Ammonia

Introduced on 30 November 2016 by the European Commission, the ‘Clean Energy for All Europeans’ package is a set of legislative measures to support the clean energy transition in the European Union. Accelerate Europe explains in the latest issue how this will affect market for natural refrigerant based equipment.

Vilter Manufacturing unveiled the Modular Rooftop Unit (MRU), the company’s first ammonia/CO₂ packaged system for industrial applications, at the IIAR 2018 Natural Refrigeration Conference & Expo this week.

Colmac Coil Manufacturing, based in Colville, Wash., has installed, since 2014, 47 Advanced Direct Expansion (ADX) systems using a reduced ammonia charge around the world, with 36 more to come this year, said its marketing department manager, Patty Smith, at the IIAR 2018 Natural Refrigeration Conference & Expo on Monday.

Eurammon explores the advantages and challenges of low charge ammonia systems.

At Mostra Convegno Expocomfort, which began yesterday in Milan, Italy Italian component manufacture Refrigera Industriale launched three ammonia valves.

On 1 Feburary 2018, Australian industrial refrigeration system supplier Scantec Refrigeration Technologies commissioned its largest low-charge ammonia (NH3) system in the country.

The Institute of Refrigeration is proud to announce that it will be hosting the 1st IIR International Conference on the Application of HFO Refrigerants.

Star Refrigeration’s expertise in helping to create the ideal playing surface for Scotland’s recently opened National Curling Academy has been called on again for a planned £1.1m refurbishment of Edinburgh’s Murrayfield curling rink.

In this transitional period, new fluids are being developed to replace the high-GWP refrigerants. That’s why the blue book, an essential tool for all users of refrigerants, has just been republished and updated.

Colmac Coil Manufacturing, Colville, Wash., has introduced a Shell and Helix heat exchanger designed for ammonia/CO₂ cascade refrigeration systems.

The ATMOsphere Review Board has chosen the first round of technology case studies from international and domestic manufacturers promising to transition to natural refrigerants in the Chinese market.

A new online safety training course hopes to fill the growing demand for NatRef training in New Zealand.

During the AHR Expo last week, the compressor manufacturer explained why ammonia can be the perfect refrigerant for big systems.

Following up on its NewTon ammonia/CO₂ packaged refrigeration unit, Japanese manufacturer Mayekawa launched an ammonia/CO₂ compact chiller called the Sierra-A at the AHR Expo in Chicago this week.

The International Institute of Refrigeration is now calling for abstracts of papers to be presented at the International Congress of Refrigeration (ICR) in Montreal in August 2019.

Some manufacturers and end users are expecting low-charge packaged ammonia systems and ammonia-CO₂ cascade systems to face increased competition from CO₂ transcritical in the industrial sphere, while foreseeing a boom for ammonia heat pumps.

Ammonia is “a superior refrigerant” to HFOs and low-charge ammonia systems are improving safety and reducing regulatory burdens, Gerard von Dohlen, president of Newark Refrigerated Warehouse, said.

It has been widely acknowledged that the number of technicians trained to handle natural refrigerant systems is dwindling. But the advent of small and standardized low-charge ammonia packaged systems – which can be used instead of traditional massive ammonia plants or synthetic refrigerant systems – will make it easier to train and maintain enough qualified technicians, according to Mike Chapman, director of process safety management (PSM) compliance at Stellar, and Kurt Liebendorfer, vice-president of Evapco.

With the phase-out of HCFCs (hydrochlorofluorocarbons) under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer progressing, the introduction of alternatives with not only zero ozone depleting potential (ODP) but also low global warming potential (GWP) and improved energy efficiency is becoming an issue of increasing importance, especially in developing countries.

A leading Australian meat processor has been fined AUS$84,000 after an ammonia leak from its refrigeration system harmed two employees.