A technician has to reach past a compressor that has been running under load to get at a valve behind it. What is the hazard presented by the compressor's discharge line?
Correct Answer
B) A surface hot enough to cause a serious contact burn on bare skin
Discharge gas leaves a working compressor far hotter than the space around it, and the copper carries that heat straight to the surface. On a machine that has been running under load the line can sit well above one hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit, which burns skin on brief contact. Planning the reach, wearing gloves and shutting the machine down when the work allows are what keep a routine reach from becoming an injury.
Why This Is the Correct Answer
The discharge line carries compressed refrigerant vapor away from the compressor at a temperature far above ambient, and on a loaded machine that line can exceed one hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit. Bare copper transfers that heat immediately, so brief contact produces a real burn. Gloves, a planned route for the hands, and shutting the machine down where practical are the protections.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Option A: Static charge built up by refrigerant flowing through the tubing
Refrigerant flowing in tubing does not build a static charge of any consequence. There is no shock hazard of that kind on a running system.
Option C: Frost on the tubing severe enough to freeze skin on contact
Frost forms on the suction side, not the discharge side. The discharge line is the hottest part of the circuit rather than the coldest.
Option D: Electrical potential carried by the copper from the motor windings
Refrigerant tubing is not an energized conductor. The electrical hazards on a rack are in the panel and at the motor terminals, not in the piping.
Memory Technique
Hot air out, cold air in, same as breathing. The line leaving the compressor is the one that bites.
Reference Hint
A loaded compressor's discharge line can exceed one hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit and will burn on contact.
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