Low charge ammonia packaged refrigeration systems: achieving ultra-reliable operation.

The refrigeration industry has been migrating to natural refrigerants at an accelerated pace due to the fast approaching deadlines set by the Montreal Protocol and subsequent Kigali agreement. Ammonia, one such natural refrigerant, has been widely used for decades but is also being burdened with increased regulation since traditional refrigeration systems utilizing central machine rooms require such large ammonia quantities. However, the benefits of ammonia cannot be dismissed. Within the last five years, a stronger focus has been on the development of industrial low charge ammonia packaged refrigeration systems for industrial refrigeration similar to how halocarbon based packaged refrigeration systems have evolved in the commercial industry. What has been critically dismissed in pursuing systems with ‘ultra-low charge’, in some cases, is reliability and efficiency. Achieving ultra-reliable, efficient operation with low ammonia charge is the key to success for low charge ammonia packaged refrigeration systems.