What is the refrigerant recovery process intended to achieve?

The refrigerant recovery process is essential in ensuring that refrigerants are safely removed from a system in a way that prevents them from leaking into the atmosphere. This process is a critical practice mandated by environmental regulations to protect the ozone layer and minimize contributions to global warming. Refrigerants can be harmful to the environment; therefore, proper recovery means capturing these substances and storing them for recycling or destruction rather than allowing them to escape into the air, which could lead to potential environmental harm.

While enhancing cooling efficiency and lowering operating temperatures might be beneficial outcomes in specific refrigeration or air conditioning practices, they are not direct goals of the recovery process. Additionally, increasing system pressure is not part of recovery; instead, it aims to safely manage and contain refrigerants during the servicing of HVAC systems. Therefore, the focus of the recovery process is to ensure environmental safety by preventing refrigerant leakage.