What is the job of the rupture disc on a low-pressure chiller?
Safety · EPA 608 Type III. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
ASHRAE Standard 15 equipment-room requirements and refrigerant sensors.
The question
What is the job of the rupture disc on a low-pressure chiller?
- Remove noncondensables from the condenser
- Relieve excess pressure before the shell can burstCorrect answer
- Let refrigerant out during normal operation
- Act as the charging point for liquid
Why “Relieve excess pressure before the shell can burst” is correct
ASHRAE Standard 15 requires pressure relief on refrigerant vessels. On a low-pressure chiller this is usually a rupture disc, which bursts if pressure gets too high, protecting the shell but releasing refrigerant. That is why leak test pressures stay well below its setting.
Source: ASHRAE Standard 15; EPA: Test Topics
Why the other answers are wrong
- Remove noncondensables from the condenser — Removing noncondensables is the purge unit's job.
- Let refrigerant out during normal operation — A rupture disc only opens on dangerous overpressure.
- Act as the charging point for liquid — The evaporator charging valve is the charging point.
Practice more of this
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Unofficial, not affiliated with the EPA or any EPA-approved certifying organization. Questions are original practice written from public EPA material, not real exam questions.