Recent Blog Posts

Ammonia Refrigeration System Oil Draining Requirements

October 29th, 2024

Ammonia refrigeration systems must be equipped with a means of draining oil from the system. Over time, small amounts of oil are carried out of the compressors and mix with the ammonia vapor. The ideal place to collect and drain this oil is on the low pressure side of the refrigeration system. The cold temperatures […]

Ammonia Release | Falling Ice Breaks Pipe

October 15th, 2024

Summary In December 2022, a falling piece of ice broke off a ¾” ammonia charging connection on a high pressure receiver. This resulted in a release of approximately 2,375 lbs of ammonia.  Incident Description Extreme weather conditions resulted in excessive ice buildup under the condenser platform. The high pressure receiver was located under the condenser […]

Q&A | Safe Access to Equipment

September 3rd, 2024

Question: Do I have to provide safe access to all of my ammonia refrigeration equipment? Answer: According to current codes and standards, the answer is a resounding YES!  IIAR 2 – Standard for Design of Safe Closed-Circuit Ammonia Refrigeration Systems General Accessibility ANSI/IIAR 2-2021 defers to the mechanical code requirements in reference to accessibility in […]

Ammonia Release | Evaporator Arc Flash

August 20th, 2024

Summary In June 2023, the vibration of an evaporator over a long period of time allowed exposed electrical wiring to cause an arc flash that ruptured a distribution tube. This resulted in two (2) injuries and a release of approximately 11 lbs of ammonia.  Incident Description The direct-expansion evaporator was equipped with an electric heater […]

Standard 9 has been revised – Here’s what you need to know!

August 5th, 2024

The first edition of IIAR Standard 9 was published in 2020. Consistent with the document title, “Standard for Minimum System Safety Requirements for Existing Closed-Circuit Ammonia Refrigeration Systems”, Standard 9 lays out the minimum requirements that all systems must adhere to, regardless of when they were built. The original publication of Standard 9 required facilities […]