2019 Breeze Jan-Feb

RETA BREEZE

REFRIGERATING ENGINEERS & TECHNICIANS ASSOCIATION JANUARY/ FEBRUARY 2019

SIEBEL’S BREWING ACADEMY, 1909

The Most Elite Installation Contractors In North America

FIND A FACTOR

We take great pride in associating with these companies. We very much appreciate the fact they are a part of our organization, and we are honored they aspire to represent Frick Industrial Refrigeration. Our product is only as good as the people who design it, build it and install it. It’s not all about the machinery, it’s about the dedicated people who make and install our renowned equipment.

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BREEZE

Managing organizational change How It Impacts your Ammonia Refrigeration System page 16

The RETA Breeze is the official publication of the Refrigerating

Engineers & Technicians Association (RETA). RETA is an international not- for-profit association whose mission is to enhance the professional development of industrial refrigeration operating and technical engineers. Don Chason Executive Editor 704-455-3551 Jim Barron Executive Director

jim@reta.com Sara Louber Senior Director, Office Operations

Message from the President..............4 Epic Fail...............................................6 In Rust We Trust! Conference Corner............................8 2019 National Conference Let’s Get Ready to Rumble!...............9 2018 RETA Rumble Champions Call for Abstracts.............................10 Submit Yours Today! Safety..................................................12 Applying the Basics Membership......................................15 Why Do I Belong? INSIDE THIS ISSUE

sara@reta.com Dan Reisinger Certification Manager dan@reta.com

Managing Organizational Change..16 How it Impacts your Ammonia Refrigeration System King Solenoid Valves.......................18 Prevention of Liquid Trapping The Refrigeration Historian............20 Volume XXII The Shade Tree Mechanic...............24 Hot Oil! and Cold Beer! RETA’s Testing & ANSI Guru.........26 Requirements for earning CARO, CIRO, CRST or CRES Certification Honor Roll.................28 Education Corner............................31 Training Materials Updates

Peggy Wiederkehr Conference Manager peggy@reta.com Dan Denton Chapter Relations Manager ddenton@reta.com John Bento Assistant Education Manager john@reta.com

The information in this publication is based on the collective experience of industry engineers and technicians. Although the information is intended to be comprehensive and thorough, it is subject to change. The Refrigerating Engineers & Technicians Association expressly disclaims any warranty of fitness for a particular application, as well as all claims for compensatory, consequential or other damages arising out of or related to the uses of this publication. Publication of advertisements in Breeze , or any other RETA publication, does not constitute endorsement of any products, services or advertisers by RETA and shall not be considered or represented by advertiser as such. Copyright © 2019 Refrigerating Engineers & Technicians Association.

REFRIGERATING ENGINEERS & TECHNICIANS ASSOCIATION 1725 Ferry St. SW, Albany, OR 97322 Telephone: 541.497.2955 | Fax: 541.497.2966 RETA.com

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2018-19 BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIRMAN Eric Girven, CARO, CIRO, RAI Devault Refrigeration PRESIDENT Arlie Farley, CARO, CIRO Farley’s S.R.P., Inc. EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Vern Sanderson, CIRO, CRST, RAI Wagner-Meinert, LLC TREASURER Eric Teale, CARO, CRST Cargill SECOND VICE PRESIDENT Keith Harper, CARO Tyson Foods DIRECTORS Troy Baker Independent Contractor Bengie Branham Perdue Farms William Ellena Coastal Pacific Food Distributors, Inc. David Gulcynski, CIRO Dot Foods Inc. Michael Hawkins Midatlantic Refrigeration, LLC Matt Hayes, CARO Wagner-Meinert, LLC Edward Johnson, CARO Dean Foods Frank Kologinczak III Kolo Compression Bill Lape, CARO, CIRO, CRST SCS Engineers Pete Lepschat, CIRO, CRES Henningsen Cold Storage, Co. Jordan Reece, RAI Lanier Technical College Richard Veloz, Jr., CARO, CIRO C&L Refrigeration COMMITTEE CHAIRS Gene Dumas, CARO, CIRO, RAI Nominations SCS Tracer Environmental Dave Gulcynski, Education Dot Foods, Inc. Jodie Rukamp, National Conference SCS Tracer Environmental Michael Hawkins, Membership Midatlantic Refrigeration, LLC Matt Hayes, CARO, Publications Wagner-Meinert, LLC Jim Barron, Executive Director

FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT

Well, the first couple months are in the books and so far, have been uneventful. Let’s keep it that way! Safety Days, Expos and all kinds of single day training sessions are on the horizon. Make sure to attend one, or more, to earn the PDH’s required to renew your CERTIFICATION! The RETA Certification Database (RCD) is available for you to review your Certification information and to upload your education training documents as you receive them. When you have uploaded your docu- ments, RETA staff will review them and either approve the documents or ask for further information. Simply visit www.rcd.reta.com and log in using your email

RETA National President Arlie Farley

address to start the login process and then follow the instructions from there. Did you know RETA provides the ONLY ANSI accredited and nationally recognized certification program in the industrial refrigeration industry? Others imitate but, to date, they have not duplicated. There are many programs out there that offer a certificate, but they are not ANSI Certified. ANSI accreditation is the process by which RETA manages our exams. It is defendable in a court of law because of the stringent management requirements we follow and are held accountable to annually by ANSI representatives. In order to maintain that accreditation, RETA is audited annually. We are required to reapply every five years, and we have to continually manage the overall program with security and the utmost objectivity. For your employer, RETA Certification is a completely defendable measurement of your knowledge and understanding of your abilities in this industry. Have you heard about the new RETA credential? The Certified Refrigeration Service Technician (CRST) credential is designed for technicians and support personnel who troubleshoot and maintain industrial refrigeration plants and facilities. The credential addresses topics from advanced levels of plant safety and operations through the basics of ammonia refrigeration compliance and PSM requirements. Eight people are currently CRST Certified and though I personally have not attempted the new exam, I will report my thoughts on it when I do. Program plans for the 2019 RETA Conference at the RIO in Las Vegas are moving ahead full steam. PeggyWiederkehr, the Conference Manager; Minette Reisinger, the Conference Assistant Manager; Jodie Rukamp, the Conference Committee Chair; and the entire Conference Committee are working hard to bring us an Education Conference like we have never had before. We can’t wait to see what surprises they

have in store. Best regards, Arlie Farley RETA National President

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AMMONIA TRAINING At the Tex Hildebrand Training Center - “That’s what we do!” The world of industrial refrigeration is changing and we are there to assist you to stay competitive in this environment.

We are a group of dedicated instructors specializing in the arenas of Anhydrous Ammonia and General Safety. Instead of asking what type of training we provide, tell us what you need and we will develop a training protocol to suit those needs. Our locations include Fort Wayne, IN; Van Buren, AR; Fort Worth, TX; Newark, OH and Nashville, TN; as well as RETA Headquarters in Albany, OR. We also provide offerings at two accredited facilities: Polk State College in Bartow, FL and Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, MS. Can’t make it to one of our locations? WE will come to you! When you think of training… think of the Tex Hildebrand Training Group at WMi .

www.wmi-safetyservices.com Questions? Call (260)399-2387 EMAIL: Registration@WMILLC.com

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SAFETY

EPIC FAIL:

In Rust We Trust!

Well here we go once again, harping on the idea that maybe, just maybe, your system is free from all rust and corrosion. We can all dream about a perfect world, but unless it was just put into service in the last month, guess what? You have corrosion and rust! It happens over time, some places faster than others but given time it will happen. Stay on top of it and make sure your isolation valves don’t look like this and if you must close it in an emergency, that it will close. The isolation valves are put there for a reason (in most cases) to isolate in the case of maintenance or even an emergency. This was a reader submission, a big thank you and shout out to Bill for the amazing photos. If you have photos of an Epic Fail please pass them on to nh3fail@gmail.com the names have been changed to protect the guilty! — Arlie Farley

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CORNER CONFERENCE

2019 RETA National Conference

by Peggy Wiederkehr, Conference Manager

Happy New Year! I am happy to report the planning has begun for the 2019 RETA National Conference which will be held October 8-11, 2019 at the RIO All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. I have some great ideas and am excited to be in the position to see this Conference through from start to finish. I have a preliminary schedule put together and am finalizing some logistics for the Conference. My goal is to have this information posted on our website by the end of January/early

February. I am also in the process of gathering information for the Confer- ence registration portal, sponsorship opportunities, guest program, exhibit hall floor plan, and the list goes on. A “Call for Abstracts” for our technical program for this year’s Conference will be posted and emailed in February. Stay tuned and check out the RETA website for upcoming information regarding the program and registration information! Don’t gamble on education, bet on RETA!

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CORNER CONFERENCE

Let’s get Ready to Rumble!

The 2018 RETA Rumble was held during the recent RETA National Conference in Dallas, Texas. The “Rumble” is perhaps the most prestigious refrigeration competi- tion in the country, certainly the most prestigious at the RETA Conference. This years competition was hosted by Jack Piho and 2017/2018 RETA National President Eric Girven. The rumble consisted of an enlightning presentation by Mr. Piho in which information pertaining to refrigeration in the host state was highlighted. Many facts about Texas in general, refrigeration, and Lone Star beer in particular were learned by all in attendance. Other cultural highlights of the state of Texas were also included. After the presentation, the competition began. Each table held a team of up to 8 individuals united in the common goal of winning the competition. As the contest got underway many teams scored early and often. The competition

was one of the closest in years. An early referees call went against team #3 and they were held to the third and fourth position during the early questions. But as the competition drew to a close, team three moved into a tie for the lead. As the final question was presented to the teams, anxiety levels were high. Fortu- nately for the leaders the question was answered by a team farther from the lead. Thus, leaving the leaders dead- locked. The tie breaker question was restricted to the leading teams. As the question, “Name one of the two Conference attendees who has 9 ribbons”was asked, the team who had lead from the opening belled in. “Belled” because the competition utilizes paddles and bells to notify the referees when a team wishes to answer a question. Their answer was incorrect. Team three breathed a short sigh of relief, but the pressure was on as

they had to answer the question correctly or face a second tie breaker question. Team three responded with the correct answer “Arlie Farley, of Farley’s Frigera- tion”was the answer to the winning question. With that the competition ended to a huge round of applause! Next year’s competition is scheduled for Las Vegas, Nevada. We hope to see you there battling for your chance to be the 2019 RETA Rumble Champions!

The 2018 RETA Rumble Champions – Dan Connelly’s Team #3: Chad Losiewicz, Gordon Rascoe, Billy Zawacki, Captain Dan Connelly (back), Patrick Colwell, Vern Sanderson (back), MatthewMapes (back), Lori Schiavo, and Devlin Short.

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CORNER CONFERENCE Call for Abstracts

Abstract

The RETA 2019 Technical Conference Committee is sponsoring a Call for Abstracts relating to Industrial Refrigeration.

Call Paper Timetable Timely submission of the abstract is critical to the success of the program. The procedures and timetable enumerated below will apply. All authors will receive electronic notification indicating acceptance or rejection of the submitted abstract in mid-March of 2019. The deadline to submit an Abstract is February 28, 2019. The RETA Technical Conference Committee looks forward to receiving abstract proposals in response to the call and is happy to respond to inquiries from interested parties. Questions may be addressed to PeggyWiederkehr at peggy@reta.com.

The Committee welcomes papers on the following suggested topics:

• Management • Compliance • Operations • Engineering

Authors of accepted abstracts will present their work at the RETA 2019 National Conference, taking place from October 8-11, 2019. In addition, the papers will be published and given to each attendee. Both RETA members and non-members are invited to submit proposals for papers.

SELECTION PROCESS 12-point selection process will be used by reviewers. It will be suggested that contributors use the 12 points as a guide before submitting an abstract. Note: Authors who do not follow these guidelines are more likely to have their work rejected. • Does the abstract capture the interest of a potential reader of the paper? • Is the abstract well written in terms of language, grammar, etc.? • Does the abstract engage the reader by telling him or her what the paper is about and why they should read it? • Does the abstract title describe the subject being written about? • Does the abstract make a clear statement of the topic of the paper and the research question?

ABSTRACT GUIDELINES

• Does the abstract say how the research was/is being undertaken? • Does the abstract indicate the value of the findings and to whom will they be of use? • Does the abstract describe the work to be discussed in the paper? • Does the abstract give a concise summary of the findings? • Does the abstract conform to the word limit of 300-350 words? • Does the abstract have between 5 and 10 keywords or phrases that closely reflect the content of the paper?

• The abstract should be no more than 350 words. • Purpose: Ideally in 1-3 sentences, state the primary objectives and scope of the study or the reasons why the document was written. Also state the rationale for your research. Why did you do the research? Is the topic you are researching an ignored or newly discovered one? Why is it significant? • The abstract should be void of any self or commercial promotion and/or advertisement • An abstract template will be avail- able.

• Should the abstract be accepted?

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ABSTRACT STRUCTURE A model abstract should contain the following elements: • A statement of the purpose of the paper - The purpose was to provide information on balancing time and resources to conduct the audit. • The research methods/methodology used to arrive at your results and/or conclusions – The research methods were based on practice and what we’ve observed in our own work and from what other similar companies have experienced. Some of this research included reviewing the regulations. • The results observed – Results were presented in a form of how to be efficient from an end user standpoint during the audit, which I formed more into a question in the abstract. • The conclusions drawn from the topic and their significance - The conclusions were how to achieve the desired results of a good, thorough, and efficient audit.

EXAMPLE OF ABSTRACT by Stephanie Smith

Every three years, facilities across the United States must review their Risk Management Plan (RMP) and Process Safety Man- agement (PSM) Programs against the Federal (and sometimes State) regulations. The Triennial Compliance Audit is commonly overlooked and under fulfilled. The purpose of the Triennial Compliance Audit is to address deficiencies at regular intervals and confirm compliance is met before a regulatory inspection occurs. The Triennial Compliance Audit is for internal use; however, regulators may request the documentation at any time to determine whether the facility is doing enough to be compliant, such as meeting recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices (RAGAGEP) standards and General Duty Clause requirements. While facility personnel already have so much to accomplish, they have one more regulatory deadline to meet. With so much already on their list of responsibilities, how are facilities supposed to make the time to address this audit? How do they manage their resources and continue to conduct a comprehensive audit in an efficient manner? This paper addresses the balance of time and resources while conducting a Triennial Compliance Audit . From preparation to implementation, and finalization, there are a number of common deficiencies to be aware of; therefore, having a means for streamlining the process, and strategies for person- nel interviews are essential for conducting an efficient Triennial Compliance Audit.

Submit your abstract today at www.reta.com/2019-conference-abstract

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RETA.com 11

SAFETY

Applying the Basics It was 1989 and the ice makers were not producing the expected amount of ice. The plant had always been a “problem” and brittle. The pressure exerted by the blades as it comes around causes the ice by Don Tragethon

Enter a new operator who was attending RETA chapter meetings. The chapter had studied RETA IR-1 together and were mid-way through RETA IR-2 – Systems. We had just studied the chapter that describes how flooded systems work. One bit of information from the flooded evaporator chapter is a statement that the condition of the refrigerant leaving the surge drum is a saturated vapor. Being new and curious the operator acquired a new battery operated thermometer that had a thermal sensor at the end of a three-foot long wire. The thermometer’s operating range was -40°F to 120°F. The sensor was slipped up under the insulation of the suction pipe leaving the surge drum. The book said the temperature should be -28°F since the vapor was to be saturated. To the operator’s surprise the thermometer read +28°F. The operator had just learned about superheat and saturation. It appeared that condition of the suction gas was 56 degrees superheated (-28° minus +28° = 56°). This is not supposed to be the case according to RETA IR-2. The operator went back to his chapter mates to inquire about this situation. They returned to the book to look for more information about liquid feed to surge drums. The liquid feed to the surge drum came through a thermostatic expansion valve. The book says vessels are not fed by thermostatic expansion valves that depend on superheat for operation. There is supposed to be no superheat at the outlet of a surge drum so a thermo-

to break away from the heat transfer surface and fall down below. The water that does not fuse into ice is captured in a gutter that returns the water to the small reservoir where it is picked up to be sent to the distribution tray again. At least, that is how it is supposed to go. “ ...just because it has ‘always been this way’ does not mean that the system is being operated correctly in the first place. ” This plant had two ice makers that were supposed to produce 84 tons of ice every 24 hours of continuous operation. This plant was producing 54 tons of ice on its best days. The reason for this poor performance was not readily visible. The heat transfer surface on these ice makers is fed liquid by gravity from a surge drum that is integral to each icemaker. Ice was forming the entire length (height) of the cylinder surfaces so it was deemed that things were “ok”. However all the other factors indicated such as evaporating pressure (zero psig) and water tempera- ture was checking “ok” as well. The plant ran this way for two years – it was “as good as it was going to get”. Manage- ment was becoming quite frustrated when the cost of producing ice was calculated. It seemed that it just was the way it was and nothing could be done about the situation.

producing ice. The ice makers were North Star flake ice machines. These machines operate at a very cold tem- perature, -28°F. A North Star ice maker is a rotary machine that is a vertical refrigerated cylinder that has a rotor arm supported by significant bearings centered at the top and bottom of the cylinder. The rotating arm turns at 2 RPM or slower. The arm assembly supports cutting blades that come within .030 inches of the heat exchange surface. These blades are set to be close to, but not come into contact with, the ice building surface. The bottom of the cylinder is open to allow harvested ice to drop down to the storage bin below. Water is pumped from a small reservoir to a water distribution tray that is mounted to the rotating cutter arm assembly. The tray distributes water down over the ice building surface as the cutter arm makes its way around the inside of the ice maker. The water tray covers 270 degrees of the circle seen when looking down from the top of the ice maker. The remaining 90 degrees of the 360 degree circle has no water delivered. The rate of water flowing down from the distribution tray is such that the water cascading down the heat transfer surface fuses into ice and subcools just before the cutter blades reaches the ice. The ice is thicker than the gap between the blades and the ice building surface. The ice is subcooled

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suction temperature reached -24°F there was a flooding back of liquid to the suction accumulator that protected the compressor. Apparently there was a four degree temperature differential between the exterior surface of the suction pipe and the refrigerant flowing inside the suction line. The carry over stopped when the thermostatic expansion valve was adjusted higher to a -23°F tempera- ture. The production improved to 78 tons overnight. The thickness of the ice evaporator was starving even though ice was produced from the bottom to the top of the heat exchange surface. Refrigeration production is a combina- tion of the correct amount of boiling liquid at the correct pressure applied to clean surfaces on both sides of the heat transfer surface. Conclusion: A few lessons were learned here. First, just because it has “always been this way” does not mean that the system is being operated correctly in the first place. Operators who train in on a system as it is – and do not have the benefit of learning what the system SHOULD be doing perpetuate inefficien- cy and excess cost. The years of poor ice making cost that operation more than $50,000 in electrical costs and that doesn’t account for the ice they had to purchase from others to provide slush ice for broccoli cooling for their custom- ers. Second, it pays to enlist the support of peers to troubleshoot a problem once it is recognized. You only “know”what you know…..increasing your knowledge pool by involving others and learning together and successfully improving a situation brings reward and opportunity. Thirdly, the most complex system is a collection of smaller sub-systems. Understanding the fundamentals and having the skill to apply that fundamen- tal knowledge to determine if the system is doing what it should be is key to being a skilled operator. near the top of the heat exchange surface increased significantly. In hindsight it was apparent that the

static valve would not properly feed a vessel. What a paradox. There is an exception to this “rule” however. There are special thermostatic expansion valves that have a superheat sensing bulb that is inserted in a well that is heated by a resistance heater powered by a 24VAC power supply. The resistor is cooled by the liquid level that builds up by the liquid passing through the thermostatic expansion valve. The heating and cooling of the superheat bulb serves to maintain the liquid level in the vessel. Ingenious! The operator checked the voltage and amperage pass-

ing through the sensing bulb heater and found it to be as it was supposed to be. Thermostatic expansion valves have adjusting stems. In 1989 the “word”was that these stems were NOT to be touched because bad things happen when superheat spring stems are touched. The operator adjusted the superheat spring and noted that the temperature of the vapor leaving the surge drum reduced down toward zero degrees F. The adjustments were done in 1/8 turn increments and the change of temperature was observed until there was no further change. When the

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Conference Countdown October 8-11, 2019 Las Vegas, Nevada There are some places in this country that are just worth company back to and Las Vegas is one such a place. The National Conference was held here in 2016 and with the help of our Conference Manager and Conference Chairman we’re here again this year. Its never too soon to begin making plans for a trip to the West Coast! ACCOMMODATIONS The Conference will take place at the Las Vegas All-Suite Casino & Hotel. Every room is a spacious suite which features feature floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the Las Vegas Valley. EXHIBIT HALL AND SPONSORSHIPS Opportunities are still available! Contact peggy@reta.com for further details. EDUCATION PROGRAM This year’s schedule of presentations and hands-on activities are a mixture of tried-and- true and some great new topics. As soon as the program is set, it will be posted on the RETA website.

This is a true story. It was really a significant event to apply the fundamental principles presented in the RETA coursebooks to an existing system and realize a 30% improvement in production without having to buy any components or add compressors to further reduce the suction pressure. The trainee operator was rewarded with more opportunity and compensation as the value of his effort was realized. The operator invested $100 in the course books plus personal time spent studying with and

learning from fellow chapter members. The return on investment was very significant indeed. The monetary reward was nice to receive but the most rewarding thing is the lifelong friendships the operator has with those he learned with in those study sessions in the early days of his career. The RETA course books provide practical information about industrial refrigeration and are available for you to acquire and use to your benefit.

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MEMBERSHIP

Why Do I Belong?

From Secretary E. T. Quinn’s desk

6 Committee projects and other Association activities enable me to contribute – to do my bit for the industry, the economy and the general good. 7 The cost of belonging is small compared with what I get in return – an extremely low rent for the space I occupy in the industry. 8 Even when other problems command my full attention, the officers, directors and headquarters keep working in my interest. In such times, maintaining my membership is a vote of confidence in them – which they deserve, and which I am happy to bestow.

Ever ask yourself that question? If not…you should! Other- wise, you’re just taking membership for granted, which is bad for you – and bad for the Association. The best thing that could happen to any group, ours included, would be for all members to take time out, every now and then, and ask themselves, “Why am I a dues-paying member?” The thoughts that came to mind would be revealing – some affirmative, perhaps some negative – and both could lead to a better, more effective organization. One man who asked himself that question came up with these reasons: 1 I owe it to myself and my company to help our industry move forward. 2 It takes strength in numbers and concerted action to accomplish anything worthwhile. 3 Only through membership in my Association can I obtain reports and publications prepared with my needs in mind. Everything else put out is general in nature – aimed at a wider audience, and hence diluted. 4 The meetings I go to bring me ideas and information that I could obtain no other way – and which are put to the test of experience before they are passed to me. 5 I have many true friends among the members, people I enjoy being with for friendship’s sake as well as for business reasons. My life is richer and more worth living, through belonging.

Reprinted from the July 1965 Breeze.

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SAFETY

Managing organizational change How It Impacts your Ammonia Refrigeration System

By William Lape I’ve been thinking a lot about organiza- tional change the last several months. Ben Franklin is attributed with saying “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” However, I would add to that quote and say that organiza- tional change, like death and taxes, is a certainty. Whether you are a hockey team trying to build a Stanley Cup contender while staying under the salary cap, or if you are a facility subject to Process Safety Management and Risk Management Plan regulations, or even if you are a mom and pop grocery store, you are going to experience organizational change at some point in the life of the business. During those changes, we must consider their impacts on a facility’s PSM/RMP or ARM programs and on the operation of the ammonia refrigeration system itself. Below is a list of some of the items that must be considered when organizational changes occur. 1. Subject Matter Expertise: Is the person leaving the “keeper of the keys to the kingdom,” so to speak? Are they the only ones who know where relevant documents are to be found for your refrigeration management programs? Are they the only person in the facility who is qualified to drain oil? If you are lucky enough to have two weeks notice of the person’s impending departure, care should be taken to review all of the activities that they perform, even on an

occasional basis, and identify the items on which you will need to train their interim replacement, or possibly multiple replacements. 2. Interim Replacements: It is rare that a person’s replacement will be hired and trained prior to their departure. Often, it takes months to find a permanent replacement. So, in the meantime, who is assigned the departing person’s duties, and have they been properly trained? Do they have all of the documentation that they need to do the job? 3. Structure Changes: It is not unheard of for organizational structures to change as business demands change. When positions are eliminated, care must be taken to ensure that the responsibilities of those positions are rolled into remaining positions. Again, in these situations, training is critical, as is clear communication of the change in responsibilities. If you forget to inform a person that they are to be assigned new responsibilities, that is a sure way for them to not get done. 4. Hiring: If you are lucky enough to be able to hire a replacement, care must be taken to ensure that proper qualifications are prioritized within the job posting, and are fully under- stood by those responsible for the hiring. In the event that a candidate is hired that may be lacking in particular

skillsets, priorities need to be set to temporarily bridge these gaps. Remember the interim replacements? In this situation we cannot say, “Well, we’ve hired a permanent replacement, so the interim people can go back to their normally assigned duties.”Their interim duties need to continue until the new, permanent person is properly trained. Speaking of training, as part of the hiring process, hiring managers and human resources need to be aware of the cost impacts of these lacking skillsets. For instance, if a maintenance manager is hired with no ammonia refrigeration or PSM/ RMP experience, you can likely expect at least 4 weeks of classes at about $1500 plus travel per week. Is that in your budget? We have to evaluate what training can reasonably be done internally and in what time frame. 5. Communication, Communication, and more communication: We often get frustrated at the plethora of email threads that clog our inboxes. Often,

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we ask ourselves, “Why am I even on this thread?” I would argue that over communication is far better than under, or no, communication. When a person departs a facility, care should be taken to cascade this information throughout the management structure of the organization. In fact, there should be a formal communica- tion process in place for such notices. We often fail to realize the impact that a person’s departure may have on departments totally unrelated to that in which they worked. Better to over communicate the departure and ensure that all who need to know, do. The same goes for the hiring of replacement personnel, especially if the new person is in need of training by subject matter experts in the company. You can’t train a person if you are not aware that that person is even an employee of the company.

We have talked about personnel depar- tures at length, but what about temporary absences? This can range from simple vaca- tion coverage all the way through extend- ed medical or FMLA leaves. Perhaps the person responsible for your PSM/RMP program implantation is going out on medical leave. Perhaps your lead operator is taking FMLA leave. All of these situations should be planned for and addressed as part of Management of Change. Another example of an organizational change may be switching property insurance carriers. Perhaps your new carrier has different requirements for hot work permitting that will need to be rolled into your PSM/RMP program. How about if your company changes from a paper based to a computer based document storage system? Or, let’s say that the organization already has computer based document storage system, but is changing it from server based to cloud based. What if the IT department is

maintaining server based storage, but is switching data centers? How about if they decide to switch email systems? Can we say for certain that new email addresses won’t impact our PSM/RMP management? These types of organizational changes should also be managed as part of Management of Change. Management of Change is broader than simple equipment and operating procedure changes. Care should be taken to evaluate all changes to facilities that affect a covered process, including organizational change. Bill Lape is a Project Director for SCS Engineers: Tracer Environmental Services. The opinions expressed within are solely his and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, policy or position of SCS Engineers or its affiliates. Bill is a Certified Industrial Refrigeration Operator and a member of the National Board of Directors of the Refrigerat- ing Engineers and Technicians Association.

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KING SOLENOID VALVES: Prevention of Liquid Trapping

Peter Thomas, P.E., LEED AP President | Resource Compliance, Inc.

In many industrial refrigeration systems, the main liquid feed shut off valve (King Valve) can be remotely controlled as a solenoid valve that is interlocked with the computer control system. The typical configuration of a king solenoid valve assembly includes the following four (4)

components, listed in the direction of flow: Upstream Isolation Valve Strainer King Solenoid Valve Downstream Isolation Valve

This arrangement can offer many advantages over a manually-operated King Valve, but it is important to consider the proper operation of the valve assembly should one of the two manual valves need to be operated in an emergency.

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When asked to manually close the King Valve, the impulse of many first respond- ers will be to close the isolation valve closest to the High Pressure Receiver (upstream isolation valve). Careful review of the flow through the solenoid valve, however, illustrates that this will allow liquid ammonia to become trapped between the isolation valve and the sole- noid valve if the solenoid valve were to be closed.

Because the solenoid valve is designed to allow for reverse flow when closed, a safer approach to closing the King Valve is to close the downstream isolation valve. When operated this way, liquid cannot be trapped, even if the solenoid valve were to close. Since it is important that the King Valve be clearly labeled, we suggest installing the label on the isolation valve down- stream of the solenoid valve to aid first responders who are not likely to be familiar with the nuances of solenoid valve flow.

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Refrigeration Supervisor

This person will manage all Refrigera- tion and Boiler systems to ensure the proper operation of the Plant equipment within established guidelines. This position will also direct, supervise, and lead multiple lower level technicians. A minimum of 5 - 10 years in ammonia refrigeration experience is required. Must have general knowledge of PSM/ RMP.

CARO/CIRO certification through RETA preferred. Computer skills to include Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook). SAP experience preferred. Ability to work all shifts as needed.

Apply at https://www.perduefarms.com/ careers/ under Dillon, SC to the Refrigera- tion Supervisor’s position, requisition number 177947.

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The Refrigeration Historian Volume XXII

Many times, those who are chosen to point out the mistakes of others, become despised by those they correct. This was not the case with Doctor John Siebel. Doctor Siebel was of such renown that even having your work critiqued by Dr. Siebel was a great honor. John Ewald Siebel was born in Hofkamp, Germany on September 18, 1845. Not much has been recorded of his parents Peter and Lisette Siebel. After a high school education at Hagen, Doctor Siebel received his PHD from the University of Berlin in 1865.

Zymotechnic Institute”founded in 1868. 1882 saw one of Doctor Siebel’s few failures. He co-founded an institute for brewers. This soon failed with Doctor Siebel moving many of his brewery courses to the Siebel Institute. With the renewed efforts in the Siebel institute, the 1890’s saw the edition of two of John’s sons (Fredrick and John Jr.) to the institute. His progeny would continue at the institute for generations. By 1907, five extended courses were offered in Brewing. Both in English and German. The brewery industry was predominately German prior to the Great War. Unfortunately, the coming of prohibition required the institute to diversify. While John is credited with these course modifica- tions, his sons were exhibiting more and more influence on the institute. Their new courses included: Courses in the making of carbonated beverages, industrial baking, industrial refrigeration and several more. John did not survive prohibition, but Fredrick and John Jr did, immediately establishing the Institute as an elite training center. John was a prolific writer and was published in refrigeration, beer, and bakery periodicals to name a few. These included: TheWestern Brewer, 100 Years of Brewing, editor of the American Chemical Review, and Ice and Refrigeration. Refrigeration and Brewery related articles include: “Ammonia,”published in February 1892. “A Model Motor,”published in 1893

“A Problem Solved,”published 1894 “Alcohol as a Stimulant and Nutrient,” presented at the Zymotechnic Institute and Brewing School Reunion October 11, 1911 “Arithmetic of Brewery Refrigeration,” published 1895 “Contamination of DistilledWater,”pub- lished 1897 “Discussions of Clearance,”published 1915 “Heat of Fermentation,”published April 1896 (Co-authored) “Incidents and Accidents in Refrigeration,” presented to the Southern Ice Exchange April 11, 1894. “Kinetic Stability,”published 1895 “Liquefaction of Liquid Air and its Future,” published May 1897 “Material Problems,”Presented to the 1896 Convention of the Southern Ice Ex- change. Incidentally, based on Doctor Siebel’s suggestion, the Southern Ice Exchange voted to provide analysis

Doctor Siebel left Berlin in 1865 and traveled to Chicago, where he became chief chemist for Belcher’s Sugar Refining Company of Chicago. He served as a chemist for the city for four years (1869-1873). The Siebel Institute of Technology, founded in 1872 by John, was based upon his early analytical chemical laboratories,“John E. Siebel’s Chemical Laboratory”and“The

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services of ammonia, oil, and water to its members. “Natural Gas for Refrigeration,”published 1895 “Refrigeration of Beer andWort,”published in 1899 “Some Defects of Ice,”published in 1899 “Special Engineering Courses,”Published December 1911 “The Absorption System,”published May 1895 “The Compressor,”Published December 1894 “The Critical Point,”published January 1895 “The Essence of the Second Law of Thermodynamics,”presented to the Second International Brewers’Congress October 18, 1911 “The Ice Machine of the Future and the End of theWorld,”presented to the Technical Society of Chicago, on April 29. 1892. “Thermodynamics of Saturated Vapor,” published August 1915 His published books include: • NewMethods for Preparation of Soda and Phosphates • Newton’s AxiomDeveloped (Newton’s first axiombeing related tomotion) • Thermodynamics and Electrodynamics of Energy Conversion • Dialyzed Iron • Record Books for Brewers. By far his most famous work, Siebel’s compendium of Mechanical Refrigeration, is credited as the first authoritative work on the technology responsible for Refrigeration and Ice Making. It has seen 17 editions to date. The first edition sold for just $3, but a paper bound version was also available for $2.50 (I can assure you the $35 paid by me in a used book store for the 3rd edition

would have been a bargain at many times the price paid). This no doubt led to his position in 1891 as the first technical editor of the Famous“Ice and Refrigeration Illustrated”. Here his duties included verification, to the best of known knowl- edge of the time, the information presented

by perspective authors. In 1896, Doctor Siebel was voted an honorary member of the Southern Ice Exchange. TheWestern Ice Manufacturer’s Association would bestow this honor in 1901. The SouthWestern Ice Manufacturer’s

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The Refrigeration Historian (continued)

Association voted the doctors honorary membership at their convention in 1906. Doctor Siebel served on a committee in 1903 to standardize the rating of refrigera- tion compressors. In all, John had over 200 articles and publications to his credit. Over his career, Dr. Siebel was credited with the development of the sixth sense – that of mobility, which may have well been lost again to many over the last century. Dr. Siebel was one of the few to have the foresight to dream, the knowledge to achieve and the motivation to see things through to conclusion. Dr. Siebel was awarded a fellowship with the American Association for the Advancement of Science. On the personal side, John was known to be secluded from all but his closest friends. His character impeccable. He did enjoy spending money immensely; however, it was for philanthropic pursuits. Surprising for one prone to seclusion, he was known to have a superior sense of humor. This little-known talent may have led to his courtship and marriage in 1870 to Ann Regina Schaffer. Their union resulted in five children. These being Gustav, Fredrick, Ewald, John Jr and Emil. John served his fellowman on many boards including Cook County’s Board of Public Works. He taught Physics and Chemistry at the Chicago High School. He was a member of; the Academy of Science, American Society of Brewing Technology, the Lincoln Club, the Brewer and BrewMaster Associa- tion, the American Institute for Brewing and the old Germania Club. John Ewald Siebel was called home to our Lord God, December 20, 1919. Official records show he died of a nervous break- down. Given his great work in the Brewery

Industry and the timing of his departure, just a few days before prohibition was to take effect, many believe he died of a broken heart. Information from Ice and Refrigeration Illustrated, various web resources such as the Siebel Institute of Technologies and Periodicals. The information used to generate this article is believed factual. Should you have any corrections or additional information pertaining to this article please forward them to the Editor.

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The Shade Tree Mechanic, Volume XXXVL Hot Oil! And Cold Beer! SERVICE

So why doesn’t my compressor run hot? I get this question a lot. I always ask,“What did you do to it?” “Nothin’, I didn’t do nothin’. It was like my old Ford Maverick goin’up a hill, she just stopped.” Well, that can happen. But I’m always suspicious. A few weeks ago, I got a call from Bob. Same story.“I didn’t do nothin’.”So, I stepped out. As we were walking back to the engine room, Bob started tellin me that he hadn’t done“nothin” Bob told me,“I didn’t do nothin’. After we installed the new compressors, the old ones just started runnin’hot.” “What! You added three compressors and then the old machines ran hot!? OK, let’s get something straight. If you add 1500 HP in new screw compressors, you’ve done something!” As the refrigerant temperature went up, the oil cooler couldn’t get enough liquid to cool the oil enough to keep the compressor running. So, some background. Bob’s system had seven 500 HP rotary screw compressors. They were gravity fed thermosyphon oil cooled. Bob’s contractor added three 500 HP rotary screws, also thermosyphon oil cooled. The newmachines were installed between the thermosyphon vessel and the first compres- sor. The thermosyphon vessel and the thermosyphon supply mains were not upsized when the newmachines were installed. So, what happened? The oil coolers were getting all the refriger-

ant they needed to cool the oil from the compressors. When the newmachines were added, we needed 42%more cooling (7 to 10 compressors) but we have the same amount of liquid. Unless the thermosyphon vessel and thermosyphon supply (and return) mains were oversized originally, there isn’t enough liquid. Bob’s systemwas sized for the original seven compressors with no additional capacity. So, with a shortage of liquid for the cooling, Bob’s systemwas setup for overheating. So, I had to ask,“Why didn’t you upsize the liquid supply to the oil coolers?” Bob’s response was,“The contractor didn’t mention it.” Well Bob didn’t ask. Shame on the contractor, shame on Bob! The best project is not always done at the best price. When we called the contractor, his initial response was to blame the project scope.“They never asked for it.” His second excuse was even better. “If I had included it in my bid, I would not have gotten the job.” Well, he wouldn’t get another job fromme. But Bob isn’t me. When the problem first came up, ……… in June …………. in Alabama, Bob called the contractor. The contractor had a solution. All he needed was a check. Well, Bob cut a check and the contractor came back to“Fix it.” So, the fix was to install hand expansion valves, on the thermosyphon supply inlet of the oil coolers. Never, ever, ever do that! The concept is pretty simple. We have a limited amount of liquid, so the best hope for cooling is to try to spread the limited liquid supply over the longest area. Rarely does it work. It’s like rationing the macaroni and cheese so everyone gets a little and the fat kid doesn’t eat it all. It might work for a

birthday party, but if you ration food every day, everyone just starves slowly. Your thermosyphon oil cooler is the same way. Rationing liquid will limit the ability of the oil cooler to cool the oil. All the machines run a little hot. So back to Bob. With his new expansion valves, Bob balanced his liquid. Each oil cooler got a percentage of the liquid it needed, so each cooler was cooling as much as possible, and each machine was running warm. But everything was still running. As the outside air temperature increases, the system discharge temperature increased, so the refrigerant liquid temperature also increased. As the refrigerant temperature increases the temperature difference between the ammonia liquid and the oil decreases. Heat transfer slows down, and capacity of the oil cooler drops off. The ability of the thermosyphon oil cooler to cool is very dependent upon two things - the amount of liquid refrigerant touching the surface area and the difference in tempera- ture between the oil and the refrigerant. So, Bob’s problem? As the refrigerant temperature went up, the oil cooler couldn’t get enough liquid to cool the oil enough to keep the compressor running. As soon as the Alabama summer went into full swing, the temperature got high, the lack of cooling shutdown the compressors. Why did the issue show up in the older compressors?Well, they were further away from the liquid supply and the feed balance wasn’t perfect. So’s, I tell Bob,“Let’s go get us a beer.” After round two, we begin to draw pictures. After round three, we began to do math. Ultimately, we decided we can’t invent liquid, we only got what the pipe can give us. So, here’s what we did.

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