Customer
A major HVAC system manufacturer providing residential and light commercial packaged Air Conditioners & Heat Pumps who had a corporate mandate to reduce refrigerant emissions while processing their refrigerant systems to zero.
Application
Processing of packaged air conditioner and heat pump systems Involves charging the system with high pressure refrigerant after the evacuation process. Typically, the unit will have a connector e.g., Fastest’s OEM SnapMate™, connected to the refrigeration unit via a CoreMax Valve which travels with it along the production line. This works well except at the charging station where the high pressure present in the charge line makes it difficult to connect the Tool by hand. To overcome these ergonomic challenges a “better” Tool solution was required.
Challenge
- The first being the physical effort required to make the Coupler connection at the charging station and the associated ergonomic and safety Issues with it.
- Although Infrequent, occasionally the connector could vibrate loose during charging from the motion of the assembly line or a technician jostling It. FasTest has more than 20 years of experience supplying custom leak test connectors to the leading global Automotive manufacturers. Through a dedicated team of expert Custom Engineers and a desire to develop partnering customer relationships, Fastest provides optimized solutions that turn production challenges into a win/win outcome for everyone involved
- The second challenge they were facing was the refrigerant escaping to the atmosphere as a result of workers struggling to make the connection and the additional refrigerant escaping from the connector when disconnecting after charging was complete.
Project Goals
- Make the connection of the charge line to the unit at the charge station easy and leak-free thus reducing/ eliminating ergonomic and safety issues.
- Eliminate all release of refrigerant to the atmosphere.
- Eliminate the potential for unintended disconnection while charging.
Solution
FasTest engineers worked with the customer to develop the CoreMax RQD connector tool. The new connector incorporated a manually actuated shut off valve and an integral “Reclaim” port that can be activated to prevent refrigerant loss to the environment. The customer chose FasTest as a partner because they were impressed by the company’s technical innovation, support, and customer service over the years. They were confident that FasTest could devise a solution and support them through engineering, development, and implementation.
Results
After Implementation and an evaluation period to collect data, the results demonstrated that the CoreMax RQD connector completely eliminated the challenge of making the connection to a pressurized charge line. In addition, The unique “Reclaim” port of the CoreMax RQD allowed a recovery system to be connected to capture all refrigerant, preventing any to escape to atmosphere. Finally, the “Locking Sleeve” design of the CoreMax RQD made It Impossible for the connector to become Inadvertently disconnected while pressure was present.
