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The Best Just Keeps Getting Better!

The Ammonia Refrigeration Piping Handbook has been hailed as one of the best publications ever produced by IIAR.

First published in 2000, and updated in 2004, IIAR's Ammonia Refrigeration Piping Handbook is the ultimate guide to modern ammonia refrigeration piping as well as a comprehensive introduction to piping design and installation as it is practiced in the field.

The newest update is truly an additional chapter which provides guidelines on developing ammonia system drawings, schematics and diagrams that are necessary for design and maintenance. This update sets the standard for systems diagrams so that virtually anyone can know the meaning of ammonia piping symbology. Analyzing risk through standardization enhances an ammonia refrigeration facilities ability to create an environment of safety!

Don't have the Ammonia Refrigeration Piping Handbook yet?
Purchase now and you can own the complete handbook with update included!

Safety Standard Open for Public Review

IIAR members are invited to review and comment on a proposed revision to ANSI/ ASHRAE Standard 15-2010, Safety Standard for Refrigeration Systems. The first public review of proposed addendum g to Standard 15-2010 includes draft changes to the current standard. The proposed revision is currently open for a 45-day public review. The review period will end on midnight, March 9.

The addendum modifies and clarifies the requirements for discharge of pressure relief devices, including where refrigerant may be safely discharged in event of a release. Systems located outdoors are now specifically addressed, and include an exemption from the 15 ft height requirement if they meet specified criteria.

The review committee looked at results of analytical dispersion modeling to confirm that location requirements for release of refrigerant on the exterior of a building are adequate to reduce risk of unacceptable concentrations of refrigerant. The existing content of section 9.7.8 and Appendix E were re-organized to provide better clarity.

To submit a comment on this proposed standard, please click here to visit the ASHRAE website and access the online comment database.

2012 Conference Hotel Registration Now Open

Make your reservations today to reserve your accommodations for the 2012 Industrial Refrigeration Conference March 18 - 21, 2012. IIAR is excited to announce that reservations are now open at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center, IIAR's official 2012 conference hotel in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Reservations are also available at the Hyatt Regency Milwaukee.

IIAR has negotiated a favorable basic room-rate of $177 per night for conference attendees at the Hilton City Center. Located close by, Hyatt Regency accommodations are also available at a special, $175 room-rate.

Combining its 1920's era grandeur and elegance with modern convenience, the luxury Hilton Milwaukee City Center features beautifully appointed guestrooms and indoor skyway access to the convention center. The hotel's classic lounges and proximity to the best downtown dining options offer great networking and entertainment venues, while the most exciting feature for families looking to escape the winter cold is the hotels elaborate twenty-thousand square foot indoor water park.

Conference attendees will appreciate the state-of-the-art meeting and conference space while participating in comprehensive technical programs. IIAR room-rate reservations are first-come, first-serve. Register now to reserve your space and take advantage of the lower conference hotel rate.

Click here to make reservations at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center.

Click here to make reservations at the Hyatt Regency Milwaukee.

OSHA Releases PSM Covered Facilities National Emphasis Program

On November 29th, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration finalized the directive establishing the PSM Covered Facilities National Emphasis Program (NEP). This directive marks the evolution of the pilot NEP on covered facilities - in operation since the summer of 2009 - from a pilot program to a nationwide program. The new NEP is effective immediately and inspections under the program may begin at any time. As expected, the NEP will be implemented nationwide, including the mandatory adoption, or equivalent adoption, by state plan states.

According to the OSHA Directive, there will be two facility categories subject to the NEP. The first category is for facilities likely to use ammonia as the only Highly Hazardous Chemical (HHC) in a refrigeration operation. The second category is for all other facilities. It is important to note that a requirement to verify abatement of previous OSHA PSM citations has been added, so facilities with past violations should make sure that proper abatement measures have been taken.

As expected, OSHA will use four sources for targeting programmed inspections, including: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Chemical Accident Prevention Provisions, Program 3 Risk Management Plans (RMP); explosives manufacturing NAICS codes; OSHA's IMIS database; and OSHA Area Office knowledge of local facilities.

The directive requires regions to complete an average of 3-5 programmed inspections per area office per year using this NEP. Approximately 25 percent of all programmed inspections will come from ammonia facilities (Category I). The remaining 75 percent will come from all other facilities (Category II). Unprogrammed inspections must also follow the NEP. Unprogrammed inspections may occur as a result of complaints, referrals, accidents or catastrophes.

Inspections will be conducted using an unpublished dynamic list of questions related to Process Safety Management. For ammonia refrigeration inspections, there will be 10 questions specific to ammonia refrigeration and 5 questions about general PSM compliance. The directive states that priority will be given to implementation over documentation, so facilities should be prepared to demonstrate that the implementation of their PSM program is consistent with their written plan. If an inspector determines that PSM deficiencies may exist outside dynamic list questions, the inspection may be expanded after consultation with the Area Director.

Inspections will begin with an opening conference which will include a verification that the facility is subject to the NEP. The inspector will then ask for a series of documents including the facility's PSM plan and OSHA worker illness and injury logs. The inspector will ask for a description of the facility's PSM programs and conduct a walkaround. It is important to note that contractors at the facility will also be subject to the inspection. A full copy of the OSHA Directive can be found by clicking here. IIAR encourages all members to read the full directive and review their PSM programs in anticipation of a possible inspection. IIAR will continue to work with OSHA as the new NEP is implemented and it is expected that compliance assistance materials will be developed through the Institute's OSHA alliance.

Third Public Review of Standard 3 Revision Now Closed

The public review period for IIAR's Standard 3, National Standard for Ammonia Refrigeration Valves, which specifies criteria for materials, design parameters, marking and testing for valves and strainers, is now closed. The IIAR Standards Review Committee will review comments submitted during the comment period. Our thanks to everyone who weighed in on this important issue.

ANSI/IIAR 2 (Addendum A) Now Available

The IIAR Board of Directors is pleased to announce the publication of ANSI/IIAR 2-2008 (Addendum A), American National Standard for Equipment, Design and Installation of Closed-Circuit Ammonia Mechanical Refrigerating Systems. The new publication includes several important changes to the previously released edition of ANSI/IIAR 2-2008.

The need for an addendum arose during the 2008 standards renewal process as deliberation began on the topic of machinery room design. It was at that time that IIAR committed to establishing an updated standard that would address the concerns and needs of the industry surrounding machinery room design.

The major alterations outlined in Addendum A pertain to emergency switches, room pressure, signage and more. Continuous ventilation is no longer a requirement, while the formulas used to determine normal and emergency ventilation rates have been changed.

The change to the continuous ventilation requirement is consistent with the NEC (which both ASHRAE and IIAR reference), requiring ammonia detection if electrical machinery is not Class I, Div. 2. Regarding normal ventilation, the new formula is based on: a rate of 20 air changes per hour, or the quantity of air needed to limit the room temperature to 104F based on the heat load, whichever value is higher.

Under the new standard, normal ventilation fans need not run continuously, or at full speed except when refrigerant is detected, and emergency ventilation is based on 30 air changes per hour.

The new edition of ANSI/IIAR 2 is available online to IIAR members in the eLibrary, and may be purchased from the online store.

Sales are Brisk, Get Your Copy Today: The Carbon Dioxide Industrial Refrigeration Handbook

Judging from rapid rate of sales for IIAR's newest publication, The Carbon Dioxide Industrial Refrigeration Handbook, there are a whole lot of people who are interested in learning how to use carbon dioxide refrigerant safely and effectively. The Carbon Dioxide Industrial Refrigeration Handbook is one of the fastest-selling publications in IIAR's history.

Due to the ban on chlorofluorocarbons and the ensuing search for replacements for synthetic refrigerants, our industry is undergoing rapid change. IIAR is working to bring you the tools and information you need to take advantage of emerging technologies and best practices. The renewed interest in two-stage ammonia/CO₂ systems together with a lack of published guidance on the use of carbon dioxide as a refrigerant inspired IIAR to compile a new publication, The Carbon Dioxide Industrial Refrigeration Handbook.

The Handbook is a knowledge base for CO₂ refrigeration that will bring you up to speed on all aspects of carbon dioxide refrigerants. It explains the properties and advantages of CO₂ and covers the proper specification, design, installation and operation of safe CO₂ systems.

The Handbook also contains an appendix that presents reprints of all technical papers on carbon dioxide refrigeration that were presented at IIAR s Industrial Refrigeration Conferences.

To order your copy of the Handbook, visit IIARs on-line store.

ARM Program Now Available!

Smaller facilities have plenty of incentive for operating a safe and efficient ammonia refrigeration system. Whether you have 900 lbs or 90,000 lbs of ammonia, the risks of something happening are similar. The severity of the potential problem could be less, but the risk is still there. You may not have the level of off-site consequences but you will certainly have on-site consequences, and you can't afford to have your company in the news.

Larger facilities with charges greater than 10,000 lbs have been required to comply with OSHA's Process Safety Management Program and EPA's Risk Management Program requirements since the 1990s. Since those regulations have been in effect, the most common misconception among smaller facilities has been that they are exempt from any compliance issues because the size of their charge is less than 10,000 lbs. Nothing could be further from the truth.

In addition to the safety and public relations considerations, there is a regulatory compliance issue for smaller facilities. The General Duty Clause (either from OSHA or EPA) covers every refrigeration facility, including those with less than 10,000 lbs of ammonia. These regulations can be found in 29 USC 654(a)(1) (OSHA) and the Clean Air Act Section 112(r)(1) (EPA). They set a minimum safety standard and place responsibility on employers to keep workers and neighbors safe from hazardous chemicals.

A new guidance document has been published by IIAR to assist smaller facilities in establishing a program that promotes the safe operation of ammonia refrigeration systems with less than 10,000 lbs. The Ammonia Refrigeration Management (ARM) Program is a streamlined version of the PSM/RMP compliance programs. The ARM Program addresses topics such as the management system, documentation, contractors, mechanical integrity, and emergency response, and simplifies the record keeping and program maintenance elements of the more complex PSM and RMP requirements.

IIAR members with numerous years of experience put a lot of work into the development of this new industry tool, and the end product demonstrates this knowledge. After an extensive and careful development process, the ARM Program is now available for purchase. Click Here to Order ARM Program

Training Guideline Now Available

Everyone in the industry agrees that we need more, better trained operators. IIAR has teamed up with RETA and IARW to produce this Training Guideline in order to make training more comprehensive and consistent. Utilizing this guideline when producing your own training program will increase your success and you will soon reap the benefits of having better trained operators, namely, increased safety, better communication, and smoother operations. All of your employees will benefit from these improvements.

IIAR chairman Jeff Welch thanks the development task force for all of their hard work over the years. "This project really could not have happened without the diligent work of all the task force members, including RETA and IARW. The completion of this project is a testament to the leadership of Vern Karman, who dedicated himself to the completion of this Guideline. I hope it can serve as a roadmap for the industry and fill a void that has existed for some time." A complimentary copy of the Training Guideline has been mailed to all IIAR members. It is also available to members in the eLibrary. Non-members can purchase the Training Guideline in the IIAR Store.