Measurement of Refrigerant Emissions from Mobile A/C Systems

The regulating authorities are progressively introducing stricter standards with lower allowable leak rates. Manufacturers of Mobile A/C have therefore been looking for new measurement methods and techniques that meet both the challenges of measuring the new generation of refrigerant gases and of the high sensitivity and accuracy required for very low leak rate quantification.

The PAS technique provides an accurate and rapid result with a high rate of repeatability, even at very low emission rates, such as those that occur at low to moderate temperatures.

The Photoacoustic Gas Monitors INNOVA 1512 / 1314i are well suited for these types of laboratory measurements. The monitor is easily operated and can measure R134a and HFO-1234yf in less than 20 seconds including compensation for water vapor.

With a highly flexible design based on a multi-optical filter wheel and multi-calibration banks in memory, the same monitor can be advantageously used as analytical instrument for various setups performing testing on different types of refrigerant gases.

The detection limit for the Photoacoustic Gas Monitor Innova 1512 for the gases of interest are:

• 0.01 ppm for R134a
• 0.2 ppm for HFO-1234yf
• 1.5 ppm for CO₂