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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 55 / Wednesday, March 24, 2021 / Rules and Regulations
committees: Steering, Service, Fluids, MAC Supplier, and Vehicle OEM. The SAE ICCSC includes representatives from across the MVAC industry, including system component manufacturers, automobile manufacturers, servicing equipment manufacturers, and refrigerant manufacturers. The members of each committee have expertise in that area and are responsible for the development of SAE standards or recommended practice documents. The committee has published more than 50 documents and has an HS2900 handbook that includes standards on safety, refrigerants, components, testing, service procedures, service equipment, and training. Each of the SAE Ground Vehicle Standards e.g., SAE J2843, J2851, and J3030 for technical specifications related to MVAC servicing undergoes a rigorous peer review process. The EPA has previously cited some of these standards in regulations.
The three SAE standards that are being adopted and incorporated by reference relate to recycling, recovery, and/or recharging of R1234yf. R
1234yf has gained significant market share in motor vehicles since its introduction in the 2013 model year MY. According to the 2019 EPA
Automotive Trends Report, in the 2018
MY, use of R1234yf has grown to 13
manufacturers accounting for more than 60% of the US new vehicle fleet and some manufacturers have implemented R1234yf across their entire vehicle brands.6 This increased use of R1234yf will lead to more MVACs needing to be serviced and/or repaired compared to when R1234yf was first introduced. Adopting SAE
J2843, J2851, and J3030 will assist technicians choosing to repair or service MVACs containing R1234yf to properly use approved refrigerant handling equipment when performing any service involving the refrigerant. As R1234yf is classified by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers ASHRAE
as mildly flammable, the equipment meeting these standards must have electrical components deemed acceptable for exposure to refrigerants at that level of flammability, ensuring the safety of technicians. This rule also increases industry flexibility in selecting proper recovery, recycling, and recharging equipment by expanding the available options. Adoption of the standards also helps to mitigate the risk to human health and the environment 6 EPA, 2019. Automotive Trends Report.
Available at: https www.epa.gov/automotivetrends/download-automotive-trends-report.

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by directing technicians towards equipment that should limit unintentional releases of automotive refrigerant during the service or repair of MVACs. Moreover, use of equipment that meets SAE J2843, J2851, and J3030
should reduce mixing of refrigerants.
Preventing the mixing of refrigerants facilitates refrigerant recycling and reduces releases into the atmosphere.
Equipment meeting the three standards are capable of near-complete recovery of refrigerant from such MVACs. Below is further description of each standard.
i. SAE J2843
SAE J2843 revised July 2019
establishes standards for equipment that recovers, recycles, and/or recharges R
1234yf in MVACs. This standard applies to equipment intended for use with R
1234yf refrigerant only. Equipment meeting this standard must be capable of recovering refrigerant within 30
minutes, which is consistent with other SAE standards, resulting in convenience for the car owner as well as the technician. The recycling capabilities of equipment meeting SAE J2843 can return the refrigerant to the same level of purity as newly manufactured virgin refrigerant, ensuring that the refrigerant recharged into the system will provide the same level of performance and durability as virgin refrigerant. This recycling allows for the continued use of recovered refrigerant. Prior to recharging an MVAC, service technicians using equipment meeting this standard can check for leaks that could be repaired to avoid refrigerant releases. Maintaining a properly charged MVAC should result in efficient operation.
ii. SAE J2851
SAE J2851 revised February 2015
establishes minimum performance and operating standards for equipment that recovers contaminated R134a and/or R1234yf refrigerant from MVACs.
Refrigerant recovered with this equipment cannot be recycled on-site and instead should be returned to an EPA-approved reclamation facility that will process it appropriately as per AirConditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute AHRI 700 standard entitled Specifications for Refrigerants.
Refrigerant recovery equipment should ensure adequate refrigerant recovery and reduce emissions during the removal of refrigerant from MVACs.
iii. SAE J3030
SAE J3030 revised July 2015
establishes the minimum requirements for recovery/recycling/recharging equipment intended for use to service
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MVACs that contain either R1234yf or R134a. New equipment capable of performing any service on MVACs that involves recovery of, recycling of, or recharging with either R134a or R
1234yf would be required to meet SAE
J3030 requirements for both refrigerants.
The dual-refrigerant equipment covered by this standard may be useful given that R134a and R1234yf are both widely used in motor vehicles in the United States. Equipment certified to J3030 are designed to prevent contamination when switching between refrigerants.
B. What is the effect of adopting these standards?
Adopting these standards will assist approved independent standards testing organizations currently UL and Intertek in certifying equipment for commercial refrigerant recovery/
recycling/recharging that meet the EPAs minimum performance requirements. In addition, service and repair shops would be required to use equipment certified to meet SAE J2843, J2851, and J3030 when servicing MVACs using R1234yf.
The EPAs amendments to 40 CFR
82.36 revise paragraph a7 and add paragraphs a8, 9, 10. These revisions establish that servicing equipment manufactured to meet SAE
J2843, J2851, or J3030 that is certified by the EPA or by an independent standards testing organization approved by the EPA under 40 CFR 82.38 may be used for repairing or servicing MVACs consistent with 40 CFR 82.34a1. The EPA is also amending 40 CFR
82.32e1, 82.38, and 82.40 to include references to 40 CFR 82.36a810.
The revisions to 40 CFR 82.32e1
update the definition of the term properly using to add the standards incorporated by reference at 40 CFR
82.36a810 to the list of recommended service procedures and practices for the containment of refrigerant. The revisions to 40 CFR
82.38 allow independent standards testing organizations to apply for approval to certify equipment as meeting the standards incorporated by reference at 40 CFR 82.36a810, as well as the currently existing standards in appendices A, B, C, D, E, and F. The revisions to 40 CFR 82.40 add the standards incorporated by reference at 40 CFR 82.36a810 to the list of standards that any technician training program seeking approval must demonstrate are covered by their certification tests. It would be appropriate for approved technician training and certification programs to update their materials to reflect the
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