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August 2023

Built to Last

All parents aspire to build a life for their children that is better than the one they lived. One way many parents seek to accomplish this worthy endeavor is by building a strong financial legacy. If you are fortunate enough to accumulate more wealth than previous generations of your family, you should work diligently to ensure that this wealth will translate to a financial legacy built to last not only for your children but for generations to come.

Technology & Equipment

IIAR Remembers

Klaas Visser, known to the natural refrigeration industry as a relentless environmental advocate who is credited by many for helping lead the renaissance of CO2, as well as a tireless innovator who introduced pivotal new refrigeration system designs, has passed away at the age of 83.

Technology & Equipment

The Design of CO2 Refrigeration System Using Ammonia System Design Principles

Over the past 20 years or so the use of CO2 refrigerant as the first stage of CO2/HFC and CO2/NH3 cascade systems has increased significantly. The use of two-stage transcritical CO2 systems, which are invariably air cooled, is an increasing trend. Frequently, two-stage gas coolers are used with water sprayed on the secondstage air-cooled gas coolers to reduce the gas cooler exit temperature to as low a value as possible.

IIAR WELCOMES 1,700 IIAR MEMBERS IN LONG BEACH

The International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration 2023 Annual Natural Refrigeration Conference & Expo in Long Beach, California. The event provided four days of technical knowledge, networking, and industry-sponsored events for those involved in the natural refrigeration industry. Roughly 1,700 attendees took part in the show and IIAR set a new record with its exhibit space.

Education/Training

President’s Message by Gary Schrift

Our Annual Conference in Long Beach was a great success, and now that the flurry of committee meetings, networking events, and technical discussions have ended and we’re all back at work, it’s time to set some new goals and carry the momentum of our recent meeting into the rest of the year.

May 2023

Chairman’s Message by Dave Malinauskas

Conference time has come and gone, and there’s a lot to look forward to this year. For the executive committee and your staff at headquarters, that means everyone is working hard to make sure our recent initiatives – from the AIM Act to our focus on developing IIAR member benefits to the many new projects our committees have started – will put us in the best possible position.

Conference

Uriah Donaldson, Gabriel Gutierrez, Winners of the 2023 IIAR Award for Presentation Excellence

Uriah Donaldson, a process safety consultant and account manager for Resource Compliance, received IIAR’s 2023 Award for Presentation Excellence for his outstanding description of “The Cost of Non-Compliance: An Objective Analysis of Federal EPA’s Enforcement at Ammonia Facilities” during IIAR’s 2023 Annual Conference in Long Beach, California.

Conference

Natural Refrigeration Foundation Annual Golf Tournament a Success

The Natural Refrigeration Foundation has raised more than $73,000 at its annual golf tournament. The foundation promotes the climate-positive, safe, reliable, and efficient use of natural refrigerants through research and scholarships to develop industry talent, academic alliances, and outreach.

Technology & Equipment

Industrial Refrigeration Faces Significant Cybersecurity Risks

The use of technology in the industrial refrigeration industry continues to increase, and automation and internet control of facilities are becoming commonplace. The benefits of automation and control are massive, but there is also a downside. The systems can be vulnerable to attack, making cybersecurity measures essential to protect against cyber threats.

Technology & Equipment

Heat Pumps Hold Potential in Household and Commercial Applications

Heat pumps can significantly reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, and the adoption of heat pumps is continuing to increase in both household and industrial applications as technology advances.

Codes & Standards

Work Continues on IIAR Standards

The Standards Committee is continuing its work on revisions of several standards, which must be reviewed and revised a minimum of every five years by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for IIAR to remain as an accredited Standards Developing Organization (SDO). Updates for each standard were given during the IIAR Standards Committee Meeting at the IIAR 2023 Annual Conference in Long Beach.

Education/Training

IIAR Remembers Members for Their Service and Contributions

IIAR’s success hinges on the involvement of its members, and the association would like to pay tribute to several members who have passed away. These members generously shared their time and expertise with IIAR and the industry, and they will be missed.

Conference

IIAR, RETA Work to Increase Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Industry

Industrial refrigeration has long been a male-dominated industry with women being few and far between, whether it be at the enduser, contractor, or manufacturer level, but that is changing.

Conference

Keeping Up by Dr. Janet Lapp

The increase in the volume of work resulting from regulatory changes is superimposed on a backset of a) unprecedented instability and b) an increasing and overwhelming number of decisions we are forced to make daily. Generative A.I. is compounding the overwhelm. The number of decisions every day has increased tenfold over the last three years (74%), 78% are bombarded with more data than ever, and 86% say the volume of data is making decisions much more complicated.

Safety

OSHA Nears Completion of Final Rule on Injury and Illness Recordkeeping Requirements

On April 7, 2023, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) submitted its latest injury and illness recordkeeping proposal to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). Submission to OIRA usually marks the last step in the rulemaking process before a Final Rule is published. Injury and illness recordkeeping has been the subject of regulatory attention by the last three administrations.

May 2023

Weighing the Choice between NCIAL Taxable and Tax-Free Bonds

If you're considering the purchase of an individual bond or even a bond mutual fund, one of your first concerns will be its yield. However, when comparing various yields, you need to make sure you're not comparing apples to oranges. The yield on a tax-free bond may be lower than that paid by a taxable bond, but you'll need to look at its tax-equivalent yield to compare them accurately.

Safety

Lesson Learned: Bad Decommissioning Mistake

I am sure that many of us have seen ammonia refrigeration systems that have operated for several decades, with equipment and system components functioning well past recommended operating life. This is a credit to manufacturers, installers, service technicians, and operators. Aging equipment and piping at some point will eventually require replacement. Or the system or portion of it may be decommissioned due to a business discussion. Due to various conditions, it may become necessary to decommission a system or portions of it, which is defined in ANSI/ IIAR 8- 2020 – Decommissioning of Closed-Circuit Ammonia Refrigeration Systems as: “The permanent deactivation of a closed-circuit refrigeration system.”

Technology & Equipment

Benefit of Ammonia Heat Pump Implementation in the Industry and for District Heating

Over the last 15 years the market for high-temperature ammonia heat pumps has been growing in Europe and now it is also taking off in North America. That period in Europe has yielded many lessons as higher pressure and temperature present new challenges in refrigerant design. This paper explains where heat pump installation differs from refrigeration installation through three case studies of installations in Europe.

Conference

President’s Message by Gary Shrift

The International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration is growing, both within the United States and abroad, thanks to the use of natural refrigerants, and nowhere is this more evident than at the IIAR annual conference. This year, we’ll meet in person in Long Beach, California to discuss everything from HFC phaseouts to the AIM Act, to new technologies.

Government Relations

Chairman’s Message

As I wind up my year as chairman of our International Association of Industrial Refrigeration, 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. First on my list is the newly formed IIAR AIM Act Task Force. The American Innovation and Manufacturing Act (AIM) Act is expected to increase the long-term use of natural refrigerants and bring significant new opportunities to the natural refrigerant industry.