What does recovery efficiency refer to?

Recovery efficiency is defined as the percentage of refrigerant that is recovered from an appliance during the recovery process. This metric is crucial for understanding how effectively a technician is able to extract refrigerant from a cooling system, which is essential for environmental protection and compliance with regulations regarding refrigerant management.

When refrigerants are recovered, it ensures that they do not escape into the atmosphere, where they can contribute to ozone depletion or global warming. An effective recovery process captures as much of the refrigerant as possible, and the efficiency percentage reflects the success of this effort.

While the total amount of refrigerant recycled, the speed of the recovery process, and the energy consumption during recovery are relevant factors in refrigerant management, they do not specifically define recovery efficiency. Recovery efficiency focuses solely on the success rate of refrigerant recovery, making it a critical measure in both technician performance and regulatory compliance.