Volkswagen Polo Service & Repair Manual: Charge Factor

Volkswagen Polo Service & Repair Manual / Refrrigerant R134a Servicing / A/C System, General Information / Refrigerant R134a Characteristics / Charge Factor

A vessel must have space for vapor as well as liquid. As the temperature rises, the liquid expands. The space filled with vapor decreases. At a certain point, there will only be liquid in the vessel. Beyond this, even a slight increase in temperature causes high pressure to build up in the vessel as the liquid tries to continue expanding even though there is not enough space for it. The forces that result are strong enough to rupture the vessel. To prevent a vessel from being overfilled, the regulations regarding compressed gasses specify how many kilograms of refrigerant that may be added to a vessel per liter of interior volume. The product of multiplying this charge factor by the internal volume of the vessel is the permissible capacity. The figure for refrigerant used in vehicles is 1.15 kg/liter.

Evidence of Leaks

External damage, for example, can cause a leak in the refrigerant circuit. The small quantity of refrigerant escaping from minor leaks can be detected for example using an electronic leak detector or by introducing a leak detection additive into the refrigerant circuit. Electronic leak detectors are capable of registering leaks with refrigerant losses of less than 5 g per year. Use leak detectors designed for the type of refrigerant. For example, a leak detector for R12 refrigerant will not work with R134a because R134a refrigerant has no chlorine atoms so the leak detector will not respond to it.

Water Content

Only very small amounts of water are soluble in liquid refrigerant. On the other hand, refrigerant vapor and water vapor mix in any ratio. Only ...

Refrigerant Oil

Refrigerant oil mixes with the refrigerant (about 20 - 40%, depending on compressor type and amount of refrigerant) and circulates constantly in the system, lubricati ...

Other materials:

Refrigerant Circuit, Converting R12 to R134a and Servicing
Note The laws and regulations listed below are applicable in Germany. Different or additional laws and regulations may apply in other countries. Addresses in other countries can be obtained from the relevant au ...

Side airbags
Fig. 59 On left-hand side of vehicle: deployment zone of the side airbag (variant A). On the side of the front seat: location and deployment range of the side airbag (variant B) First read and observe the introductory information and safety warnings The side airbags are located in the outer ...

Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects: → An economic driving style → Driving in a fuel-efficient manner Fuel consumption, environmental impact and wear on the engine, brakes and tyres depend largely on three factors: Personal driving style. ...