IIAR Committees Focus on Regulatory, Educational, and Member Needs
RESEARCH COMMITTEE PROJECTS
The Research Committee is working on several important projects and looking ahead to future needs. Projects include:
Hydraulic Shock: Committee Chair Bill Greulich said this is a follow up to the previous computational fluid dynamics project completed by the same group. “The previous study outcome was well and good, but we saw an opportunity for further study that could be added to the Piping Handbook,” he said. “It hopefully will provide specific knowledge about how to design valve groups to prevent hydraulic shock. The investigators expect to present it at the annual meeting.”
Air Infiltration in Cold Rooms: As part of a co-funded project with ASHRAE, IIAR is looking at warm air infiltration through doorways into cold spaces. “We’ve earmarked funds to assist ASHRAE in this valuable work, but it is early days on this,” Greulich said.
Pipe Sizing Economy Application II: This is an ongoing project looking at how pipe sizing effects energy efficiency. IIAR is planning to update the financial information in the existing software program.
“The previous study outcome was well and good, but we saw an opportunity for further study that could be added to the Piping Handbook. It hopefully will provide specific knowledge about how to design valve groups to prevent hydraulic shock. The investigators expect to present it at the annual meeting.”
Bill Greulich, Committee Chair
Internal Relief: Based on OSHA activity within the industry, the committee is looking at commissioning a project to study release valve replacement frequency for internally relieving safety valves. “The project is looking to understand what replacement frequency fits our industry conditions.,” Greulich said. “It is really important.”
CO2 System Design: The committee is currently discussing a project with University of California, Berkeley on CO2 relief system design. “Since the advent of carbon dioxide refrigeration systems, we’ve had a lot of worry about the relief devices,” Greulich said, adding that one issue is the cloud of carbon dioxide ‘snow’ that could potentially form in relief discharge piping, ultimately blocking it. “There is a lot of worry, we know the snow can form, but we are much less certain about the line blocking potential.” The committee is currently working on the agreement details for the project, which will determine its future. If it advances, NRF will fund a PhD candidate over three years to advance CO2 system design.
ADDITIONAL COMMITTEE UPDATES
Other noteworthy committee updates from the meeting include:
CO2 Handbook Committee: The committee is targeting the publication of a CO2 handbook in mid-2024.
Safety Committee: The safety committee is finalizing the evaporator-enclosed workspace guideline.
Education Committee: The Education Committee is working on a Refrigerant Evaluator tool, which will be free for IIAR members. The committee is also planning to revisit and update the 2007 IIAR Training Guide. The guide is currently not for sale by IIAR but was used as part of the Fastport Apprenticeship Training Program development and would be important as a tool for workforce development for naturals.
AIM Act Task Force: The AIM Task Force has been closely following the development of AIM Act requirements and is considering creating a Technology Transition Task Force to assist nonnatural refrigerant users on what is next in the realm of refrigerant choices and how should they evaluate and proceed with plans for replacement.
Government Relations Committee: The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) is in the midst of revising the Process Safety Management (PSM)program, and the government relations committee plans to develop a position statement on what the committee and the industry propose. The committee also plans to train OSHA on the availability of the ammonia refrigerant release tool and calculator.
Compliance Guidelines Committee: The Ammonia Handbook update is moving forward toward publication.
International Committee: During the March 2024 IIAR Conference, the International Committee meeting has been moved to Tuesday, which means international members can now attend other committee meetings on Saturday. The changes help support IIAR’s role as an international organization and will allow for more international involvement within IIAR committees.
Piping Sub-Committee: Major edits are underway for the Piping Manual Chapter 1.
STANDARDS COMMITTEE PROGRESS
IIAR standards have to be reviewed regularly, and work on several standards is already underway. Work includes:
IIAR 5 Subcommittee-IIAR 5 Startup of Closed-Circuit Ammonia Refrigeration Systems: Nick Nechay is the IIAR 5 subcommittee chair. Tony Lundell, senior director of standards and safety for IIAR, is the IIAR staff facilitator. Pre-public review comments are being reviewed, which addresses the standard to harmonize with IIAR 2, IIAR 4, IIAR 6, and IIAR 7. IIAR 5’s first public review should be ready in early 2024.
“The previous study outcome was well and good, but we saw an op-portunity for further study that could be added to the Piping Handbook. It hopefully will provide specific knowledge about how to design valve groups to prevent hydraulic shock. The investigators expect to present it at the annual meeting.”
Bill Greulich, IIAR Research Committee Chair
IIAR 6 Subcommittee-IIAR 6 Standard for Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Closed-Circuit Ammonia Refrigeration Systems: Jeff Sutton is the IIAR 6 subcommittee chair. Lundell is the IIAR staff facilitator. Pre-public review comments about “Functionally Testing or Functional Testing” are being addressed. There are less than a dozen comments left to address, and the first public review should be ready in early 2024.
IIAR 7 Subcommittee-IIAR 7 Standard for Developing Operating Procedures for Closed-Circuit Ammonia Refrigeration Systems: Lesley Schafer is the IIAR 7 subcommittee chair. Lundell is the IIAR staff facilitator. Pre-public review comments are being addressed. The committee is focusing on the minimum requirements for operating procedures that are required for regulated (i.e., PSM/RMP systems, larger systems with 10,000 lbs. or more) ammonia refrigeration systems and nonregulated (i.e., General Duty Clause, smaller systems with less than 10,000 lbs.) ammonia refrigeration systems. The first public review should be ready in early 2024.
IIAR 9 Subcommittee-IIAR 9 Standard for Minimum System Safety Requirements for Existing Closed-Circuit Ammonia Refrigeration Systems: Eric Johnston is the IIAR 9 subcommittee chair. Lundell is the IIAR staff facilitator. IIAR 9-2020 Addendum A (202x) was developed to address a scope change and an interpretation, provide a clear compliance deadline, address some simple edits, and provide a flow chart. The first Public Review started in October and ends in November. This addendum should be completed by early 2024.
IIAR HC Subcommittee-IIAR HC Safety Standard for Closed-Circuit Refrigeration Systems Utilizing Hydrocarbon Refrigerants: This standard is in development. Joseph Pillis is the IIAR HC subcommittee chair. Lundell is the IIAR staff facilitator. This standard pertains to utilizing “natural” hydrocarbon refrigerants that have zero ozonedepleting potential and very low global warming potential. The committee is reviewing and developing responses to 161 comments received during the first public review.
Several IIAR members are also ASHRAE members and have reviewed this standard in development and provided pre-public review comments and public review comments during its first review. Lundell said this standard is filling a gap for unlisted system applications that are not sufficiently addressed in ASHRAE 15.
The development of the standard will enable officials at the EPA SNAP Team to have a comprehensive safety standard to reference when considering expanding SNAP approval for hydrocarbon refrigerant applications.
“We have members on this IIAR HC Subcommittee who have the Section 608 Technician Certification and refrigeration systems utilizing hydrocarbon refrigerants that are within this standard do not deplete the ozone,” Lundell said.
IIAR HC’s second public review should be ready in early 2024.
FUTURE PRIORITIES
Going forward, Schrift said IIAR’s general focus will be on helping with the technology transition to natural refrigerants. “Because of the many international and state-based new laws and regulations on HFC reductions, the world now has two choices—change to a new synthetic HFO or change to naturals,” he said.
The technology transition to naturals involves educating users on how to safely and efficiently apply naturals, training technicians for installation and servicing, educating engineers for design, and informing end users on the advantages of naturals. It will also require technology advocacy, showing people what products exist using naturals and push industry and encouraging the government to invest in creating new products in needed use sectors, and combating the heavy anti-natural refrigerant marketing from the chemical sector.
Lundell said IIAR is strengthened by the members who volunteer their time for committees and play an essential role in the work the association does. “They are volunteers from the refrigeration industry, and they are helping us as an industry develop what we want for our destiny,” he said.
