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padurluc1976  
#1 Posted : 17 January 2024 10:24:44(UTC)
Rank: New forum user
padurluc1976

Hi 

Can anyone advise what would be the minimum training requirements for staff operating an ammonia refrigeration plant? IS there a particular curriculum or standard to be observed?

Thank you 

peter gotch  
#2 Posted : 17 January 2024 11:34:30(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
peter gotch

Hi padurluc

Your profile indicates that you are in England, so I am a little surprised that you have ammonia refrigeration though there might be good reasons not to have an inherently safer refrigerant.

However in terms of training my starting point would be the relevant Institution.

Technical information Refrigeration Air Conditioning and Heat Pumps (ior.org.uk)

Roundtuit  
#3 Posted : 17 January 2024 12:20:14(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Roundtuit

Ammonia is a more efficient industrial refrigerant than traditional CFC "F-Gas" so for operations such as chilled food distribution there are significant savings in operating (energy) costs.

Ammonia is cheaper than F-Gas (many of which are being phased out).

It ticks the environmental check boxes of Global Warming / Ozone Depletion Potential = 0

It is poisonous in high concentrations but so long as copper piping is not used and the system is well maintained there are rarely issues.

One of our industrial neighbours was a chilled food distribution company - it was only after they vacated the site and scrap metal rogues started appearing we got a whiff of what they used for cooling.

Roundtuit  
#4 Posted : 17 January 2024 12:20:14(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Roundtuit

Ammonia is a more efficient industrial refrigerant than traditional CFC "F-Gas" so for operations such as chilled food distribution there are significant savings in operating (energy) costs.

Ammonia is cheaper than F-Gas (many of which are being phased out).

It ticks the environmental check boxes of Global Warming / Ozone Depletion Potential = 0

It is poisonous in high concentrations but so long as copper piping is not used and the system is well maintained there are rarely issues.

One of our industrial neighbours was a chilled food distribution company - it was only after they vacated the site and scrap metal rogues started appearing we got a whiff of what they used for cooling.

peter gotch  
#5 Posted : 18 January 2024 15:59:16(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
peter gotch

Agreed Roundtuit, but amongst the downsides are that the ammonia refrigeration system might go BANG! - which is why there was a move away from ammonia in Europe decades ago.

Which might help to explain why when I did a quick Google search almost all the hits were from North America including Chemical Safety Alert: Hazards of Ammonia Releases at Ammonia Refrigeration Facilities (Update): August 2001 (epa.gov)

250  
#6 Posted : 30 January 2024 16:02:36(UTC)
Rank: New forum user
250

Look to BS EN378 and BS EN 13313: Ammonia is used widespread in the UK and is if properly installed and maintained as safe if not safer then the others for the reasons stated before (you can smeel it) and zero GWP, With the phase out of the older refrigerants you now have issues with their repacements i.e. Propane etc and CO2 is also on the rise (high pressures). There are several companies who will train employees for ammona handling  (CITB 2078 off the top of my head) and trade bodiessuch as BESA.

Mark.

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