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February 2019

President’s Message by Dave Rule

The International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration is growing, both within the United States and abroad, thanks to the use of natural refrigerants and IIAR’s efforts to bring awareness of their value to other countries.

February 2019

Chairman’s Message by Mike Lynch

As I wind up my year as chairman of IIAR, I look back and see all the wonderful accomplishments that you – our members and committees have achieved, setting the stage for even more in the year ahead.

OLD GAME, NEW CARDS

Maintenance costs, particularly for labor, are increasing, and the traditional material specified for piping and valve systems – painted carbon steel – is changing as end users search for solutions to minimize maintenance and increase reliability. “The presence of corrosion creates specific issues, particularly with uninsulated valves and controls, that must be managed by those in the refrigeration industry,” said Bob Czarnecki, a member of the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration board of directors.

February 2019

The Sustainability Challenge

To date, activities within the International Institute for Ammonia Refrigeration have dealt exclusively with ammonia safety and ammonia refrigeration systems. That’s who we are, where we come from and what we’ve done well. Recently, however, it has become clear that IIAR needs to take up the challenge of promoting the safe and efficient use of all the natural refrigerants – ammonia, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, air and water.

February 2019

Costa Rica Adopts IIAR Standards

In late January Costa Rica officially adopted several standards from the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration to govern ammonia refrigeration facilities in the country. Costa Rica is the first to take such a progressive move in Latin America, and others in the region are taking note.

February 2019

Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) of Manually Operated Hand Valves

Trying to understand and properly apply standards and regulations is not only a time consuming effort, but also challenging. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has Standard 29 CFR 1910.147, titled “The control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout)”, which is commonly referred to as “Lockout/Tagout”.

February 2019

Foundation Research Projects Summary

The Ammonia Refrigeration Foundation is dedicated to furthering the advancement of the knowledge and technology that drives the growth of natural refrigerants. The Foundation’s three ongoing research projects are helping the industry address and solve specific technical problems as well as contribute new information to the code and regulatory communities. Here, the Foundation’s research project leaders give a summary of where and how project information is being produced and used.

February 2019

Machinery Rooms in Europe and USA: Sprinkler Systems

Machinery rooms are enclosed zones with mechanical ventilation, separated from public space and accessible only to authorized personnel. They serve primarily as dry and protected places for the components of a refrigeration system, mainly compressors and pressure vessels, but also additional equipment, for example in secondary systems the evaporator and/or water cooled condensers.

February 2019

Welcome to the 2019 IIAR Natural Refrigeration Conference & Exhibition!

We are coming off of a very successful conference in Colorado Springs last year where we celebrated our 40th IIAR Annual Conference. This year we are pleased to return to Phoenix after many years. The last time we were here was in 1981 and the conference, our organization and our industry looked very different.

February 2019

IIAR’s Conference Tech Papers Expand to Include Commercial Sector

One main focus of the technical program this year was to help educate commercial decision makers and designers. “Commercial end users are starting to become more interested in natural refrigerants,” Eric Smith, IIAR’s vice president and technical director, said. “Now people are beginning to wonder about their applications – how well it’s been going, the difficulties they’ve encountered and which natural refrigerants they should choose.”

February 2019

Charitable Contributions from IRAs

You must be 70½ or older in order to be eligible to make QCDs. You simply instruct your IRA trustee to make a distribution directly from your IRA (other than SEP and SIMPLE IRAs) to a qualified charity. The distribution must be one that would otherwise be taxable to you. You can exclude up to $100,000 of QCDs from your gross income each year.

February 2019

John Yencho Retires from Hansen

We respectfully announce the retirement of one of Hansen’s most dedicated and long-term contributors - John Yencho. John has been a key contributor to our success over his 34+ years of service and the industry. Although he is officially retiring, we expect him to remain involved with Hansen’s on-going innovation efforts.

February 2019

Was it Communicated?

Some may recall the statement made in the 1967 “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.” Clear and understood communication is important in almost all interactions we have. As important as good communication is, we still have challenges in making it happen.Some may recall the statement made in the 1967 “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.” Clear and understood communication is important in almost all interactions we have. As important as good communication is, we still have challenges in making it happen.

Government Relations

Supreme Court Declines to Hear HFC Case, EPA Proposes Removing HFC Leak Requirements

On January 18, 2019, President Trump signed legislation to extend the authority for the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program. CFATS, administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), was set to expire on January 19th unless legislation was enacted to continue its authority. Industry and DHS called for reauthorization to prevent a lapse in authority.

May 2019

President’s Message by Dave Rule

Having just returned from IIAR’s exciting 2019 annual conference, I’m even more committed to the importance of our association and the many advantages of membership. The conference, held in Phoenix in March, was another record-setter in terms of attendance and the span of our technical program.

May 2019

Secondary Systems Offer IIAR Opportunity For Expansion

As your IIAR chairman for this year, I would like to thank and congratulate everyone who made our 2019 annual meeting in Phoenix a great success, and especially to welcome all our new IIAR members. Your participation and spirit of volunteer leadership is essential to helping our industry meet the many challenges that lay ahead.

Future-Proofing Refrigerants

Against a shifting regulator landscape, with restrictions of hydrofluorocarbon synthetic refrigerants growing by fits and starts, use of natural refrigerants is increasing among a widening range of companies seeking to ensure that their investments will be viable in the future.

May 2019

IIAR Releases New Standards and Updates

The IIAR presently has eight American National Standard Institute (ANSI) approved standards at this time and three additional new standards that are presently in development making a total of 11 standards overall.

May 2019

Putting Funds to Use to Drive Innovative Solutions for the Industry, Foundation Members

At ARF, our mission, as a nonprofit research and education foundation, is to promote, fund and provide scientific and educational projects that are related to the use of ammonia, natural refrigerants and industrial refrigeration. It’s not only our mission, but it is our reality.

May 2019

Well-attended Auxilary Session at IIAR Phoenix Conference Explored Energy Efficiencies

Energy efficiency was the focus of a well-attended and extensive auxiliary educational program at the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration annual conference, held in March in Phoenix.