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Government Relations

OSHA Ramps Up COVID Enforcement By Lowell Randel, IIAR Government Relations Director

Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be a high priority for the Biden Administration. Despite increases in vaccinations and lower cases in many parts of the country, President Biden is calling on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to ramp up its enforcement efforts to regulate workplaces. Biden was critical of OSHA during the Trump Administration for not being aggressive enough in protecting workers from COVID-19.

May 2021

Different Views on Regulations in Europe and the USA

In my February 2019 article, I examined the need for sprinkler systems in machinery rooms in the USA and their prohibition in Europe. Afterward, I was contacted by Jeff Shapiro who indicated that Anders Lindborg, an honorary life member of IIAR and expert on ammonia releases, had changed his mind just before he passed away and was no longer arguing against sprinkler systems in machinery rooms. Jeff also provided his article from 2011 that laid out the different perspectives of experts from each side. It is evident that this has been a long-running discussion and has caused some confusion within the industry.

Education/Training

Scholarships Provide Multiple Learning Opportunities for Recipients

The Ammonia Refrigeration Foundation, which supports research and education programs benefiting the industrial refrigeration industry, is currently accepting applications for IIAR’s Founders Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded annually to collegiate juniors exhibiting exceptional character and interest in pursuing an engineering or related technical degree leading to a career in the refrigeration field.

Codes & Standards

IIAR Standards: A Look Back

Bob Czarnecki can’t remember exactly when he started as chairman of IIAR’s Standards Committee, but he thinks it was 10 to 12 years ago. “The former chair had some medical issues, and I was filling in for him. So, I’m blurred as to when I started,” Czarnecki said. “When I first started, the mandate was to develop, maintain and interpret standards. At the time, we had two standards that were ANSI approved. Since then, we have developed eight other standards that have gotten ANSI approval.”

August 2021

President’s Message by Gary Schrift

After a summer of new pandemic news, normalcy has never felt so close and yet so far away at the same time. By the time of this column’s publication, your IIAR staff will be busy finalizing a return to in-person IIAR conferences in 2022. We can all look forward now to seeing familiar faces in Savannah, Georgia, next year. And at the same time, the “old normal” will never be the “new normal.”

August 2021

Chairman’s Message by Eric Johnston

We’re laying the groundwork for 2022’s return to an in-person annual conference and setting new agendas these days. And even though I’m well into my term as your IIAR Chairman, I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome everyone – new and renewing members alike.

Reporting Release Rates: How to find the middle ground

Estimating the amount of ammonia lost due to an accidental release can be a complex process and when they do occur, end-users want to avoid underpredicting or over-predicting release quantities. Presently, there is not a single reference guideline that provides details for calculating ammonia quantities released as a consequence of incidents.

Safety

International Fire Code to Defer to IIAR for Ammonia Issues

After years of work, it is more than likely that all code bodies will now refer to IIAR for ammonia refrigeration requirements by 2024. IIAR has made significant progress towards this goal over the past 20 years, but there was one outlier—the International Fire Code. However, the IFC’s technical committee has approved a proposal for the 2024 edition of its model code, deferring all matters related to ammonia refrigeration to IIAR.

Technology & Equipment

Ammonia System Evacuation — How Low Do You Go?

Removal of non-condensables and excess water is essential when starting up new refrigeration systems or large retrofits. Non-condensables contribute to higher than necessary head pressure, and excessive water in a system can cause inefficiency and operational problems. In all refrigeration systems, non-condensables and water vapor are removed from systems by vacuum pumps prior to charging with refrigerant. Removing liquid water (dehydration), can be done by “pulling” a deep vacuum – enough to boil the standing water and remove the vapor through the vacuum pump.

Conference

IIAR Hosts Successful 50th Annual Meeting

IIAR 2021 Natural Refrigeration Online Conference & Virtual Expo brought technical education, industrial trend insights, and information on products and services to natural refrigeration professionals in June. This was the second time IIAR presented its annual meeting online as COVID-19 continued to create potential disruptions and planning challenges.

Regulation & Compliance

IIAR Petitions EPA for Increased Hydrofluorocarbon Restrictions

The International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration and its industry partners have petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to use its authority under the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act to restrict the use of hydrofluorocarbons within the refrigeration sector. The AIM Act is a new climate law passed in December 2020.

Technology & Equipment

Is the Era of Ammonia Liquid Overfeed Ending?

In four years, it will be the centenary of the liquid overfeed patent issued to YORK Corporation. The liquid overfeed plant came into widespread use around the middle of the last century. This coincided with an upsurge in the consumption of frozen foods that led to the construction of very large freezing plants that warranted the practical introduction of the liquid overfeed concept.

August 2021

Revocable Living Trust

A revocable living trust can be a useful and practical estate planning tool for certain individuals, but not for everyone. This type of trust is most commonly used to avoid probate because, unlike property that passes by will, trust assets are distributed directly to heirs. This type of trust is also used as a way to maintain management of one’s financial affairs during a period of incapacity because someone else can immediately take charge when needed. A revocable living trust does not minimize income, gift, or estate taxes, nor does it shelter trust assets from creditors in most cases.

Safety

The Case for Hazard and Operability Methodology

There is a vigorous debate within the industrial refrigeration industry surrounding whether or not the use of hazard and operability methodology, referred to as HAZOP, should be considered the industry standard for hazard reviews and process hazard analyses. While there are advocates for and against employing HAZOP methodology, Stephanie Smith, senior engineer II with Risk Management Professionals Inc., said her research and experience show that the benefits generally outweigh the costs.

Technology & Equipment

From Dry to Hybrid: A 360 Degree View of Cooling Technologies

Cooling technologies affect price and cooling capacity, and there are a variety of fundamentally different dry cooling technologies available for cooling water/glycol mixtures. The decision for or against one of these technologies during the planning stage of a project has an impact not only directly on the investment sum but also on the subsequent operating costs of the plant across the entire life cycle.

Safety

A Great way to Learn

The following incident had many lessons learned for both the facility and the outside responders. Think about what would happen, or what actions would be taken if this happened at your facility.

Technology & Equipment

Identifying and Quantifying Fugitive Emissions from Industrial Refrigeration Systems

Industrial ammonia refrigeration systems vary widely in their engineering design, size, scope, and technology features. However, they universally experience some level of refrigerant loss throughout their operational life. Refrigerant losses from industrial ammonia refrigeration systems originate from any number of sources including uncontrolled releases from incidents and accidents, intentional releases during maintenance activities, and fugitive emissions.

Summer 2025

President’s Message by Gary Schrift

In this issue of the Condenser, we’re looking at how IIAR’s mission continues to shape the world of refrigeration, even as that world is constantly shifting. From our standards writing efforts to our training program development, the task of influencing and even guiding regulatory activity so that it keeps pace with new technology and an ever-evolving business landscape – falls to us.

November 2021

Chairman’s Message

It’s amazing how quickly a year(or two) can go by. Our 2022 annual conference, March 6-9 in Savannah, Georgia, is on the horizon already, and while that means we’re approaching the last annual meeting during my term as Chairman, this year’s conference represents something much more important – a return to in-person conferences and the beginning of many exciting developments for IIAR and its members.

Building the Base: IIAR RELEASES CO2 STANDARD, IIAR-2 UPDATE, NEW GUIDELINES

The International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration’s history is rooted in standards, and the association has released its latest update to IIAR-2, which was first released in 1974, and its first-ever safety standard for carbon dioxide IIAR CO2.