[s-cars] r134 in r12 system?

[Robert Rossato]

> PS - Side Note: Back before holes in the ozone layer were an 
> issue - Boeing used to clean the new planes with pure freon 
> before painting. Like we do with water from a garden hose. 
> The quantity of R12 released into the atmosphere from this 
> process alone exceeds what has been released from automotive 
> applications by many times. There are other examples of 
> similar scale to this one; although I cannot recall at this time.

Probably Freon 113 PCA.  It's an industry solvent used because of its
ability to dissolve hydrocarbons.  We used to have vats of it in the lab
for cleaning and testing parts and used it quite extensively.  There's
probably a good size ozone hole over Windsor Locks CT.  We still use it,
but in much more restricted situations.  We only use it now for one
specific piece of hardware that can not be cleaned adequately with any
other approved solvents, and for occasional sampling of our high
pressure (7400 psi) oxygen hardware.  Freon 113 is getting much more
difficult to get, especially in the pure form required for sampling.

Bob