Volatile Substance Recovery Method and Apparatus

摘要

Refrigerant or other volatile substance is extracted from a refrigeration system by applying a reduced pressure intermittently to it. The reduced pressure may be applied from a reservoir (2) that is evacuated substantially constantly by a vacuum pump (4), the reservoir being connected intermittently to the system. The reduced pressure may be pulsed on and off; this causes instantaneous boiling or flashing of the refrigerant or volatile substance within the system, such that it is extracted as a liquid and vapour mixture. As a result, much of the substance can be extracted largely as liquid, so that the latent heat of evaporation of the liquid is extracted outside the refrigeration system, thereby avoiding excessive cooling within the system.