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President’s Message by Dave Rule

Looking at the rich and exciting program for our association’s 2020 annual conference in Orlando, I see an extraordinary palette of achievements by IIAR members over the past several years. While this will be my last conference as IIAR president, I am proud of our members’ accomplishments, which form a strong foundation for further growth and continuing efforts that will broaden the applications of natural refrigerants both in the familiar industrial setting and in the expanding retail commercial sector.

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Hawaii and Energy Efficiency

Mark Twain once wrote that Hawaii was “The loveliest fleet of islands that lie anchored in any ocean.” I first visited Hawaii just a few years after the world had experienced its second “energy crisis”. In 1979 the Iranian Revolution had disrupted the world’s oil supply and overnight the price of oil doubled to $39.50 per barrel.

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IIAR TECHNICAL PROGRAM UNITES INDUSTRY

One of the most interesting and important programs at the IIAR annual conference in Orlando is the presentation of technical papers. At this year’s conference, industry experts from both the industrial and commercial sides of the business will present technical papers at the IIAR Technical Program.

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India Eyes IIAR Standards, Other International Efforts See Success

While much of the efforts of IIAR’s International Committee in the past few years have been focused on Latin America, the committee recently began activities to develop contacts and influence in India

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IIAR Says Goodbye to Longterm President Dave Rule

Dave Rule began his long and esteemed career in the industrial refrigeration industry by way of obtaining his first job in none other than the truck manufacturing industry. His first job gave him a quick education and a good understanding of steel fabrication and working in manufacturing. All skills he would soon apply to his next challenge. Dave quickly transitioned from the truck manufacturing industry to the industrial refrigeration industry as an employee with Baltimore Aircoil (BAC). He came in as a material controls assistant and quickly grew to a lead position in sales and technical support.

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IIAR Membership Advances Industry with Committee Work

The past year was a productive one for IIAR’s numerous committees. From in-depth technical research to international outreach, IIAR’s membership has been busy advancing the industry. Here’s a detailed catalog of each committee’s activities, and what they hope to address in the next year and beyond.

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Welcome to the 2020 IIAR Natural Refrigeration Conference & Exhibition!

It is my pleasure to welcome all of you to the 2020 IIAR Natural Refrigeration Conference and EXPO here in Orlando. Your IIAR Staff and Executive Committee have worked very hard to provide you with the largest technical program ever offered at an IIAR conference along< with many opportunities to network with all of your IIAR friends and colleagues.

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IIAR Unveils New Energy and Sustainability Committee

Amid a high level of interest from members, IIAR’s newly established Energy and Sustainability Committee will have its inaugural meeting at this year’s annual conference in Orlando. At last year’s IIAR Annual Conference, after much discussion and deliberation, the IIAR chairman appointed a task force to investigate the needs of the industry’s enduser community with regards to energy and sustainability in their facilities, said Bruce Nelson, speaking on behalf of the committee.

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Foundation Founders Scholarship Program Sees Continued Growth

Since its introduction in 2016, the Ammonia Refrigeration Foundation’s Founders Scholarship has helped connect talented young people to the world of natural refrigerants by awarding students who exhibit exceptional character, academic prowess and a healthy interest in pursuing an engineering or related technical degree with financial and professional assistance.

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What? I didn’t know that

I recently read an article about a man that spent a considerLESSON able amount of time tromping through the wilderness back in the early 1900s. In his journa he made a statement that I found interesting. He wrote, “I don’t know where I am, but it doesn’t matter.” I am concerned when someone doesn’t know where they are or what is going on, and they think it “doesn’t matter.” I think it can matter a lot where you are, and what you know when you are there.

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CSB Establishes New Chemical Incident Reporting Rule

On February 5, 2020, the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released its Final Rule on accidental chemical release reporting. The rule creates a new reporting requirement for facilities that experience a chemical release. The enabling legislation that established the CSB included a requirement that the agency develop a reporting mechanism to help identify incidents that warrant CSB investigation.

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Is an Ammonia Refrigeration Evaporative Condenser a PermitRequired Confined Space (PRCS)?

This article will explore the questions so many have regarding their evaporative condensers and OSHA’s PermitRequired Confined Space standard(s) (29 CFR 1910.146 and 29 CFR 1926.1201 - .1213).

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Country Boy Moves to Washington DC

Imagine the headline: “After a thirty-two-year career in industrial refrigeration, man returns to industrial refrigeration, starting his new position on April Fool’s day, while working at home during a once in a lifetime pandemic with a major event canceled, which has, in turn, cut the organization’s revenue stream by almost 50%” . . . No, these are not headline stories from your Linkedin Daily Rundown! They are the major events in my professional life since January of this year. And I could not be more blessed and excited to take on the challenge.

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Nothing is More Constant Than Change

To me, our conference has been almost like a large family reunion. It was with a heavy heart that the conference had to< be canceled by the Executive committee. The final factor in the decision to cancel was when the World Health Organization declared that there was a worldwide pandemic caused by COVID-19.

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COPING WITH COVID-19 How the Refrigeration Industry is Safeguarding Employees and Operations

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a global crisis and disrupted communities worldwide. Those in the refrigeration industry have also felt the effects as they work to keep essential operations running, ensure employee and facility safety, and meet the needs of their cusromers.

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HFC Phase Out Continues Amid Uncertainty Over Regulations

Refrigeration industry end users are continuing to phase out ozone-depleting and high-global-warming-potential refrigerants to comply with regulatory requirements and proactively address environmental needs, but a lack of concrete direction from the federal government has resulted in uncertainty as well as a patchwork of state-by-state efforts.

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IIAR’s Virtual Conference to Deliver Technical Papers, Workshops and Panels

With COVID-19 limiting travel and causing people to stay home, the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration transitioned its popular in-person annual conference, originally scheduled for March in Orlando, to a virtual conference that will provide online learning, beginning May 18.

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IIAR’s Virtual Conference Sunday Session Will Focus on Secondary Coolants

Among the sessions set for the IIAR’s Virtual Conference is a special educational session covering the use of secondary coolants for industrial ammonia refrigeration systems. Originally intended to be the Sunday Education

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IIAR Energy Efficiency Committee Focuses on Sustainability

Despite the cancellation of the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration 2020 national conference, IIAR’s newest committee, the Energy Efficiency, and Sustainability Committee, is moving forward with its mission. The panel’s inaugural meeting was to have been at the Orlando conference.

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Foundation Celebrates Successful Fundraising Year

The Ammonia Refrigeration Foundation’s 2019 fundraising program was< extremely successful, raising more than one million dollars, according to Joe Mandato, ARF’s Trustee Chair who spearheaded the effort, which specifically focused on trustee-level pledges of $50,000 or more. “This was

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It’s a New World

Early in March, I was at a training meeting for Search & Rescue in my county. One of the first topics discussed was the upcoming training. In early March there were only 2 people who had tested positive for COVID-19 in the county. Still, I felt we should be proactive, and postpone training for March and April, just in case things changed. There was also an Assistant Professor from a local medical college in the meeting that strongly supported my suggestion.

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IIAR, ASTI, Developing Emergency Safety Guidance

After an ammonia incident occurred in 2012 that resulted in the loss of life, the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration took steps to enforce procedures employees must follow when performing rescue or medical duties.

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IIAR’s Academy of Natural Refrigerants Certificate Program

As a recent graduate of an IIAR Academy of Natural Refrigerants (ANR) to share some details of my experience with you. Overall, it was a great experience and I hope that after you read this article you will also be motivated to register for an ANR certificate course.

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Regulatory Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The current COVID-19 pandemic is having significant impacts on individuals and businesses across the globe. While many businesses continue to be closed, or their operations changed or restricted, companies designated as part of the critical infrastructure have maintained operations throughout the crisis.

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International Activities Continue Remotely, Despite Pandemic

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration has post-poned its international activities, with conferences scheduled in Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador all moved to the winter and spring of 2021.

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A Reminder of the Past and Present

First and foremost, I want to thank all IIAR members for your past support of IIAR through your participation in all the activities and programs that make our industry safer and more successful than ever before, especially for your most recent financial support and participation with IIAR’s first-ever virtual conference.

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Nothing is More Constant Than Change

We are very happy to report that the IIAR-6 Standard for Inspection, Testing and Maintenance of Closed-Circuit Ammonia Refrigeration Systems is ready to go. A lot of effort went into the development of the Standard and now the class, by many volunteers on the Standards Committee and the IIAR Staff.

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ONSITE TO ONLINE. HOW THE PANDEMIC IS CHANGING TRAINING AND SUPPORT

As the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps across the globe, stay-at-home orders and social distancing have changed the way businesses operate. Every business function has been affected, including training, which is a critical component of the natural refrigerant industry. In response, people in the industry have turned to virtual options, leveraging technology that is already available and investing in additional tools.

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World’s First Natural Refrigerants Virtual Conference a Great Success

On March 11 – just three days before the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration annual conference was scheduled to begin – the World Health Organization announced COVID-19 was officially a global pandemic. Immediately following that announcement, IIAR’s board voted, for the safety of members and exhibitors, to cancel what would have been IIAR’s 49th annual Conference and Expo.

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IIAR Congratulates 2020 Award for Presentation Excellence Winners

The coronavirus pandemic forced International Institute for Ammonia Refrigeration to tune in for an unprecedented virtual national conference, and IIAR officials said everyone from the conference attendees to the educational program presenters turned out to make the online conference one of the best.

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End Users Eye Natural Refrigerants

End users are increasingly looking to natural refrigerants to boost efficiencies and reduce their carbon footprints.

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Managing Change

Refrigeration facilities are not static entities. Changes to personnel, equipment, technology and procedures can all impact the operations. To ensure the safety of employees and the overall success of the operation, change must be managed appropriately.

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Foundation Leaders Report Record Fundraising, New Initiatives

Despite the global health crisis and the International Institute for Ammonia Refrigeration’s switch to an all-virtual annual conference, leaders of the Ammonia Refrigeration Foundation said they are optimistic for the future and steadfast in the Foundation’s mission.

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How can I find water?

Thinking about water LESSON and where to find it, I go back a few years ago to when one of my daughters and I were hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). We planned to do a north bound hike, which starts at the U.S./ Mexico border east of San Diego and heads to Canada. Hoping to avoid wet and cold weather (yes even in southern California), and to also avoid very dry conditions, we started hiking in midApril. Fortunately, and unfortunately, the year we hiked it was one of the driest on record.

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SECURE Act Legislation Includes Retirement Plan Changes

The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancements (SECURE) Act increases saving opportunities for Americans, with many of the provisions becoming effective January 1, 2020. The SECURE Act contains 29 separate provisions; below is a summary of some of the more substantial changes.

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Critical Tasks for Emergency Action Planning – IIAR’s new Guidance Document

When handled correctly, ammonia is one of the safest gases to work with, Gary Smith, president and CEO of the Ammonia Safety and Training Institute, said in his presentation at IIAR’s Virtual Conference and Expo. Over 5 million tons are used every year in approximately 7,000 facilities across the country with significantly fewer incidents per facility when compared to other chemicals.

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EPA Announces Termination of Enforcement Discretion, Region 1 Reports Results of GDC Pilot Program

On June 29th, EPA announced the termination date of its temporary enforcement discretion policy contained in a March 26th memorandum entitled: “COVID-19 Implications for EPA’s Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Program”. The policy was instituted with the recognition that travel restrictions and stay-at-home orders may impact the ability of some facilities to meet certain compliance requirements during the pandemic.

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IIAR’s International Activity Grows Despite Pandemic

The global health crisis has impacted nearly all aspects of the refrigeration industry, and by extension, the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration and its committees have had to adapt to the changing landscape. Against this headwind, IIAR’s International Committee, led by Yesenia Rector, has been working to expand the Institute’s footprint beyond North America.

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Case History: A Study of Incidents in the Ammonia Refrigeration Industry

In June of 2005, the author initiated a project to collect data related to ammonia incidents using information from publicly available sources. For the past 14 years, the data have been input into an Excel spreadsheet every day. This information was analyzed and compared with historical incident data available from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Risk Management Plan database and a 2008 IIAR survey.

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Moving Forward While Sitting Still

This month, IIAR’s big news is that our IIAR 2021 Natural Refrigeration Conference & Heavy Equipment Expo originally scheduled to take place March 28-31, 2021 in Palm Springs, California, has been rescheduled to be held June 20-23, 2021, in Palm Springs, California.

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Chairman’s Message By Dave Schaffer

As we all know Covid 19 has affected almost every corner of the globe. It’s been a very active year for everyone because of the pandemic. Our IIAR staff worked very hard to pull off, among other things a very successful industryfirst all-natural refrigerant virtual conference. Our committees have also been very active despite meetings that are now, of course, conducted remotely.

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Growing GREEN. HOW NATURALS ARE GAINING A SHARE OF NEW MARKETS

Hydrofluorocarbons occupy a market space that is very large and diverse ranging from residential through all types of commercial to industrial. While HFCs appear to be a good choice from a perceived safety benefit, they are still pollutants and increasingly regulated chemicals. Regulatory requirements are forcing HFC users to make a switch to lower global warming potential systems, and it is impacting different markets in different ways.

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IIAR Focuses on Year-Round Education, Prepares for 2021’s Annual Meeting

IIAR has several educational offerings available for its members, ranging from online training classes and webinars to technical seminars at its annual meeting, and the association is continually working to improve and enhance all it offers. The past year put a spotlight on how content is delivered, and IIAR is engaging members and reviewing its past success as it plans future content.

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Industry Groups Support CARB Rule Encouraging Low-Global Warming Potential Refrigerants in Ice Rinks and Stationary Refrigeration Equipment

California is on track to become the first regulator to address the global warming potential of refrigerants used in ice rinks. “That isn’t to say ice rinks aren’t covered in other regulations, but it’s the first to target ice rinks specifically, which could set a global precedent,” said Christina Starr, senior policy analyst for the Environmental Investigation Agency. “That’s why it’s so important to have a 150 GWP threshold, which sends the right signal about what is feasible in this sector.”

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Why IIAR Needs Energy Performance Benchmarking More Than Ever

All industry sectors across the world ranging from utilities, manufacturing, food preservation through to comfort cooling, food storage and transportation face unprecedented challenges concerning energy efficiency improvements and emissions reductions.

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PSM Safety and Compliance in the Age of Pandemics

Our world has turned upside down in 2020: close to 9.5 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S; over 233,000 deaths in the U.S.; people being quarantined or sheltering in place; social distancing; non-essential businesses shut with skeleton crews; essential businesses having to implement enhanced sanitation procedures, social distancing, PPE requirements, employee health screening; visitor restrictions; the list goes on and on and on.

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Pre-Emergency Readiness is Well Managed Business

As much as we don’t like to admit it, ammonia leaks happen. Even in systems we feel we manage and care for exceptionally well. But with increasing turnover resulting in less experience on off-shifts, where management presence is the lightest, and increased wear and tear from heightened demands being put on aging equipment, leaks are just part of the business. However, with some time spent on pre-emergency planning and emergency response, we can get ahead of this ever-looming vulnerability, making leaks a well-managed part of the business.

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Real or Virtual?

Life during the past sev- LESSON eral months has been a challenge when deciding if something might be done “for real” or must be done “virtually”. This past July I was scheduled to be a back-up guide for groups of young men as the various groups attempted to hike up nine prominent peaks in my area. Needless to say, COVID-19 stopped that activity. However, I was still interested in doing those peaks, several of which I had never done.

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The Mathematics of Filling Tax Brackets

Utilizing (or “filling”) the lower tax brackets is a simple, yet often overlooked, tax planning strategy. Consider the fictional case of Chuck and Debbie to help you better understand the mathematics of filling the lower tax brackets in order to improve your overall tax situation.

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IAR Works with Allies Across the Globe on Committee Work and Standards

IIAR has expanded the number of memorandums of understanding (MOU) it has with countries, with Spain and Australia becoming the last two countries to become IIAR’s Allied Organizations. Other countries with MOUs include Columbia, Chile, China, and Costa Rica.

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Policy Implications of a Biden Presidency

While there are still some uncertainties about the final results of the 2020 elections, including key runoff elections for two Senate seats in the state of Georgia, it is important to look at the potential policy implications of a Biden presidency. As with all presidential administrations, there will be some policy changes that can be accomplished simply through executive action.

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President’s Message by Dave Rule

The International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration is growing, both within the United States and abroad, thanks to the use of natural refrigerants and IIAR’s efforts to bring awareness of their value to other countries.

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Chairman’s Message by Mike Lynch

As I wind up my year as chairman of IIAR, 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.

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OLD GAME, NEW CARDS

Maintenance costs, particularly for labor, are increasing, and the traditional material specified for piping and valve systems – painted carbon steel – is changing as end users search for solutions to minimize maintenance and increase reliability. “The presence of corrosion creates specific issues, particularly with uninsulated valves and controls, that must be managed by those in the refrigeration industry,” said Bob Czarnecki, a member of the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration board of directors.

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The Sustainability Challenge

To date, activities within the International Institute for Ammonia Refrigeration have dealt exclusively with ammonia safety and ammonia refrigeration systems. That’s who we are, where we come from and what we’ve done well. Recently, however, it has become clear that IIAR needs to take up the challenge of promoting the safe and efficient use of all the natural refrigerants – ammonia, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, air and water.

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Costa Rica Adopts IIAR Standards

In late January Costa Rica officially adopted several standards from the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration to govern ammonia refrigeration facilities in the country. Costa Rica is the first to take such a progressive move in Latin America, and others in the region are taking note.

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Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) of Manually Operated Hand Valves

Trying to understand and properly apply standards and regulations is not only a time consuming effort, but also challenging. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has Standard 29 CFR 1910.147, titled “The control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout)”, which is commonly referred to as “Lockout/Tagout”.

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Foundation Research Projects Summary

The Ammonia Refrigeration Foundation is dedicated to furthering the advancement of the knowledge and technology that drives the growth of natural refrigerants. The Foundation’s three ongoing research projects are helping the industry address and solve specific technical problems as well as contribute new information to the code and regulatory communities. Here, the Foundation’s research project leaders give a summary of where and how project information is being produced and used.

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Machinery Rooms in Europe and USA: Sprinkler Systems

Machinery rooms are enclosed zones with mechanical ventilation, separated from public space and accessible only to authorized personnel. They serve primarily as dry and protected places for the components of a refrigeration system, mainly compressors and pressure vessels, but also additional equipment, for example in secondary systems the evaporator and/or water cooled condensers.

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Welcome to the 2019 IIAR Natural Refrigeration Conference & Exhibition!

We are coming off of a very successful conference in Colorado Springs last year where we celebrated our 40th IIAR Annual Conference. This year we are pleased to return to Phoenix after many years. The last time we were here was in 1981 and the conference, our organization and our industry looked very different.

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IIAR’s Conference Tech Papers Expand to Include Commercial Sector

One main focus of the technical program this year was to help educate commercial decision makers and designers. “Commercial end users are starting to become more interested in natural refrigerants,” Eric Smith, IIAR’s vice president and technical director, said. “Now people are beginning to wonder about their applications – how well it’s been going, the difficulties they’ve encountered and which natural refrigerants they should choose.”

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Charitable Contributions from IRAs

You must be 70½ or older in order to be eligible to make QCDs. You simply instruct your IRA trustee to make a distribution directly from your IRA (other than SEP and SIMPLE IRAs) to a qualified charity. The distribution must be one that would otherwise be taxable to you. You can exclude up to $100,000 of QCDs from your gross income each year.

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John Yencho Retires from Hansen

We respectfully announce the retirement of one of Hansen’s most dedicated and long-term contributors - John Yencho. John has been a key contributor to our success over his 34+ years of service and the industry. Although he is officially retiring, we expect him to remain involved with Hansen’s on-going innovation efforts.

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Was it Communicated?

Some may recall the statement made in the 1967 “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.” Clear and understood communication is important in almost all interactions we have. As important as good communication is, we still have challenges in making it happen.Some may recall the statement made in the 1967 “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.” Clear and understood communication is important in almost all interactions we have. As important as good communication is, we still have challenges in making it happen.

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Supreme Court Declines to Hear HFC Case, EPA Proposes Removing HFC Leak Requirements

On January 18, 2019, President Trump signed legislation to extend the authority for the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program. CFATS, administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), was set to expire on January 19th unless legislation was enacted to continue its authority. Industry and DHS called for reauthorization to prevent a lapse in authority.

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President’s Message by Dave Rule

Having just returned from IIAR’s exciting 2019 annual conference, I’m even more committed to the importance of our association and the many advantages of membership. The conference, held in Phoenix in March, was another record-setter in terms of attendance and the span of our technical program.

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Secondary Systems Offer IIAR Opportunity For Expansion

As your IIAR chairman for this year, I would like to thank and congratulate everyone who made our 2019 annual meeting in Phoenix a great success, and especially to welcome all our new IIAR members. Your participation and spirit of volunteer leadership is essential to helping our industry meet the many challenges that lay ahead.

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Future-Proofing Refrigerants

Against a shifting regulator landscape, with restrictions of hydrofluorocarbon synthetic refrigerants growing by fits and starts, use of natural refrigerants is increasing among a widening range of companies seeking to ensure that their investments will be viable in the future.

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IIAR Releases New Standards and Updates

The IIAR presently has eight American National Standard Institute (ANSI) approved standards at this time and three additional new standards that are presently in development making a total of 11 standards overall.

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Putting Funds to Use to Drive Innovative Solutions for the Industry, Foundation Members

At ARF, our mission, as a nonprofit research and education foundation, is to promote, fund and provide scientific and educational projects that are related to the use of ammonia, natural refrigerants and industrial refrigeration. It’s not only our mission, but it is our reality.

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Well-attended Auxilary Session at IIAR Phoenix Conference Explored Energy Efficiencies

Energy efficiency was the focus of a well-attended and extensive auxiliary educational program at the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration annual conference, held in March in Phoenix.

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IIAR Announces Awards for Presentation Excellence

Each year, some of the best minds and top talent in the industrial and commercial refrigeration industry gather from around the world at the IIAR Natural Refrigeration Conference & Expo. These experts present technical papers at the IIAR Technical Program in conjunction with this event, and each year the best, most informative presenters are honored with awards of excellence. Below are 2019’s recipients.

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International Committee Focuses on Standards Adoption

The International Committee of the IIAR is working across Latin America to educate leaders in several countries in the region, helping them adopt IIAR standards to better promote safety, sustainability and international commerce.

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IIAR, NASRC, Partnership Delivers New Technical Track

At this year’s IIAR Natural Refrigeration Conference and Expo, held in Phoenix, the IIAR announced its partnership with the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council. Through this partnership, educational programming at the conference was expanded to include a Commercial and Food Retail education Track.

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Safety Committee Working on Hazardous Energy Lockout Standard for Manual Valves

The IIAR’s safety committee is continuing its efforts to draft a guideline for the application of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Standard 29 CFR 1919.147, more commonly called “the control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout),” or LOTO for short.

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Charitable Giving

An outright gift is one that benefits the charity immediately and exclusively. With an outright gift you get an immediate income and gift tax deduction.

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Who’s Prepared?

I have been in the industrial refrigeration industry for, well, a long time. Over the decades LESSON I have seen many changes in technology and regulations. However, one thing that in more recent years really stands out is who is prepared to take over a position?

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Corrosion Allowance

The latest version of IIAR 2, Standard for Safe Design of Closed-Circuit Ammonia Refrigeration Systems will soon be published as “IIAR 2-2014, with Addendum A”. Among other important changes to the standard, there will no longer be a requirement for an additional 1/16” corrosion allowance (CA) on ammonia refrigeration vessels. The design of pressure vessels results in a calculation for the minimum thickness (Tmin) at various places on a vessel (e.g., shell, seams, heads, and nozzels).

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Green New Deal and Climate Policy

Climate policy is taking center stage with Democrats in Congress who gained control of the House of Representatives after the 2018 elections and the over 20 candidates vying for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020. The debate, and rhetoric, is heating up and looks to continue as we head into the presidential election next year.

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Avoiding Brittle Fracture When Repressurizing Carbon Steel CO2 Vessels That Have Lost Pressure

A vessel containing liquid CO2 may form dry ice and be at a temperature below -100°F (-73.3°C) if a leak or control malfunction causes its pressure to drop to atmospheric pressure. If the upset condition is corrected and the vessel is repressurized too quickly with warm high-pressure CO2 , there is a possibility of brittle fracture if the vessel material of construction is carbon steel. The industrial gas industry has developed safe and acceptable methods of repressurizing carbon steel CO2 vessels that have lost pressure. These are described in the Compressed Gas Association guideline CGA-6.7.

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President’s Message by Dave Rule

Once again, our industry is facing a major decision as to the preferred refrigerant that will provide appropriate performance and efficiency while considering the impact on the environment and public safety. This is a complicated question that must address the many diverse applications that are required for industrial and commercial refrigeration, many types of process cooling requirements ranging from manufacturing needs to pharmaceutical production and the general comfort cooling needs of public buildings to residential.

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Hydrocarbons — A Natural Next Step For IIAR

Many hydrocarbons such as Propane, Propylene, and Iso-Butane, make great refrigerants. They are natural, have zero ODP, GWP less than 4, and are categorized as non-toxic. Compared to the HFC’s and HFO’s (also known as “F-Gases”) they have:

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Future Focus

As refrigerants with highglobal-warming potential are phased out, natural refrigerants are being considered for new applications, and the industry is seeing increased use of secondary refrigeration units that allow users to lower their ammonia charge.

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Industry Research Leads to New Insight on Optimum Pipe Sizing

After extensive research and analysis, IIAR’s Ammonia Refrigeration Foundation has released new information on the economics of piping selection and on the proper selection of ammonia wet suction risers, which can help end users prevent oversizing of piping and using more energy than is necessary.

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Curbing Confined Space Confusion

As code interpretations continue to change and improvements slowly morph into normal practice, when the time comes to tackle OSHA’s confined space standard, where do you start?

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Education Committee Reports Scholarship Program Growth

Your Foundation’s scholarship program has been steadily growing since it was launched in 2016, helping address the industry’s growing need for specifically trained engineers.

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Selecting the Right Compressors

For a refrigeration system to run at optimal energy efficiency, it’s important to carefully select the right type of compressors need to be selected, and the correct cooling method employed.

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Shipping Bay: Safety & Reduced Energy Usage Overlap (a Win-Win)

While working as the utilities and facilities manager, to bring on a new major expansion at a large food manufacturing facility, “Safety Always” was part of the culture. The new expansion called for growing from a facility with eight lines of existing production to an immediate addition of sixteen production lines - and targeted to expand to thirty-two lines of production within two more years.

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IIAR Extends Safety, Education to Global Partners

IIAR continues to be active internationally, participating in and sponsoring conferences and natural refrigeration education in India, Mexico, Chile, Argentina and Colombia, with the goal to share IIAR’s message to important global stakeholders.

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The Catch 22 of R22 Replacements

If you’ve recently googled “it’s almost 2020 and I still have R22” then hopefully this article grants you some timely insights. The world of refrigerants has become much more complex since you could refer to your refrigerant as “Freon” and not make an embarrassing social blunder because you were actually using a halogenated hydrocarbon and not a fluorinated hydrocarbon mixed with an unsaturated fluorinated alkene.

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IIAR Webinar Series Addresses Safe Work Practices

The International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration has researched and gathered information from several members over the past year to develop a series of seven “Permit to Work: Safe Work Practices” webinars to help members of the industry stay safe and remain OSHA compliant.

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Health Savings Accounts: Are They Just What the Doctor Ordered?

Are health insurance premiums taking too big of a bite out of your budget? Do you wish you had better control over how you spend your health-care dollars? If so, you may be interested in an alternative to traditional health insurance called a health savings account (HSA).

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Knowing Without Looking?

Recently, I was working with the main refrigeration operaLESSON tor at a facility when he stated something that I felt was not a good idea. Since I would be working with this person and company for some time over the foreseeable future I didn’t respond to his statement, but started thinking if this is how many others feel.

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EPA Continues Compliance Focus on Ammonia Facilities

Compliance and safety in ammonia facilities continues to be a high priority for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In 2016, EPA announced a series of National Enforcement Initiatives focused on improving safety in a variety of high hazard industries. Among these initiatives was an effort entitled “Reducing Accidental Releases at Industrial and Chemical Facilities”. EPA has placed specific emphasis on ammonia facilities as a part of the initiative, which has subsequently been renamed a National Compliance Initiative (NCI).

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Operating Cost Comparison between Transcritical CO2 and Ammonia Recirculation Systems in a Cold Storage Warehouse

Henningsen Cold Storage Co. (HCS) is a public refrigerated warehousing company based primarily in the Pacific Northwest. In business since 1923, HCS operates more than 60 million ft3 of multi-temperature-controlled storage at 13 facilities. The company embraces a continuous improvement culture and has applied it countless times in designing new facilities and optimizing existing facilities.

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Register Now, the IIAR Heavy Equipment Show is Just Around the Corner!

The end of the year is coming to a close quickly, and that means your IIAR staff at headquarters is busy preparing for the next annual conference, in March at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel and Resort in Orlando, Florida. I’m excited to announce many additions to this Heavy Equipment Show that are new in 2020 and highlight the many advantages of IIAR membership, so consider this your official invitation to another can’t-miss IIAR conference!

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Energy and Sustainability

I often think about the myster of human thought. How something unseen and metaphysical can affect and alter things that are seen and physical. The old saying is certainly true, that “Ideas have consequences”. As an engineer I was taught that entropy (disorder) unavoidably increases in the universe according to the second law of thermodynamics.

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IIAR Moves Forward on CO2 Standard

The use of carbon dioxide as a refrigerant has continued to increase, and the IIAR is moving closer to finalizing a new CO2 standard, which will address several critical aspects of CO2 refrigeration, such as installation, startup, inspection, testing and maintenance.

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Advancements in Refrigeration Equipment Require Advanced Lubricants

Any machinery with moving parts requires a lubricant, and the lubricant landscape within the refrigeration industry has gotten more complicated over the past 25 years as new types of equipment have entered the marketplace.

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Foundation Sees Fundraising Success

The Ammonia Refrigeration Foundation is in the midst of its annual fundraising drive, and this year is already looking promising, said Joe Mandato, chairman of the ARF board of trustees.