Stellar While safely operating and maintaining ammonia refrigeration equipment remains top priority for plant owners, effectively achieving it is another story. Though trusted industry bodies and agencies outline proper engineering practices, maintenance and safety programs to prevent ammonia hazards, some facilities still have unsafe elements that could lead to dire consequences. How do I know? For years, Stellar’s refrigeration teams have focused on mitigating ammonia safety risks, visiting food facilities worldwide. Many of the safety issues we see stem from elements plant personnel have direct control over — and can correct. Here are the 15 most common issues Stellar has seen when it comes to ammonia safety hazards in food plants (and how to correct them): 1. Poor housekeeping practices (oily or wet floors, storing items in the machine room) Correct it: A clean area is a safe area. Ensure your floors are clean, free of oil and water and do not use your ammonia machine room as a storage room. 2. Poor pipe quality beneath insulation Correct it: Check for corrosion under insulation (CUI) by conducting spot checks, often performed during your mechanical integrity audit. Prevent pipe corrosion by using a corrosion inhibitor or stainless steel pipe . 3. Absence of adequate pipe labels or no maintenance program of labeling 4. Equipment is operated outside design parameters —Materials are generally only rated for a specific temperature range. In the refrigeration industry, users may change a setpoint from -20℉ to -25℉ to try and improve production or make up for lack of capacity; however, the pipe may only be rated for -20℉. Running pumps or compressors at different design conditions than intended can overload the motors. Correct it: Operate your pumps and compressors within the designated design parameters and temperature range. 5. Failure to implement maintenance cycling program on […]