Technical means for detecting freon leaks from refrigeration systems

The appearance of freons in 1930 opened a new era in refrigeration technology. With the beginning of their industrial production (1932), refrigerants of the chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) and hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) groups took a dominant position in the refrigeration industry, and the refrigerants used before (ammonia, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, air) continued to be used only in cases where when it was impractical to replace them with freons. Refrigerants of the CFC and HCFC groups have increased fluidity, due to which the refrigeration oils dissolved in them penetrate into all friction units, reducing wear of parts. But at the same time, refrigerants easily pass through the smallest leaks, and therefore one of the most common malfunctions of freon refrigeration units is a violation of their tightness due to poor installation or repair and improper operation.
For 70 years, many methods and tools have been developed to determine the leakage of freons and check the tightness of refrigeration systems.