Issue Date Archives - Page 3 of 7

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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.

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Clean Evaporator Coils Reduce Energy Expenditure, Lower Costs

Numerous factors can contribute to decreases in a refrigeration system’s energy efficiency, not the least of which is its cleanliness. Much of the time, when facility operators see a facility’s efficiency drop, they believe that indicates they must replace the systems with larger units, when in fact, they often simply need to clean the systems they’re currently using - particularly the evaporators.

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ASME Low Temperature Requirements for Impact Testing

For those of us that didn’t major in metallurgy, steel was always a pretty simple material. It was pretty springy and flexible stuff. Just about any shape was possible. Steel could be loaded up to a point and it would bend, but when unloaded it would spring back to its original shape.

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From the Montreal Protocol to the Paris Agreement: How Refrigerants Have Felt the Chill of Global Environmental Regulations

International refrigerant related environmental regulation began in a laboratory at the University of California, Irvine, in 1973 when a postdoctoral fellow, Mario J. Molina, under the supervision of F. Sherwood Rowland, made a groundbreaking and controversial hypothesis that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) could destroy ozone (O3) in the Earth’s stratosphere.

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International Update: A Focus on Education in Latin America

In Chile, the International Committee of the IIAR has been working with the University of Santiago’s department of mechanical engineering along with the Chilean Chamber of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (CChRyC) to develop a diploma track specifically to prepare refrigeration engineers to work with ammonia systems. The first class – 14 engineers in total – recently graduated.

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Understanding Bond Yields and the Yield Curve

When it comes to investing in bonds, one of the first factors to consider is yield. But what exactly is “yield?” The answer depends on how the term is being used. In the broadest sense, an investment’s yield is the return you get on the money you’ve invested. However, there are many different ways to calculate yield. Comparing yields can be a good way to evaluate bond investments, as long as you know what yields you’re comparing and why.

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Pre-emergency preparedness

Are you prepared? I think most of us think we are LESSON prepared, at least to deal with whatever we expect to happen. The trouble is that often what we come up against is not something we expected – therefore we are not prepared to deal with it. For ammonia refrigeration whether a system has 400 lbs. or 40,000 lbs. (or more) we should do pre-emergency planning and training.

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Regulatory Reforms Advance in Canada and U.S.

Regulations are a major consideration for the industrial refrigeration industry in the United States, Canada and many other countries. IIAR has long worked to improve the regulatory climate in the U.S. and is now working to broaden its influence across the globe. In some cases, this takes the form of promoting IIAR standards in countries that do not have well established regulatory schemes. In other cases, IIAR is working to advance regulatory reforms to reduce regulatory burdens while maintaining safety.

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Developing and Implementing Effective Ammonia Refrigeration System Operating Procedures

This paper provides guidance on developing and implementing operating procedures for ammonia refrigeration systems. The regulatory information is based on the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Process Safety Management (29CFR1910.119) standard (1992), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Chemical Accident Prevention Provisions’ (40 CFR part 68) Risk Management PlanRule(1996), and the IIAR standards for Developing Operating Procedures for Closed-Circuit Ammonia Refrigeration Systems (ANSI/IIAR7-2013).

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President’s Message by Dave Rule

It’s that time of year again, and I’m happy to welcome all IIAR members back to our most important event – the IIAR annual conference and exhibition. Before I get into the exciting things we’ve got in store for you as an organization this year, I’d like to take a minute to recognize all our sponsors and exhibitors. It is their support that provides the backbone for this annual event, sponsoring food and coffee breaks, not to mention our exhibit hall – and everything else that makes this one of the premier events in our industry.

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Chairman’s Message by Walter Teeter

It’s amazing how quickly a year can go by. Our 2018 annual conference is here already, and while that means this is the last annual meeting during my term as Chairman, this year’s conference represents just the beginning of many exciting developments for IIAR and its members.

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NH3 | CO2 TAKE GOLD

Ice rinks from community recreation facilities to the National Hockey League are moving to natural refrigerants such as ammonia and carbon dioxide as they replace aging facilities and deal with the mandatory phase out of R-22, a hydrochlorofluorocarbon that has been widely used at ice rinks across North America.

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Europe’s F-Gas Phase-Out, Price Increases, Leave the Industry Looking for Solutions

In Europe, the phase out of fluorinated gases with high global warming potential, known as F-gases in Europe and HFCs in the U.S., is resulting in severe shortages, causing prices to skyrocket and creating challenges for those that operate and maintain the systems.

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CONFERENCE CHAIR’S MESSAGE

It’s the beginning of a new annual conference for all of us at IIAR, and that means it’s time to meet new colleagues, network, and catch up with friends and business partners at our industry’s largest event. Welcome to the 2018 IIAR Natural Refrigeration Conference & Exhibition!

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ARF Message

The International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration, in partnership with other industry leaders — including The Foundation, RETA, IIAR, GCCA, Lanier Technical College, and Fastport — has created an apprentice program for mechanics and technicians to help bolster the refrigeration workforce. The program is designed to train ammonia refrigeration technicians in all phases of their careers and combines well-developed on-thejob learning with related instruction.

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From Threat Assessment to Employee Engagement: IIAR Tech Papers Unveil Research, Analyze Data

Utilizing bow-tie graphics to assess and prevent potential threats to an industrial ammonia refrigeration system, the importance of employee engagement and building relationships with first responders, and the benefits of ammonia scrubbing with C02 are among the technical papers and workshops that will be presented at this year’s annual IIAR Natural Refrigeration Conference and Expo.

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Efficiency Can be Just Another Controllable Cost

Energy efficiency can be achieved in ways other than with new technology. It can also prove to be a controllable cost, just as with labor and equipment. By developing an energy management system that establishes clear, measurable goals for energy performance, end users of industrial refrigeration facilities can realize a significant reduction in energy consumption, delivering cost savings that fall straight to the bottom line.

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Little Details Add Up

When big things happe they really draw our attention, but in most cases it’s the little things we miss that can result in unexpected and sometimes undesirable results. We might breeze along taking account of larger items, not realizing or taking time to think that little details can make a big difference.

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Social Security: Claim Early and Invest Versus Delaying Receipt for Increased Benefits

Financial Advisors are occasionally asked to provide an analysis of the potential results of claiming Social Security early and investing the proceeds versus delaying receipt for increased benefits, which can be claimed as late as age 70. The following are the reasons that delaying social security income can be a prudent strategy.

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Using the Right Type of Monitor for CO2

The use of CO2 is becoming common in the industrial refrigeration industry, especially with cascade refrigeration systems. But many people are not as familiar with CO2 as they are with ammonia, some believing that the only respiratory issue with CO2 is that it is an inert gas like nitrogen or argon.

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Appeals Court Denies Rehearing of Ruling Against EPA Regulation of HFCs

On January 26, 2017, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied petitions requesting a rehearing by the full court of a decision finding that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had exceeded its authority by regulating the use of HFCs through the Significant New Alternatives Policy program (SNAP).

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Energy Performance of Low Charge, Central Type, Dual Stage NH3 Refrigeration Systems in Practice

In the wake of the pending global phase-down of HFCs due to their contribution to global warming, users and owners of refrigeration systems are faced with decisions that at times appear difficult. These decisions relate to whether or not users continue to employ HFC-based refrigeration systems, switch to low GWP synthetic refrigerants or consider future-proof natural refrigerants such as NH3 , CO2 , hydrocarbons, water, or air in their new and/or expanded systems. In this decision-making process, one very important factor is often either overlooked or underestimated. This factor is energy performance—particularly the energy performance of low charge NH3 systems.

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President’s Message by Dave Rule

This month you’ll be hearing from IIAR about one of our most important annual activities, our membership renewal drive. As an IIAR member, we all depend on you to take that essential first step to participate in the activism and advocacy of our industry, by

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Chairman’s Message by Mike Lynch

As your new Chairman, my first priority this year is to extend a warm welcome to all our new IIAR members. You are joining a community passionate about its work. Your participation and spirit of volunteer leadership is essential in creating the growth and change that will help our natural refrigeration industry meet the new challenges ahead.

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UNLOCKING AMMONIA

Ammonia refrigeration systems are becoming more compact, portable and simpler to install, widening the potential for adoption of ammonia, carbon dioxide and other natural refrigerants in previously untapped industries.

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With New Technology, Buying Decisions Hinge on Efficiency

The focus on efficiency and more important in every arena, and a growing number of companies are prioritizing the potential for long-term efficiency gains, reduced labor costs and streamlined maintenance - over initial cost - when designing their facilities.

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Industrial Refrigerant Apprenticeship Program Nears Completion

A consortium of agencies including RETA, IIAR, ARF, the Global Cold Chain Alliance, FASTPORT and Lanier Technical College has been working diligently to build the Industrial Refrigerant Apprenticeship Program and to get it up and running with the U.S. Department of Labor. It is with great pleasure that we announce that the process is nearly complete.

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ARF Message

In an effort to attract more young people to the industrial refrigeration industry using natural refrigerants, a high school in Azle, Texas, is taking a novel approach. By offering a fully dedicated ammonia refrigeration class, the school gives students unprecedented hands-on training, meaningful work experience and even industry credentials long before their peers are even considering what their careers might be.

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Documenting RAGAGEP

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Process Safety Management (PSM) standard (29 CFR 1910.119) was issued as a final rule in 1992. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Risk Management Program (RM Program) regulation (40 CFR 68.79) was issued as a final rule in 1994.

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Standards Committee Focuses on CO2

One of the main focuses this year for the Standards Committee has been the development of a CO2 standard. As this refrigerant is growing in popularity, it’s becoming clear the industry needs guidance on its development, deployment and safety measures.

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International Committee Expands Outreach

Over the past year and a half, IIAR’s International Committee has established working chapters in several Latin American countries and has its sights set on more countries across the region and the world.

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Marketing Committee’s Report Quantifies Member Data

This year the IIAR Marketing Committee released its first State of the Industry report. The objective of the report was to compile various data sets and information about the industry and present it to IIAR members in an easily digestible way to share valuable information.

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How much is in the system?

One reason is compliance with federal safety and risk-management regulations. If the system is over the threshold quantity of 10,000 pounds, then it is subject to both the OSHA Process Safety Management (PSM) program and the EPA Risk Management Program (RMP). Additionally, some states may have more stringent program levels.

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Putting more Action in your Emergency Action Plan

In an emergency situation, every minute counts, and having a plan in place allows first responders and public safety officials to contain most threats before they grow into an unmanageable problem. During the Las Vegas Safety Day event, the Ammonia Safety and Training Institute, the Las Vegas Hazmat Team and others, including Michael Winburn, vice president of operations at Shetakis, which operates a cold storage facility in Las Vegas, came together to demonstrate how advanced planning can save critical time.