Recent Blog Posts

Ammonia Week in Review | March 21, 2025

March 21st, 2025

History Repeats Itself in this week’s edition of the Ammonia Week in Review… Ammonia Leak at Cold Storage Facility in South McAllen Contained – The city of McAllen reported Monday morning a chemical spill on the 4000 block of W Military Highway in South McAllen. […keep reading] In 6 Months, Another Case of Ammonia Gas Leak – Nearly […]

Relief Valves Discharging Back into a Refrigeration System

March 18th, 2025

This is an update to a blog that was originally posted on 4/19/16. You can read the original blog here. ANSI/IIAR 2-2021 §15.3.10 outlines the requirements for providing Hydrostatic Overpressure Protection. In situations where thermal hydrostatic expansion of trapped liquid ammonia could occur, hydrostatic protection must be provided. Per ANSI/IIAR 2-2021 §15.3.10.1, Protection against overpressure […]

Condenser Relief Valves

January 7th, 2025

Question: Are pressure relief valves required to be installed on an evaporative condenser? This is an update to a blog that was originally posted on 9/10/13. You can read the original blog here. Answer: This is a very good question and one that gets asked frequently. Since an evaporative condenser is not a pressure vessel, […]

Ammonia Refrigeration Valve Tags

November 26th, 2024

This is an update to a blog that was originally posted on 10/4/16. You can read the original blog here. When reviewing an ammonia refrigeration Piping and Instrumentation Diagram (P&ID) and comparing it to the actual refrigeration system, I am often surprised at how often valves have not been physically labeled to match the P&ID. […]

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 […]