ANSI/IIAR 6-2019 Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Closed-Circuit Ammonia Refrigeration Systems is Published

ANSI/IIAR Standard 6-2019 Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Closed-Circuit Ammonia Refrigeration Systems was officially published on May 20, 2019. Bulletins 109 and 110, the IIAR’s previous guidance documents, are now officially retired in lieu of the long-awaited IIAR 6 standard. Gone are the days of “could” and “should”; this standard provides the minimum safety criteria for maintaining an ammonia refrigeration system. If IIAR 6 has the same success as the other IIAR standards it will be adopted by model codes, be considered recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices (RAGAGEP), and be an important foundation of an ammonia refrigeration facility’s Mechanical Integrity (MI) program. Peter Thomas, who was a member of this standard’s subcommittee, will be writing a blog series in the coming months to discuss the pertinent changes for our industry. Here are some changes to be on the lookout for:

• New annual inspection checklists (these will replace the popular B-109 checklists)
• Increased documentation requirements
• Clarity on task frequency and document retention requirements

You can purchase the standard now on the IIAR’s website, or members can view the online version.