METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR EFFICIENTLY RECOVERING REFRIGERANT AS WELL AS ADSORPTION TANK

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To remarkably reduce refrigerant amount (e.g. reduced from 5 to 10% of prior art to about 1%) retained in an equipment (e.g. refrigerator) sealed with refrigerant. SOLUTION: A recovering unit of prior art is shown above a border lineα-αdrawn by a chain line, and a constitution part added by applying this invention is shown below the lineα-α. Most of refrigerant (fluorocarbon) in a refrigerator 1 is recovered by the unit of the prior art (upper half of the drawing) and stored in a refrigerant tank 5. When residual refrigerant gas pressure in the refrigerator 1 is lowered to a predetermined value, a three-way valve 12 is switched, it is thoroughly sucked in vacuum by a vacuum pump 13 to suck the refrigerant in the refrigerator 1. Discharge gas of the pump 13 is introduced into an adsorption tank 8, and refrigerant gas is adsorbed and recovered. Non- condensible gas which is not adsorbed is released from a check valve 8b.