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Service Engineers’ Section Technical Bulletin No 1

SYSTEM EVACUATION

1. INTRODUCTION - MOISTURE atmosphere is approximately 966

Water may be present in our environment
in the form of a solid (ice), as a liquid
(water) and as a vapour. Water vapour is
always present in the air that surrounds us.
In general we are unable to see this
moisture as the molecules of water vapour
are very small, in a gaseous state, and are
held in suspension in the air. We are
normally only reminded of the presence of
this water vapour, where it condenses in
the atmosphere; for example, our warm
breath on a cold day, clouds, or the vapour
trail of air-craft, etc.
kilometres deep.
Pressure is defined as force per unit area.
Using SI units, we measure pressure in
Pascals (Pa) - 1 Pascal is equal to 1 Newton
/ m2, there being 100 000 Pascals to 1 Bar.
At mean sea level atmospheric pressure,
the weight of the gases and water vapour
comprising the atmosphere in an imaginary
1 m2 perpendicular column extending from
the Earth's surface, exert a force of 101
325 Newtons, or 1013.25 mBar pressure.

Dry air comprises a mixture of gases; 78%

Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen and 1% of other
rarer gases. In our atmosphere, this "dry"
mixture acts as a sponge, and is able to
support a considerable amount of water
vapour before becoming saturated. The
level of moisture present within the air
depends upon changeable atmospheric and
meteorological conditions found locally
around our planet, and is measured as a Figure 1 – Column of atmospheric gases
percentage of the total amount of
moisture that this air will absorb at that As we progressively climb to altitudes
local condition - Relative Humidity (%RH). above mean sea level; the weight of the
atmospheric gases above us reduces, thus
Atmospheric pressure is made up of the
providing a proportional reduction in
mass of the gases forming our atmosphere,
atmospheric pressure.
the mass of water vapour present and the
force of gravity. From mean sea level, our

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If, as an example, we were to ascend to an
altitude of 3048 metres above mean sea
level, the atmospheric pressure exerted on
us would now be less, at 67 000 Pascals, or
670 mBar.
Figure 2 – Atmospheric pressure at altitude
Water is a refrigerant (R 718), and as with
any other refrigerant, we are able to raise,
or lower, the boiling temperature of water
by raising, or lowering, the pressure
exerted upon it's surface. At mean sea
level atmospheric pressure, water can be
boiled in an open vessel at 100 °C. At 3048
metres elevation, where the atmospheric
pressure is lower, water in a similar vessel
will boil at, and never increase in
temperature above, 88 °C.
2. MOISTURE PRESENT WITHIN A
REFRIGERATION SYSTEM
Any amount of water present within a
refrigeration system is a catastrophic
situation which, if left unchecked, will
eventually lead to a major failure of the
system, and require extensive system
cleaning of contamination. It is vital,
therefore, at all stages of service, that any
moisture found to be present within a
system is first identified, and then
provided the appropriate remedial action.
Small amounts of moisture within a system
will react with the system refrigerant and
oil to form acids, which are transferred
around the entire system with the
refrigerant.
Acidic oil and refrigerant present within a
system will cause electrolytic copper
plating of steel surfaces within the
compressor, valves and controls, from
copper pipe work. These copper deposits
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reduce bearing clearances and can cause
close tolerance sliding components to
stick, or seize. Acids present may also
attack the insulation of motor windings,
etc., leading to the electrical burnout of
hermetic compressor motors.
Where air is present within a system,
moisture is usually also present. A
combination of these, together with heat
at the compressor discharge, can cause
sludges to form. High discharge
temperatures, caused by the presence of
the air in the system, can lead to heavy
carbonising of oil at the compressor
discharge valves, which can restrict valve
operation and sealing. This is a cumulative
failure in so far as the compressor
discharge superheat will increase as valves
fail to seal. If the permanently loaded
cylinders become affected in this way, the
compressor motor may not receive
adequate cooling, and may also trip, or
possibly eventually burnout if repeatedly
re-started following a motor safety control
trip.
Sludges coat and block the flow of oil
through strainers, block essential oil
lubrication passage ways, and lead to
scouring and wear to machined faces. A
blocked sump oil filter will lead to oil
pump cavitation, and a consequential lack
of oil feed and lubrication to bearings.
Liquid line moisture indicators, copper
plating of machined steel faces, rust and
sludge found in compressor sumps and
copper flakes embedded into carbon shaft-
seal faces are all signs of the unacceptable
presence of moisture within a system.
Moisture in greater quantities, which could
be caused by the failure of a heat-
exchange vessel containing water on the
secondary circuit, will have more
immediate effects upon the system,
depending on the quantity present.
Water droplets may initially cause a
restriction to the flow of refrigerant
through expansion devices, reducing the
temperature at the orifice below the
freezing temperature of the free water
and causing a cumulative blockage as ice
forms. Large quantities of water will block
April 2000

liquid line filter / drier cores, and may
also be circulated around the lubrication
circuit, having displaced the oil. This is
possibly the worst system scenario, and
the main subject of this Service Technique
Bulletin.
3. THE ELIMINATION OF MOISTURE FROM
A SYSTEM
This section is deliberately not called
"EVACUATION", as the first action taken by
some service engineers, to remove system
moisture, is to connect a vacuum pump.
Let us first reflect on our diagnosis of the
presence of moisture.
• On internal inspection, is there a
physical presence of water within the
system in the form of droplets, or
puddles?!!
• Has the presence of moisture affected
the flow of refrigerant, during
operation?
• Or is there evidence of the presence of
moisture through the colour change of
a moisture indicator, oil analysis,
copper plating, sludge, etc.?
Small amounts of free moisture may simply
be removed from a system by the repeated
replacement of liquid line drier cores and
compressor oil charge. Simple, if the cause
was previously sloppy service work.
Sometimes, however, experience provides
some cynicism, and the moisture may be
present from a more sinister source.
Where a heat-exchanger has been
suspected as leaking due to the moisture
content of the system, or where larger
quantities of water are found to be
present, the refrigerant and oil charges
must first be removed, by qualified
personnel and to mandatory procedures,
for disposal. The water-side of each heat
exchanger must first be drained, the
system then leakage pressure tested to
trace the point(s) of leakage. Remember;
there may be more than one.
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There is a common mistake that can be
made during system service, whereby
chilled water is allowed to continue to
flow through the evaporator of a system
with a refrigerant circuit open to
atmospheric pressure. As the chilled
water temperature is likely to be below
the dew point temperature of the plant
room, large amounts of water can
condense on the inside of the refrigerant
circuit, compounding an already difficult
task. Remember to valve-off the water
flow to the chiller worked on!
The identification of the leakage is
extremely important, as to evacuate a
system with a leakage still evident will
allow the further ingress of air, moisture,
and possibly quantities of water, if the
leakage was at a water chiller evaporator,
or water-cooled condenser. Evacuation of
moisture from a system will only be
effective where only small amounts of free
moisture exist - that is, moisture present
in the vapour-state. If large quantities of
liquid water are present within the system,
preliminary works to remove this water
will need be in place before a vacuum
pump is put anywhere near the serviced
plant.
If we take for our example a leakage to
the evaporator of a water-cooled,
packaged water chiller, it may be common
for the water-side pressure of the vessel to
exceed the refrigerant-side pressure. Once
the refrigerant pressure, through leakage,
falls to and below the water-side pressure,
the system will fill with water - a truly
catastrophic event, especially where the
compressor continues to operate as the
low-pressure safety control, if set too low,
may not trip due to the water pressure.
This type of failure would require each
individual major component of the system
to be disconnected and treated separately.
The compressor would obviously undergo a
complete strip-down, cleaning and drying
process, paying particular attention to
blowing-through and clearing all oil
passageways and unit capillary lines with
Oxygen-free, dry Nitrogen. The motor
would require more specialist attention.
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The drier cores and moisture indicator
should be discarded, and all refrigerant
controls stripped and cleaned. Where
pressure transducers cannot quickly be
freed of contamination, or relief valve
renovation impractical, they too should be
discarded, and replaced later with new.
4. THE REMOVAL OF WATER
We are normally unable to up-end vessels
to drain water, and due to vessel codings
we cannot drill or cut into them without
breaching the code. The only really safe
and effective way to ensure water removal
from a water-cooled condenser is to
isolate the liquid line shut-off valve, and
introduce OFN through the discharge
valve. Pressurise the vessel to a pressure
safely below the vessels allowable
pressure, i.e 7.0 Barg. The pressure must
then be released quickly from the liquid
line, preferably through a globe valve
fitted. Through repetition, much of the
water may be removed by this method, as
it will become entrained with the velocity
of the quickly purged OFN. Any water
trapping in the liquid line pipe-work may
be drained from holes drilled at the lowest
level - to be brazed later. This does not
affect vessel codes.
Figure 3 – Removal of water from water-cooled condenser using nitrogen
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Next, a dedicated specialist hot air blower
should be attached. The construction of
the vessel will dictate the form of
connection, but for a water-cooled
condenser the tube heads are normally
removed, and hot air is fed through the
tubes and around the vessel. The discharge
and liquid valves need to be wide open.
Oxygen-free, dry Nitrogen may be purged
through the refrigerant-side from the
liquid line valve during the later stages.
The length of time the heater is connected
to the condenser is dependent upon the
quantity of water to be removed, and may
be determined by periodically measuring
the humidity of the purged OFN leaving
the discharge valve.
Air-cooled condensers may be treated in a
similar manner, however, they require the
erection of a "tent" around each condenser
to keep the heat at the condenser(s) with
the need to drill and drain trapped areas.
Remember; removal of water will take
longer the lower the ambient temperature,
evacuation is therefore preferable at
ambient temperatures above 12°C. At
ambient temperatures below 0°C, water
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Figure 4 – Condenser moisture removal using hot-air drier and nitrogen purging
freezing may even occur and cause the
condenser tubes to split.
For a DX evaporator, the refrigerant-side
end covers will need to be removed, and
the hot air directed through the
refrigerant tubes from one end. The
evaporator water-side must have been
fully drained beforehand.
As each vessel is in turn cleared of liquid
water content, it should be sealed, with a
small holding charge of OFN. The OFN
introduced will absorb any residual free
moisture present.
Disconnected pipe work is relatively easy
to clean, and should also be sealed and
stored safely once completed.
Finally, with the compressor rebuilt, all of
the major components and pipe-work may
now be re-assembled, with any discarded
components replaced with new. All joint
gaskets should be renewed between re-
installed components, and connections
made leak-tight.
The entire system should now be
thoroughly leakage pressure tested to BS
4434 (EN 378), and then be purged of OFN
to atmospheric pressure. If successful, only
now may we consider the application of
the vacuum pump.
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5. EVACUATION
It is stated earlier that water is a
refrigerant, and as such, has it's own
pressure / temperature relationship. To
recap, if we were able to reduce the
pressure acting on the water, we would be
able to reduce the temperature at which
the water boils.
As an example, at atmospheric pressure,
water would be present in both liquid and
vapour states. If we were able to reduce
the pressure within a sealed system to
6.112 mBarA, we would reduce the boiling
temperature of any water present to
approximately 0°C. With an ambient
temperature of 20°C; water within the
system would vaporise.
A vacuum pump is capable of achieving a
deep vacuum, aiding the removal of water
vapour by reducing the water vapour
pressure. In order to achieve this low
pressure, however, the vacuum pump must
be in good order and be regularly
maintained. Deep-vacuum pumps are
normally single or two stage rotary vane
types, two stage being preferable as
providing a deeper vacuum. The
displacement of the vacuum pump is an
important factor - too small a pump will
take forever to achieve a deep vacuum on
a large system - too large a vacuum pump,
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or too quick a reduction of system
pressure, may freeze trapped water within
a smaller system. This makes the removal
of moisture much more difficult.
Somewhere in the region of 2.5 CFM (1180
cm3/s) is adequate for most packaged
applications, and up to 8.0 - 10.0 CFM
(3776 - 4720 cm3 /s) for large systems.
The key to a good evacuation is to satisfy
all of the following:
• The satisfactory removal of water from
the system - obvious really!
• Having previously achieved a incorporates two separate rotors and
satisfactory leakage pressure test to BS
4434 (EN378).
• Having a well maintained vacuum pump
• Sufficient fresh vacuum pump oil and
OFN for the process.
• The vacuum pump incorporating a gas
ballast.
• Short and non-restrictive connection of
the vacuum pump to the system.
Having already dealt with the first two
items, a regularly maintained, clean and
well-treated, vacuum pump will last many
years of service. The condition of the vane
tips is vital in the pump continually
achieving such low pressures. As
important, is the vacuum pump oil. This is
a specialist, highly hydroscopic oil,
specifically for vacuum pumps.
Replace regularly and do not use any
other type of oil, nor oil from an
unknown or unsealed container.
The gas ballast is not an essential feature
of the vacuum pump, but will greatly
reduce the frequency of need to replace
the vacuum pump oil during initial
evacuation. OFN is required, and
introduced to the system, to "break" a
vacuum between multiple system
evacuations. As the OFN is dry, it is able to
act like a sponge to absorb free moisture
present within a system. A low pressure-
drop between the vacuum pump and the
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system allows for greater efficiency of the
pump. Use short, large I.D. pipe-work to
connect to a system. Resist the temptation
of using flexible charging hoses, which
have small internal diameter, contract on
reduction of pressure, and restrict flow.
6. THE TWO STAGE VACUUM PUMP
By dividing the total pressure difference
over which the pump operates, we can
improve the pumps overall volumetric
efficiency, allowing a deeper vacuum to be
achieved. The two-stage vacuum pump
chambers, in series, driven by a common
drive shaft and within a single housing.
The low-pressure inlet of the first stage is
connected to the system to be evacuated;
its discharge flowing to the intermediate
pressure inlet of the second stage. The
outlet of the second stage is open to
atmospheric pressure.
The vacuum pump oil is in contact with
both stages to provide lubrication, sealing
and cooling functions. As stated earlier,
the vacuum pump oil is very hydroscopic,
meaning that its moisture content is
extremely low, and its ability for
absorption of moisture very high. Moisture
removed by the vacuum pump comes in
contact with, and is absorbed by the oil.
The oil changes colour through the
absorption of moisture, from a cloudy
appearance to a "milky" white as the oil
becomes fully emulsified. At the first sign
of this condition the oil must be changed,
and is a good and early indication of a still
"wet" system. Moisture is removed by the
vacuum pump not through the vacuum
produced alone, but by the difference in
water saturation pressure / temperature
relationship between the system and the
vacuum pump oil. Dalton's law of partial
pressures states that:
" The pressure of a mixture of gases at a
specified volume and temperature is equal
to the partial pressures of its constituent
species".
April 2000

Figure 5 – Two-stage vacuum pump
As the vacuum pump oil contains minimal
moisture content, and at the system, a
higher moisture content exists, the flow of
moisture will be to the vacuum pump. If
the vacuum pump oil becomes moisture
laden, its vapour pressure will become
equal to the vapour pressure within the
system, and without the existence of a
vapour pressure difference, there will be
no vapour flow. This is the main reason for
regular flushing and changing of the
vacuum pump oil charge. The vacuum
pump may also over-heat and/or
excessively wear if allowed to operate for
long periods with emulsified oil.
The "gas ballast" is a desirable feature
used on initial evacuation of a system. The
gas ballast is a small valve that allows
relatively low moisture content ambient
air to enter the interstage of the pump.
The idea is that the mixing of vapours
actually reduces the moisture content of
vapour entering the second stage of the
pump, reducing the amount of moisture in
contact with, and absorbed by, the oil.
7. PREPARARATION AND USE OF THE
PUMP
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In
much the same way as connecting a
vacuum pump to a system that leaks, there
is nothing to be gained from connecting a
vacuum pump that cannot "pull" a deep
vacuum. The following is a list of checks
necessary to ensure that the pump is in
good working order, and also a procedure
for evacuation:
PROCEDURE FOR EVACUATION AND
CHECKLIST
Do not forget to seek the permission of
the customer to leave the vacuum pump
operating unattended, and take all
necessary precautions to ensure safe
use.
1) For safety, visually check the operating
Voltage, plug, fuse size, switch (if
fitted), cable and entry to the motor,
and ensure that the unit has been fully
electrically tested - displaying valid
Portable Appliance Test inspection
sticker.
2) Visually inspect the seals, valves and
connections.
3) Drain out all of the oil, flush through
with fresh oil, and then fill to the
correct level.
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4) Operate the pump with the valve
closed for a period until the pump is
hot. Isolate the pump, drain and flush
with fresh oil before again filling.
5) Fit a calibrated, barometrically
isolated, absolute pressure gauge to
the inlet of the pump and operate the
pump, hot, to achieve the lowest
pressure indicated. Ideally, a zero
mBar reading is required. Isolate the
pump and watch for any rise in
pressure. A rise would indicate a pump
seal and/or connection leak to be
repaired. Proceed to 6. if OK.
6) Connect the inlet of the pump to the
system to be evacuated, which must be
at atmospheric pressure. The pipe or
hose must be as short as possible and
have the largest practical internal
diameter.
7) Ensure that all of the system valves
have been opened. Jack open where
necessary.
8) Ensure where possible that the ambient
temperature, or air surrounding the
machine, is above 12 °C during
evacuation. Add heat if necessary.
9) Fit the calibrated absolute pressure
gauge to a point on the system furthest
from the vacuum pump connection.
The lowest pressure will be at the
vacuum pump inlet, so if a point on the
system furthest from the pump
indicates a low reading, the entire
system pressure must be at this
pressure.
10) Operate the pump, connected to the
system, with the gas ballast open until
a reading has just been indicated on
the absolute pressure gauge, and then
close the ballast. Operate the pump to
a pressure of less than 4 mBar, or less,
as read from the absolute pressure
gauge fitted to the system.
11) Once the lowest pressure has been
reached, record it and valve-off the
pump from the system for a minimum
of four hours. If the gauge needle rises
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and stops on the scale, moisture is
present - check the vacuum pump oil
coloration.
12) If the needle rises above the scale,
either a leak is evident and/or there is
a large quantity of moisture still within
the system - check the coloration of
the vacuum pump oil. Take necessary
action depending upon result.
13) If 11, valve-off and remove the
absolute pressure gauge before
introducing OFN to raise the system
pressure to atmospheric. Allow the
system to stand, as the nitrogen will
absorb free moisture within the
system. Change the vacuum pump oil,
re-evacuate the system and re-connect
the absolute pressure gauge. The
lowest pressure attainable should now
be lower than for the first evacuation,
and take less time. Try to reach 4
mBar, or below. Repeat the process
above until a satisfactory evacuation
has been reached.
14) Isolate the final evacuation for a
minimum of four hours, preferably over
24 hours, on a pressure-rise test. The
attained pressure and ambient
temperature must be logged at the
time of day the test was initiated. If
there is no indicated rise in pressure,
the system is tight, and refrigerant
vapour charging may continue.
The use of OFN should minimise any
change in recorded pressure due to
deviation of ambient temperature,
however, where the final ambient
temperature has changed, transpose the
formula: P1 = P2
T1 T2
to calculate the revised pressure, where
the system is already leak-tight.
For example:
P1 = the system pressure after
evacuation, in mBarA.
T1 = the ambient temperature after
evacuation, in Kelvin.
April 2000
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compressor shaft-seals, which may

P2 = the system vacuum present on separate under deep vacuum, or will need
completion of the test period, to be wetted with oil to seal thoroughly.
in mBarA.
This value would be lower for small
T2 = the ambient temperature on systems, where a rise rate of 1 mBar over
completion of the test period in the full 24-hour period would be the
Kelvin. maximum acceptable. The differentiation
of "large" and "small" systems is purely
If therefore: subjective, and must be determined by
experience.
P1 = 4 mBarA

T1 = 15 °C + 273 = 288 K 8. THE COLD TRAP

P2 = ? There may be some difficulty with

evacuation where even after good
T2 = 20 °C + 273 = 293 K preparation; moisture is still present
within a system, too great for the vacuum
P2 = P1 T2 = 4 mBarA x 293 K pump alone to remove. Where this is the
T1 288 K case, a properly designed cold trap may be
employed to assist the vacuum pump by
P2 = 4.069 mBarA freezing moisture flowing from the system
toward the pump, within a specially
Therefore the expected pressure deviation prepared vessel, limiting any moisture
due to the rise in ambient temperature absorbed by the vacuum pump oil. Refer to
over the test period would equal 4.069 - 4; diagrams 6a and 6b on page 10.
a rise of 0.069 mBar.
The cold trap is installed between the
Remember that if the ambient system and the vacuum pump, as
temperature falls over the test period with illustrated in diagrams 6a and 6b. The
a marked rise rise rate of in excess of 1 centre section of the cold trap is normally
mBar over a four-hour period (of a 24-hour refrigerated to a low temperature by a
test) is unacceptable. Beware open-drive separate small refrigerating unit. The

Figure 6a – The Cold Trap

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Figure 6b – Cold trap construction

vessel must be designed for ease of REFERENCES AND OTHER USEFUL

dismantling. SOURCES OF INFORMAITON

Water vapour present from the system will
condense and freeze on the internal cold
surface of the trap. Frost will accumulate
and the cold trap will eventually need to
be isolated, defrosted and dried-off
thoroughly, before the trap is re-used.
BS4434 (soon to be superseded by EN378)
available from British Standards Institute
Customer Services on 0181 996 9001.
Institute of Refrigeration Safety Code for
A1/A2 refrigerants (for guidelines for
essential maintenance routines etc)

Institute of Refrigeration Code for the

Reduction of Refrigerant Emissions (for
guidelines for leak testing)

SES Technical Bulletin No1 Page 10 of 11 April 2000

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SATURATED STEAM TABLE

Temperature °C Pressure mBarA Pressure Torr

100 1013.25 762
90 701.10 534
80 473.60 361
70 311.60 237
60 190.92 152
50 123.30 94
40 73.75 56
30 42.42 32
20 23.37 18
10 12.27 9.3
0 6.112 4.6

10. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Section is grateful to Mr A Riches,

Training Manager of York International Ltd
for his assistance in the preparation of this
bulletin.

The information contained in the Bulletin should be seen as a guide to interpretation of relevant industry
standards, legislation and statutory information which should be consulted by the relevant competent person
responsible for servicing refrigeration equipment. The Service Engineers’ Section and the Institute of
Refrigeration accept no liability for any errors or omissions.
Service Engineers’ Section of the Institute of Refrigeration, Kelvin House, 76 Mill Lane, Carshalton SM5 2JR

SES Technical Bulletin No1 Page 11 of 11 April 2000