Refrigeration engineers and technicians use refrigerant charging and recovery equipment to work with refrigeration systems. They use tools such as thermometers, leak detection equipment, vacuum pumps, and refrigerant identifiers to diagnose and repair systems. The use of refrigerant equipment and gases is strictly monitored due to their potential danger.
Refrigeration engineer and refrigeration technician work with a variety of equipment and refrigerant gases to perform the tasks. Refrigerating equipment is sometimes called heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment. The equipment used is grouped into two main categories: refrigerant charging equipment and refrigerant recovery equipment.
Refrigerant recharging equipment is used to charge a new refrigeration system or recharge an old system that has lost the ability to provide proper cooling function. This refrigeration equipment is usually very simple, consisting of a pressure gauge, a valve, and a hose with a connector that fits into the inlet port of the refrigeration system. The set of gauges is connected to a tank which holds the refrigerant and the valve is opened to charge the system.
In addition to the set of indicators, refrigeration technicians also use a variety of tools to help diagnose and repair refrigeration systems. Thermometers are used to monitor temperatures of the air coming from refrigeration units and diagnose problems with the system. Leak detection equipment and dye detect areas of the system where refrigerant gases may be leaking. The vacuum pump is a tool used in the maintenance of refrigeration units to remove air or moisture from a system prior to maintenance to prevent damage to the system. A refrigerant identifier can also be used to determine exactly what type of refrigerant gas was used in a machine of unknown origin.
Refrigerant recovery equipment is used to recover refrigerant gases before taking a system out of service, working on a refrigeration system or recharging a system. This type of refrigeration equipment is designed for a particular type of refrigerant gas; mixing gases can be dangerous, so they must be kept separate. This type of refrigerant equipment is commonly found in automotive repair shops, where it is used to de-charge the refrigerant charge from automotive air conditioning systems before servicing the unit.
Since some refrigerant gases are extremely dangerous, both for the operator of the equipment and for the environment, the use of the refrigerant equipment and some gases is strictly monitored. These gases can cause frostbite on contact with the skin and some turn into deadly poisons in the presence of an open flame. Different types of refrigerant gases should not be used in the same system and most gases must be recovered from a system using refrigerant recovery equipment before it is taken out of service or destroyed.
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