Using this PowerPoint

Using this PowerPoint. Welcome to the ESCO 608 PowerPoint! Items listed in RED are important items that may appear on the exam – pay close attention to these areas. There are instructor notes written for each slide as well as the reference to the page in the ESCO preparatory manual the information can be found on..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page1 This power point is intended to prepare technicians for the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Section 608 Certification examination and contains information a technician will require to successfully complete the exam. This power point is meant to serve as a guide for reviewing material related to Section 608 of the Clean Air Act Amendment and is not intended as a formal refrigeration training course. Technicians preparing for this examination should be familiar with the basic vapor-compression refrigeration cycle, common service equipment, and procedures. This power point has been developed with the most current information available at the time of this edition. Should EPA regulations change after a technician becomes certified, it is the responsibility of the technician to comply with any future changes. The EPA also reserves the right to modify the test questions and/or require new certification or recertification based on advancements in technology. The ESCO Institute will update this manual as necessary to reflect current EPA regulations and testing requirements.

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 1 This manual is intended to prepare technicians for the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Section 608 Certification examination and contains the information required to successfully complete the exam..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 1 This book serves as a guide for reviewing material related to Section 608 of the Clean Air Act and is not a formal refrigeration training course. Technicians preparing for this examination should be familiar with the basic vapor-compression refrigeration cycle, as well as common service principles, practices, and procedures..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 1 This manual has been developed with the most current information available at the time of publication. Should EPA regulations change after a technician becomes certified, it is the responsibility of the technician to comply with these changes. The EPA also reserves the right to modify the test questions and/or require new certification or recertification based on advancements in technology. The ESCO Institute will update this manual, as necessary, to reflect current EPA regulations and testing requirements..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 1 Section 608 of the Clean Air Act requires all persons who maintain, service, repair, or dispose of appliances containing regulated refrigerants, be certified in proper refrigerant handling techniques as required by the National Recycling and Emission Reduction Program. Regulated refrigerants currently include: CFC, HCFC, HFC, and HFO refrigerants..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 1 If you maintain, service, repair, or dispose of appliances containing a regulated refrigerant, you must be certified. This means you cannot work under another person's certification..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 1.

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 1 If your examination was administered through an ESCO-approved testing location, you will be able to login to the ESCO website at www.escogroup.org to access your examination results, order replacement certification cards, update your information (i.e., address), opt out of the public certification registry, order additional training materials, etc..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 1 You may also contact ESCO's customer service team, Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM 5:00 PM, Central Time at 1-800-726-9696 if you have any questions related to your certification. Please note: if you participate in an examination that is administered in paper format (i.e., Scantron answer sheet), please allow 5-7 business days for your examination to be received at ESCO's grading center for processing..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 1 Overview of the Examination The core covers fundamental information of the clean air act and is required for any one of the four levels of certifications. Failure to pass the core means no level of certification will be issued no matter the score on Type I, II, III..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition Page 4 Overview of the Examination Core is required for any of the four levels of certifications. The core covers fundamental information of the clean air act and is required for any one of the four levels of certifications. Failure to pass the core means no level of certification will be issued no matter the score on Type I, II, III..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 1 Type I. Persons who maintain, service, repair, or dispose of small appliances must be certified as Type I technicians. A small appliance is defined as a pre-assembled unit, hermetically sealed and factory charged with 5 lbs. or less of refrigerant. Examples include equipment such as water coolers, window units, refrigerators, freezers, de-humidifiers, residential ice machines, and package terminal air conditioning. Split-systems are not included in Type I..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 1 Type II. Persons who maintain, service, repair, or dispose of appliances, containing more than 5 lbs. of refrigerant, or if the installation of such equipment requires refrigerant charging, must be certified as Type II technicians. Type II certification does not include small appliances or motor vehicle air-conditioning (MVAC) systems. It is important to understand the refrigerant pressure of each certification category. Type II certification includes medium-pressure, high-pressure, and very high-pressure appliances. If a system requires refrigerant line connections or charging in the field, even if it is less than 5 lbs., the technician must be certified as Type II. High-pressure refrigerants have a pressure between 155 psig & 340 psig at a liquid-phase temperature of 104°F and medium-pressure refrigerants have a pressure between 30 psig & 155 psig at a liquid-phase temperature of 104°F..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th EditionV2 Page 1 Type III. Persons who maintain, service, repair, or dispose of low-pressure appliances, such as centrifugal and chillers, must be certified as Type III technicians. Low-pressure appliances operate with low-pressure refrigerants, which have pressures of 30 psig, or lower, at a liquid-phase temperature of 104°F. HCFC-123 used in chillers is a "low-pressure refrigerant" under EPA's Section 608 regulations to replace CFC-11..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 2 Universal. Persons, who maintain, service, or repair both low and high‐pressure equipment, as well as small appliances, must be certified as Universal technicians..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 2 The test contains four sections: Core, and sections I, II, and III. Each section contains twenty-five (25) multiple-choice questions. A technician MUST achieve a minimum passing score of 70 percent in each group/section in which they are to be certified. For example, a technician seeking Universal certification must achieve a minimum score of 70 percent, or 18 out of 25 correct, on each section of the test. If a technician fails one or more of the sections, they may retake the failed section(s) without retaking the section(s) in which they earned a passing score. In the meantime, the technician will be certified in the Type(s) for which they received a passing score. There is one exception; a technician MUST achieve a passing score on the Core plus any one Type to receive any certification..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 2 The Core contains 25 general knowledge questions relating to stratospheric ozone depletion, rules and regulations of the Clean Air Act, the Montreal Protocol, refrigerant recovery, recycling and reclaiming, recovery devices, substitute refrigerants and oils, recovery techniques, dehydration, recovery cylinders, safety, and shipping. Type I contains 25 sector-specific questions pertaining to small appliances. Type II contains 25 sector-specific questions pertaining to medium and high-pressure appliances. Type III contains 25 sector-specific questions pertaining to low-pressure appliances..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 2 Federal regulations require that this exam be conducted as a closed-book exam by an authorized test administrator (Proctor). The only outside materials allowed during the test are a pressure-temperature (PT) chart and a calculator. Phones are NOT allowed to be used during the examination and MUST be turned off and put away (not on the desktop) during the examination..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 2 Use of any other electronic communication device, or attempts to copy, distribute, post publicly, share photos of exam questions, etc., may result in revocation of certification and will be reported to the U.S. EPA..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 2 Certain personal information is requested on the exam. Technicians should be prepared to provide: Picture Identification (Proctors will ask for this to verify your identity–this is required.) Social security number (Used for identification purposes only.) Home/mailing address Date of Birth Phone Number Email address.

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 2 As required, all examination participants will be included in an online registry/lookup by name, city and state, as well as certification achieved. (No personal information will be included in the public registry.) Technicians will be able to opt out of this registry by logging into the ESCO website at www.escogroup.org or by contacting customer service at 800-726-9696..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 2 Technicians should carefully study the Core and section(s) related to the Type(s) of certification in which they are seeking to achieve a passing score. Free EPA practice exams can be found online at: www.escogroup.org. Practice exams are provided to give exam candidates a sample of the types of questions they can expect to encounter on the exam and are not intended to be a sole study source..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 3 Vapor- Compression Refrigeration Cycle The compressor is the heart of the vapor-compression refrigeration cycle. Low-pressure, low-temperature, superheated refrigerant vapor enters the compressor and is compressed, changing it to a high-pressure, high-temperature, superheated vapor. It then moves to the condenser where some of the heat is removed, de-superheating and condensing it into a liquid. Before it leaves the condenser as a high-pressure liquid, the liquid refrigerant is subcooled to a point below the liquid saturation temperature. It then flows to the metering or expansion device as a high-pressure, subcooled liquid. As the refrigerant flows through the metering device, the pressure of the liquid is reduced, causing a small percentage of the liquid to flash to a vapor (flash-gas), lowering the temperature of the remaining refrigerant to its saturation temperature. The low-pressure, low-temperature refrigerant flows into the evaporator as a low-temperature saturated refrigerant. As the refrigerant absorbs heat, it evaporates into a low-temperature vapor. This evaporation process is referred to as direct expansion. During this process, the refrigerant vapor is superheated above its saturation temperature and then enters the suction line. From the suction line, refrigerant enters the compressor as a low-pressure, low-temperature, superheated vapor to repeat the cycle. The compressor and the metering device are the dividing points between the low-pressure and high-pressure sides of the system..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 3 The compressor is the heart of the vapor-compression refrigeration cycle. Low-pressure, low-temperature superheated refrigerant vapor entering the compressor is compressed, changing it to a high-pressure, high-temperature, superheated vapor..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 3 The refrigerant then moves to the condenser where the heat is removed, de-superheating and condensing it into a liquid. Before it leaves the condenser, the liquid refrigerant is subcooled to a point below the liquid saturation temperature..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 3 The refrigerant then flows to the metering device as a high-pressure, subcooled liquid. As the refrigerant flows through the metering device, the liquid is reduced to a low-pressure causing a small percentage of the liquid to flash to a vapor (flash-gas) lowering the remaining refrigerant to its saturation temperature..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 3 The low-pressure, low-temperature refrigerant flows into the evaporator as a low-temperate liquid with some flash-gas. As the refrigerant absorbs heat, it evaporates into a low-temperature vapor. Before refrigerant vapor exits the evaporator and enters the suction line, additional heat superheats the vapor above its saturation temperature..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 3 A system that uses a thermostatic expansion valve (TEV) is usually equipped with a receiver located in the liquid line, directly following the condenser. The receiver should be used on systems with varying loads to ensure liquid to the expansion valve..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 3 Accumulators are used to protect the compressor by preventing any liquid refrigerant from flowing into it..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 3 A system may have service valves, access valves or process stubs to gain access for service. The valve must be back-seated (turn the valve stem counter-clockwise as far as possible) to close the service or gauge port before removing the service manifold hoses..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 3 Never front-seat (turn the valve stem clockwise as far as it will go) a service valve when the system is in operation. The black solid color is where the refrigerant will flow in the front-seated position. The line port is closed, and compressor port is open to the service port..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 3 All three connections are open in the crack-seat position. The line port, compressor port, and service port are all open. This position is for servicing and checking pressures..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 4 A pressure-temperature (PT) chart provides the pressure-temperature relationship of refrigerants used in the HVACR industry. The charts are based on the saturation properties for which a refrigerant evaporates and condenses. Liquid must be present for the relationship to match. For example, a PT chart will indicate a cylinder at 70°F containing 1 ounce or 10 lbs of liquid R-410A will have a pressure of 201 psig. Likewise, the evaporator or condensing temperature can be found by comparing the operating suction or high-side pressure for the type of refrigerant to the corresponding temperature..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 4 Whether the tank is half full or has just a few ounces of liquid, the pressure will be the same if both tanks are at the same temperature..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 4 Refrigerant will migrate to a compressor's crankcase and mix with the oil when there is a difference between the oil pressure and refrigerant vapor pressure. The compressor crankcase heater is used to help prevent this refrigerant migration..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 4 An oil sample should be taken when unit has had a leak or a major component failure. Refrigerant oil samples are also taken when moisture, acid, oil sludge formation, oil waxing, or residual acidic oil from a burn-out are suspected problems..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 4 Finding and repairing leaks in the system will conserve refrigerant when servicing an appliance. Flushing field tubing with liquid refrigerant to clean the tubing after a burn-out is not recommended, and it is unlawful..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 4 After making a major repair, the appliance should be dehydrated by evacuating the system to a minimum of 500 microns. This minimum level is required for HFC and all systems with POE oil. Under no circumstance should a hermetic compressor be operated when there is a vacuum in the system; electrical arcing could burn the terminals inside the compressor..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 4 One of the most important tools for an HVACR technician is the gauge manifold set. The left side, compound gauge (blue) and the right side, high-pressure gauge (red), are attached to the manifold to measure system pressures. Hoses are used to connect the manifold to the refrigeration system's access ports or service valves to gain access to system pressures. The compound gauge measures low-pressure (psig) and vacuum (inches Hg). The high-pressure gauge measures high-side (discharge) pressure. Depending on the refrigerant, the high-pressure gauge may be rated at 500 or 800 psig. The manifold is also equipped with a center port, (usually a yellow hose), that can be connected to a recovery device, evacuation vacuum pump, or charging device..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 5 The compound pressure gauge measures system pressure for the low side in pounds per square inch gauge (psig) and vacuum in inches of mercury (Hg)..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 5 Most high-pressure gauges range from 0 to 800 psig..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 5 An electronic manifold or gauge may have combined temperature probes to measure refrigerant line temperatures for calculating system superheat and subcooling..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 5 EPA recommends that hoses be equipped with low-loss fittings or valves that manually close or which close automatically to minimize refrigerant loss when hoses are disconnected. The hoses used for service and with recovery equipment must be equipped with low-loss fittings..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 5 Minor releases when connecting or disconnecting hoses for service or recovery are considered a de-minimis release. A de-minimis release is not considered to be unlawful and is acceptable in normal service of equipment..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 5 Caution: The gauge manifold and hoses must be pressure-rated to handle the refrigerant being used..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 6.

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Pages 6-15 There are 14 topics in the core section..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 6 Stratospheric ozone helps form the earth's protective shield. The ozone layer protects the earth from ultraviolet radiation from the sun..

[Audio] ESCO EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual 9th Edition V2 Page 6 The ozone hole image shows the very low values (blue and purple colored area) centered over Antarctica on October 4, 2004. The biggest hole recorded was in 2006..