The Ammonia Refrigeration Foundation, the research arm of the ammonia refrigeration industry, reported that it raised $400,000 in donations in 2014, bringing its endowment to more than $2 million.

“This is significant because it puts us at 60 percent of reaching our goal of $3.5 million by 2017. But there is still a long way to go,” ARF executive director Tim Facius said. “We encourage continued support so that we can deliver the needed research and educational initiatives back to the industry.”

ARF’s mission is to fund research and educational projects that benefit the ammonia refrigeration industry. It searches for solutions to broad industry needs that drive safe and efficient design and the operation of industrial refrigeration systems, Facius said.

Currently, a research project is being conducted on two-phase flow in vertical suction risers. The study is being carried out on a test rig developed for ASHRAE RP-1327 at the Danish Technological Institute in Aarhus, Denmark.

Information produced will provide a greater understanding of two-phase pressure drop and flow in risers, and should lead to better designs with this critical part of ammonia piping systems. Another study on optimum refrigeration pipe sizing has recently begun, ARF said.

In the past year, ARF has also continued looking for ways to grow its scholarship program. Scholarships have previously been awarded at the University of Wisconsin, Erie Technical College and Louisiana Technical College. Awardees have been invited to the IIAR’s annual conference as a way of exposing them to the industry.

The goal of the scholarship program is to encourage young engineers to pursue careers in industrial refrigeration. Scholarship awardees complete an independent study on an industrial refrigeration-related project at the University of Wisconsin’s Industrial Refrigeration Consortium.

“We want to continue to expand these activities, which have the potential to bring more bright young talent to our industry,” Facius said. “ARF has historically directed most of its funding activities toward research projects. But we have been gaining traction on the education side, with an increased number of scholarships awarded each year.”

In 2015, ARF is looking to further develop the research and scholarship funding activities as projects identified by the IIAR Research and Education Committees are identified. It will also be working to grow the endowment by reaching out to industry stakeholders.

“We’re continuing to get the word out on the good work that ARF is funding in terms of research and education,” Facius said. “We’ve got aggressive plans to grow in both arenas. We want to make the scholarship program a larger piece of our overall work, and we have a long list of research projects that we want to complete.”

While Facius expressed gratitude to all those who have contributed to ARF, he emphasized that there remains much work still to be done.

“I want to thank the many donors who have contributed so far, and to encourage continued annual giving by all, as well as encourage those who haven’t yet contributed to consider a donation to this worthy cause,” he said.