Maintenance

FORM 160.81-NOM1 (1001)

CHECKING SYSTEM FOR LEAKS be considered tight. If refrigerant is detected at the

vents, the heads must be removed, the leak located
Leak Testing During Operation (by means of soap test or leak detector) and repaired.
The refrigerant side of the system is carefully pressure 3. When absolute tightness of the system has been
tested and evacuated at the factory. established, blow the mixture of nitrogen and re-
frigerant through the charging valve.
After the system is in operation under load, the high
pressure components should be carefully leak tested EVACUATION AND DEHYDRATION OF UNIT
with a leak detector to be sure all joints are tight.
Vacuum Dehydration
If a leak exists, frequent purging will be required or Should the chiller be opened to the atmosphere for
refrigerant will be lost. lengthy repair or service, follow the Vacuum Dehydra-
tion Guidelines to ensure that all air, moisture and non-
If any leaks are indicated, they must be repaired imme- condensable gases are removed prior to placing the
diately. Usually, leaks can be stopped by tightening flare chiller into service.
nuts or flange bolts. However, if it is necessary to re-
pair a welded joint, the refrigerant charge must be re- Vacuum Testing
moved. (See “Handling Refrigerant for Dismantling and After the pressure test has been completed, the vacuum
Repair,” page 45.) test should be conducted as follows:
Conducting R-134a Pressure Test 1. Connect a high capacity vacuum pump, with indica-
tor, to the system charging valve as shown in Figure
With the R-134a charge removed and all known leaks 26 and start the pump. (See “Vacuum Dehydration”.)
repaired, the system should be charged with a small 2. Open wide all system valves, including the purge
amount of R-134a mixed with dry nitrogen so that a and gauge valves. Be sure all valves to the atmo-
halide torch or electronic leak detector can be used to sphere are closed.
detect any leaks too small to be found by the soap test.
3. Operate the vacuum pump in accordance with
To test with R-134a, proceed as follows: VACUUM DEHYDRATION until a wet bulb tem-
perature of +32°F or a pressure of 5 mm Hg is
1. With no pressure in the system, charge R-134a gas reached. See Table 11 for corresponding values of
and dry nitrogen into the system through the charg- pressure.
ing valve to a pressure of 150 PSIG.
4. To improve evacuation circulate hot water (not to
2. To be sure that the concentration of refrigerant has exceed 125°F) through the cooler and condenser
reached all parts of the system, slightly open the tubes to thoroughly dehydrate the shells. If a source
oil charging valve and test for the presence of re- of hot water is not readily available, a portable wa-
frigerant with a leak detector. ter heater should be employed. DO NOT USE
3. Test around each joint and factory weld. It is im- STEAM. A suggested method is to connect a hose
portant that this test be thoroughly and carefully between the source of hot water under pressure and
done, spending as much time as necessary and us- the cooler head drain connection, out the cooler vent
ing a good leak detector. connection, into the condenser head drain and out
4. To check for refrigerant leaks in the cooler and con- the condenser vent. To avoid the possibility of caus-
denser, open the vents in the cooler and condenser ing leaks, the temperature should be brought up
heads and test for the presence of refrigerant. If no slowly so that the tubes and shell are heated evenly.
refrigerant is present, the tubes and tube sheets may

42 YORK INTERNATIONAL
 FORM 160.81-NOM1 (1001)

27385A(D)

LD00949

FIG. 17 – EVACUATION OF UNIT

TABLE 11 – SYSTEM PRESSURES

GAUGE ABSOLUTE BOILING

MILLIMETERS TEMPERATURES
PSIG PSIA kPa OF MERCURY MICRONS OF WATER
(mmHg) °F °C
250 264.7 1823
200 214.7 1479
Atmospheric 100 114.7 790
Pressure
At Sea Level –
14.696 PSIA
0 14.696 101.3 760 760,000 212 100
10.24" 9.629 66.3 500 500,000 192 86.9
22.05" 3.865 26.6 200 200,000 151 66.1
25.98" 1.935 13.3 100 100,000 124 51.1
27.95" .968 6.7 50 50,000 101 38.3 5
Includes Mercury (Hg) below
one atmosphere (gauge)

28.94" .481 3.3 25 25,000 78 25.6

FIELD EVACUATION FREEZES

29.53" .192 1.3 10 10,000 52 11.1 RECOMMENDED WATER
29.72" .099 .68 5 5,000 35 1.7
29.842" .039 .27 2 2,000 15 –9.4 CONDITIONS

29.882" .019 1111.13 1.0 1,000 +1 –17.2

29.901" .010 .069 .5 500 –11 –23.9
29.917" .002 .014 .1 100 –38 –38.9
29.919" .001 .0069 .05 50 –50 –45.5
29.9206" .0002 .0014 .01 10 –70 –56.6
29.921" 0 0 0 0

* Based Upon Standard Atmosphere NOTES: PSIG = lbs. per sq. in. gauge pressure
Standard Atmosphere = 14.696 PSIA = Pressure above atmospheric
= Atmospheric Pressure at Sea Level PSIA = lbs. per sq. in. Absolute Pressure
= 760 Mm Gh. Absolute Pressure at 32°F = Sum of Gauge plus Atmospheric Pressure
= 29.921 inches Hg. Hg = Mercury
kPa = kilopascals

YORK INTERNATIONAL 43
 Maintenance
FORM 160.81-NOM1 (1001)

5. Close the system charging valve and the stop valve The refrigerant charge level must be checked after the
between the vacuum indicator and the vacuum pressure and temperature have equalized between the
pump (See Fig. 18.). Then disconnect the vacuum condenser and cooler. This would be expected to be 4
pump leaving the vacuum indicator in place. hours or more after the compressor and water pumps
6. Hold the vacuum obtained in Step 3 in the system are stopped. The level should be at the center of the
for 8 hours; the slightest rise in pressure indicates upper sight glass.
a leak or the presence of moisture, or both. If, after
8 hours the wet bulb temperature in the vacuum Charge the refrigerant in accordance with the method
indicator has not risen above 40°F or a pressure of shown under “Refrigerant Charging.” The refrigerant
6.3 mm Hg, the system may be considered tight. level should be observed and the level recorded after
initial charging.
Be sure the vacuum indicator is valved
off while holding the system vacuum VACUUM DEHYDRATION
and be sure to open the valve between
the vacuum indicator and the system To obtain a sufficiently dry system, the following in-
when checking the vacuum after the structions have been assembled to provide an effec-
8 hour period. tive method for evacuating and dehydrating a system
in the field. Although there are several methods of
7. If the vacuum does not hold for 8 hours within the
dehydrating a system, we are recommending the fol-
limits specified in Step 6 above, the leak must be
lowing, as it produces one of the best results, and af-
found and repaired.
fords a means of obtaining accurate readings as to the
extent of dehydration.
To avoid the possibility of freezing liquid within the
cooler tubes when charging an evacuated system, only
The equipment required to follow this method of dehy-
refrigerant vapor from the top of the drum or cylinder
dration consists of a wet bulb indicator or vacuum
must be admitted to the system pressure until the sys-
gauge, a chart showing the relation between dew point
tem pressure is raised above the point corresponding to
temperature and pressure in inches of mercury
the freezing point of the cooler liquid. For water, the
(vacuum), (See Table 11) and a vacuum pump capable
pressure corresponding to the freezing point is 57.5
of pumping a suitable vacuum on the system.
PSIG for R-134a (at sea level).
OPERATION
While charging, every precaution must be taken to pre-
vent moisture laden air from entering the system. Make Dehydration of a refrigerant system can be obtained by
up a suitable charging connection from new copper tub- this method because the water present in the system
ing to fit between the system charging valve and the reacts much as a refrigerant would. By pulling down
fitting on the charging cylinder. This connection should the pressure in the system to a point where its satura-
be as short as possible but long enough to permit suffi- tion temperature is considerably below that of room
cient flexibility for changing cylinders. The charging temperature, heat will flow from the room through the
connection should be purged each time a full container walls of the system and vaporize the water, allowing a
of refrigerant is connected and changing containers large percentage of it to be removed by the vacuum
should be done as quickly as possible to minimize the pump. The length of time necessary for the dehydra-
loss of refrigerant. tion of a system is dependent on the size or volume of
the system, the capacity and efficiency of the vacuum
CHECKING THE REFRIGERANT CHARGE
pump, the room temperature and the quantity of water
DURING UNIT SHUTDOWN
present in the system. By the use of the vacuum indica-
The refrigerant charge is specified for each chiller tor as suggested, the test tube will be evacuated to the
model. Charge the correct amount of refrigerant and same pressure as the system, and the distilled water will
record the level in the cooler sight glass. be maintained at the same saturation temperature as any
free water in the system, and this temperature can be
The refrigerant charge should always be checked and observed on the thermometer.
trimmed when the system is shut down.

44 YORK INTERNATIONAL