Since the first SAE document J513 in January 1936, which conforms to ANSI B70-1974, SAE refrigeration flare fittings have been an industry standard. In April 1953, SAE J639 provided standards for system service access fittings currently used by the automotive and commercial industry.
To prevent mis-connections, SAE J639 was revised in the 70s to provide different size system service connections on CFC-12 mobile A/C systems. The use of different high and low refrigeration service access fittings are not used by the commercial industry.
When the mobile industry changed refrigerants from CFC-12 to HFC-134a new unique quick couple service fittings were developed to reduce venting and possible mixing of refrigerants during service of mobile A/C systems. New unique quick couple service fittings have been developed for R744 (carbon dioxide) and HFC-152a mobile A/C systems and are identified in J639.
The mobile air conditioning industry established replacement refrigerant criteria, resulting in new SAE documents.
The industry/EPA field study of mobile A/C systems identified what level of contamination could be expected from used CFC-12 refrigerant and established equipment requirements and the purity levels for on-site recycled refrigerant. Based on that early study, SAE and industry have identified that only uncontaminated CFC-12 and HFC-134a refrigerant, removed from a mobile A/C system and recycled on-site, using equipment meeting SAE Standards, is acceptable for re-use. All other used or contaminated refrigerant from other sources must be sent off-site for processing and must meet the specific ARI recycled purity specification.
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