming and the effect of
greenhouse gases.
3. Explain the effects of the Montreal and Kyoto
Protocols on automotive A/C servicing.
4. Understand what refrigerants are and the
important safety concerns related to them.
5. Describe what the next generation of HVAC
systems might be.
OBJECTIVES

Objectives (1 of 2)
• Define the term air conditioning.
• Discuss the historic developments of modern
refrigeration.
• Discuss the advantages of air conditioning in the
automotive industry.
• Explain the importance of the ozone layer.
• Discuss what the automotive industry is doing about
the ozone depletion problem.
• Discuss what the government is doing about the
ozone depletion problem.
• Describe how ozone is created.
• Describe how ozone is destroyed.

Objectives (2 of 2)
• Discuss the Clean Air Act
• Discuss Ozone Protection Regulations
• Describe Technician Certification
• Explain Special Safety Precautions
• Discuss the types of antifreeze/coolant used
• Discuss hazardous materials used.
• Describe toxic gases

By Thomas S. Birch
R134A
• Combustible at high pressures if mixed with air.
• Air Should not used to flush system due to fire or
explosion.

By Thomas S. Birch
INTRODUCTION
• OZONE DEPLETION
• GLOBAL WARMING AND GREENHOUSE
GASES

By Thomas S. Birch
Ozone Layer
• Blocks out ultraviolet wavelengths of light
generated by the sun
• Ultraviolet light causes skin cancer and cataracts
in eyes and damage to immune system
• Damage to plants and vegetables
• Plankton and larvae in the sea
• Why is it gone? Man made chemicals (Chlorine)
from R-12
• Chlorinated fluorocarbon (CFC)

By Thomas S. Birch
Greenhouse gases
• Gas layer traps heat at earth atmosphere
• Increasing the temperature of our living area

By Thomas S. Birch
LEGISLATION
• At a conference in Montreal, Canada, in 1987, the
United States, along with 22 other countries,
agreed to limit the production of ozone-depleting
chemicals.
• This agreement is referred to as the Montreal
Protocol.
• In 1990, President Bush (senior) signed the Clean
Air Act , which phased out the production of CFCs
in the United States by the year 2000.
• In 1993, the phaseout of CFC-12 was moved
forward; R-12 production in the United States
ceased at the end of 1995.

By Thomas S. Birch
LEGISLATION
• Section 609 is a portion of the Clean Air Act that
places certain requirements on the mobile vehicle
air conditioning (MVAC) service field.
• EUROPEAN R-134A PHASEOUT
• http://www.macsw.org/AM/Template.cfm?Sectio
n=Section_609

By Thomas S. Birch
TECH TIP
• New SAE standards J2788 and J2791 have
improved refrigerant
recovery/recycling/recharging machine and
electronic leak detector performance, which
should reduce refrigerant emissions as well as
improve HVAC system service.

By Thomas S. Birch
RECOVERY AND RECYCLING
• RECOVERING CONTAMINATED REFRIGERANT
• Recovery container should be gray with yellow
top labeled mixed, junk, dirty. Then sent off to
firms that specialize in disposal and recovery of
mixtures.
• Recovery container recertified every 5 yrs.
• Failure to recertify is 25K fine
• Air powered recovery for flammables or unknown
mixtures

By Thomas S. Birch
REFRIGERANTS
• ALTERNATE REFRIGERANTS FOR R-12
• ALTERNATE REFRIGERANTS, R-134A
• COUNTERFEIT AND BOOTLEG
REFRIGERANTS
• FUTURE REFRIGERANTS AND SYSTEMS
• R1234yf, R-152A, Co2, HC
• REFRIGERANT SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
• Europeans will begin ban on R134A in 2011

By Thomas S. Birch
TECH TIP
• A crude but effective way to tell how much
refrigerant or, with barbecue grills, propane is
in a container is to pour hot water over the
container. The heat will warm the top of the
container, cause some of the liquid to boil,
and increase container pressure, and if you
feel along the container, the liquid will cool the
lower part. The liquid fills the container to the
point of temperature change.

By Thomas S. Birch
SAFETY NOTE
• A wise technician wears safety goggles or a
clear face shield and protective clothing
(gloves) when working with refrigerants. If
refrigerant splashes into your eyes, blindness
can occur. If refrigerant splashes into your eye
or onto your skin, do not rub that body part;
flush it with cool, clean water to restore the
temperature. Place sterile gauze over the eye
to keep it clean and get professional medical
attention immediately.

By Thomas S. Birch

Air Conditioning Defined
• The process by which air is:
– Cooled
– Heated
– Cleaned or filtered
– Humidified or Dehumidified
– Circulated or Recirculated

Historic developments of modern
refrigeration
• 10,000 B.C.
– Bleeding water through
pores in barrel
• 1910
– First domestic
refrigeration
• 1940
– Packard uses the first
automotive cooling
system
• 1960
– Cadillac first modern
automotive air
conditioning system

Advantages of air conditioning in the
automotive industry
• Keeps people fresh and alert for business
meetings and personal business
• Reduces allergic reactions
• Lowers tension
• Meet customer demands for comfort

What Is Ozone?
• Ozone is a molecule of three oxygen
atoms bound together (O3).
• It is unstable and highly reactive.
• Ozone is used as a bleach, a deodorizing
agent, and a sterilization agent for air and
drinking water.
• At low concentrations, it is toxic.

Ozone
• Protective ozone lies in
the stratosphere
– 9-22 miles (15-35 km)
above the earth
• Reduces ultraviolet
(UV) radiation
• Created by oxygen and
UV radiation
• Destroyed by chlorine
– 1 molecule kills 100,000
molecules of ozone
– Chlorofluorocarbons
(CFC)
• freon, halons

Where is Ozone Found? (1 of 2)
• Ozone is found naturally in small concentrations in
the stratosphere, a layer of Earth's upper
atmosphere.
– In this upper atmosphere, ozone is made when UV
light from the sun splits an oxygen molecule, forming
two single oxygen atoms.
• Each single oxygen atom then binds to an oxygen molecule to
form ozone.
• Stratospheric ozone is considered “good” ozone
because it protects the Earth's surface from
dangerous ultraviolet light.

Where is Ozone Found? (2 of 2)
• Ozone is also found in the troposphere.
– The troposphere is the lowest layer of the earth’s
atmosphere, where we live and breathe every day.
• Ozone that exists in the troposphere is often
referred to as bad ozone.
– It is the result of air pollution from power plants and
internal combustion engines.

The Ozone Layer Hole
• Over Antarctica
Ozone hole over Antarctica
January 2008
Courtesy of NASA

How Does CFC reach the
Stratosphere?
• Even though CFC
molecules are heavier
than air they are
swept up to the
stratosphere by the
earths winds.
• This process can take
as long as ten years.

How is Ozone in the Stratosphere
Being Destroyed?
• Chlorine gas
– Enters the
stratosphere as CFC
– May linger in the
stratosphere for 100
years or more

Why does CFC break down in the
stratosphere?
• Sunlight causes CFC to
release its chlorine atom.
• 1 chlorine molecule kills
100,000 molecules of ozone
• This chlorine atom reacts
with ozone to produce
chlorine monoxide and free
oxygen.
– For each 1 percent
reduction in ozone, 1.5
to 2 percent more UV
radiation reaches the
surface of the earth.

Effects of Loss of Ozone on
Human Health and Plant Life
• Increased levels of
UV radiation
• Effects on humans
– Increased risk of all
types of skin cancer
– Increased risk of
cataracts, which can
lead to blindness

Effects of Loss of Ozone on
Human Health and Plant Life
• Effects on plant life
– Plankton in the sea and some species of larvae
may be killed off by increasing levels of UV
radiation.
– The corrosive nature of ozone can damage plants
and trees.
– High levels of ozone in the troposphere can
destroy agricultural crops and forest vegetation.

Regulation of Chlorine (1 of 2)
• Clean Air Act (CAA)
– November 15, 1990, President George H. W.
Bush signed into law sweeping revisions of
the Clean Air Act (CAA).
– Title V
• EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)
– A federal agency

Regulation of Chlorine (2 of 2)
• Montreal Protocol
– International
– Require meetings on ozone depletion
– Phase out of all CFC production by 2000
– CFC-12 (R-12)
– Because ozone-depleting gases typically last 40
to 100 years in the atmosphere, full recovery is
not expected to be reached before 2070.

Global Warming and
the Greenhouse Effect (1 of 2)
• Solar radiation
passes through the
clear atmosphere.
• Most of the radiation
is absorbed by the
earth’s surface to
warm it.
• Some of the solar
radiation is reflected
by the earth and the
atmosphere.

Global Warming and
the Greenhouse Effect (2 of 2)
• Some of the infrared
radiation that passed
through the
atmosphere is
absorbed and
readmitted in all
directions by
greenhouse gas
molecules. The effect of
this is to warm the
lower atmosphere.
– Greenhouse gases, in
effect, work like a
blanket, warming the
lower atmosphere.

Two Common Automotive Refrigerants
• R-134a (HFC-134a)
• R-12 (CFC-12) on pre-1994 vehicles
• HFO-1234yf
– http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-
20038449-48.html

Refrigerant Cylinders
• R-134a (HFC-134a)
refrigerant containers
are Sky Blue in color.
• R-12 (CFC-12)
refrigerant containers
are White in color.
• DOT-approved
Refrigerant containers
may be non-refillable
disposable containers
or refillable containers

Refillable Refrigerant Cylinders
• Refillable refrigerant
containers must be
inspected and
recertified every 5
years.
– Refer to the date code
stamped on the rim of
the cylinder to determine
the last date of
inspection.
– Cylinder should never be
filled beyond 80% of its
rated capacity.
– Cylinder should never be
exposed to temperatures
above 125°F (52°C)

Certifications
• EPA Certification
– Under the Clean Air Act (CAA) a technician servicing
a motor vehicle air conditioning (MVAC) system must
be EPA 609-certified.
– This is an open book test
• Certification is available through organizations such as
Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) and Mobile Air
Conditioning Society (MACS), to name a few.
• A.S.E. Certification
– A.S.E. is a voluntary certification system
– A.S.E. A7- Auto Heating and Air Conditioning test is
not a substitute for EPA 609-certified.

Injuries as a Result of High Pressure
• One of the basic characteristics of
automotive HVAC systems is the use of
fluids, which may be in either the gas or
liquid state.
• In addition these fluids are often under
varying pressures.
• These fluids when contained in a confined
chamber exert Hydrostatic pressure.
– Extreme care must be taken not to overfill or
overheat a confined fluid.

Special Safely Precautions
• Always wear eye protection when working in shop areas or when
servicing mechanical equipment in any setting.
• Eye Damage - If refrigerant enters the eyes:
– Do Not rub eyes
– Rinse eyes with cool water
– Call 911
– Tape sterile dressing over the eye to prevent further exposure to
unsanitary conditions and to protect eyes. Do not apply salves or
ointments unless directed to by emergency response (911).
– Bring victim immediately to a medical facility (i.e. hospital emergency
room)
• Skin Damage - Refrigerant exposure to the skin can cause series
frost bit.
• Asphyxiation - Refrigerant is heavier than air and can displace
oxygen in a confined space causing drowsiness or unconsciousness
– even death. Always work in a well ventilated space.

By Thomas S. Birch
SUMMARY
1. Refrigerants escaping into the atmosphere can have
detrimental effects on the ozone layer and also increase
climate change and global warming.
2. The Clean Air Act places requirements for technicians to
follow when servicing mobile A/C systems.
3. Before doing work that could release refrigerant from a
system, a technician must recover the refrigerant from that
system.
4. Recycled refrigerant must meet the same standards as
new, virgin refrigerant.
5. The SNAP rule limits which refrigerants can be used in a
system.
6. Safety precautions should be followed when handling
refrigerants.

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