Important Safety Information
Like CFCs, Suva
®
refrigerants are safe when
handled properly. However, any refrigerant can
cause injury or even death when mishandled. Please
review the following guidelines before using any
refrigerant.
• Do not work in high concentrations of refriger-
ant vapors. Always maintain adequate ventilation
in the work area. Do not breathe vapors. Do not
breathe lubricant mists from leaking systems.
Ventilate the area well after any leak before
attempting to repair equipment.
• Do not use handheld leak detectors to check for
breathable air. These detectors are not designed
to determine if the air is safe to breathe. Use
oxygen monitors to ensure adequate oxygen is
available to sustain life.
• Do not use flames or torches to search for
leaks. Do not use flames in high concentrations
of refrigerant. Open flames release large quantities
of acidic compounds in the presence of all refrig-
erants, and these compounds can be hazardous.
Do not use torches as leak detectors. Old halide
torches detect chlorine, which may not be present
with new refrigerants. Use an electronic leak
detector designed to find the refrigerants you
are using.
If you detect a visible change in the size or color
of a flame when using torches to repair equip-
ment, stop work immediately and leave the
area. Ventilate the work area well and stop any
refrigerant leaks before resuming work. These
flame effects may be an indication of very high
refrigerant concentrations, and continuing to work
without adequate ventilation may result in injury
or death.
Note: Any refrigerant can be hazardous if used
improperly. Hazards include liquid or vapor under
pressure, and frostbite from the escaping liquid.
Overexposure to high concentrations of vapor
can cause asphyxiation and cardiac arrest. Please
read all safety information before handling any re-
frigerant.
For more detailed information on the properties,
uses, storage, and handling of Suva
®
refrigerants,
see DuPont Technical Bulletin P-134a or P-HP, or
other literature specific to these products. Refer to
the appropriate Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)
for more safety information about each refrigerant.
DuPont Safety Bulletin AS-1 gives additional infor-
mation for safe handling of refrigerants.
Lubricant and Filter Drier
Information
Lubricants
Lubricant selection is based on many factors, in-
cluding compressor wear characteristics, material
compatibility, and lubricant/refrigerant miscibility
that can affect oil return to the compressor. Before
starting a retrofit, consult the compressor manufac-
turer to determine the correct lubricant for your
compressor. Other information sources are DuPont
Refrigerant Distributors, lubricant manufacturers,
and system manufacturers.
Polyol ester (POE) lubricants must be used with
Suva
®
134a, Suva
®
HP62 or Suva
®
507 refriger-
ants. These lubricants are available from DuPont
Refrigerant Distributors. To provide optimum oil
return, equipment using mineral oil or alkylbenzene
must be flushed to remove at least 95% of these
oils. See the retrofit procedures below for more
information.
Special care should be taken when handling POE
lubricants because of their tendency to absorb wa-
ter. Minimize contact with air and store the lubri-
cant in a sealed container.
Filter Drier
Change the filter drier during the retrofit. This is a
routine practice following system maintenance.
There are two types of filter driers commonly used,
solid core and packed bead.
Replace the drier with the same type you currently
use. The drier label will show which refrigerants can
be used with that drier. Check with your DuPont
Refrigerant Distributor for the correct drier to use
in your system.
General Retrofit Information
System Modifications
The compositions of these Suva
®
refrigerants have
been selected to provide performance comparable
with the refrigerants they are replacing in terms of
both capacity and energy efficiency. As a result,
minimal system modifications are anticipated
with retrofitting. Suva
®
HP62 and Suva
®
507 are
near-azeotropes at most temperatures, therefore the
vapor composition in the refrigerant cylinder is
slightly different from the liquid composition.
This small difference will not affect performance
in direct expansion systems, but it could affect per-
formance in systems with flooded evaporators.
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