The Spanish language conference program has been expanded to include six technical presentations. In conjunction with the regular conference program, a special one-day "Back to Basics Operations and Maintenance Workshop" will be conducted in Spanish on Wednesday, March 16. Finally, social events provide opportunities to network at the Chair's reception, exhibitors' reception and conference reception and banquet, but there's also ample time before and after the conference to allow attendees to explore the sights and sounds of Acapulco.

The program has a full schedule of technical sessions. Technical papers will be presented on the following topics:

• Ventilation Requirements for Refrigeration Machinery Rooms: A Rational Engineering Analysis. Current codes and standards prescribe emergency ventilation rates in machinery rooms for ammonia refrigeration systems based on old rules of thumb passed down over the years that have remained the same even as refrigeration system designs and sizes have changed significantly. The presentation evaluates the fundamentals of machinery room ventilation and suggests an alternative approach that is based on engineering instead of tradition.

• Modern Evaporator Piping: Two-phase Riser and Gravity-Feed System Design. Historical piping practices have not been updated to account for the changes that occur in liquid supply static head pressures and return riser flow issues. This presentation presents a theoretical flooded system design that achieves proper flow conditions in the return riser and correctly predicts the liquid line flow characteristics.

• Relief Vent Piping per ASHRAE 15-2004. The latest release of the ASHRAE Safety Code for Mechanical Refrigeration devotes considerable attention to sizing relief vents, providing the user with an equation that determines the pressure drop in relief piping. This presentation will demonstrate the use of the ASHRAE equation to solve for the pressure drop in relief vent piping, how to select a relief valve and three-way valve, and show some strategies to bring existing nonconforming installations into compliance with the code.

• Compressor Oil Cooling Methods. Refrigeration systems using screw compressors require some method of cooling the compressors. This is usually accomplished by cooling the lubricating oil before injecting it back into the compressor. The presentation provides a guide to oil cooling approaches used in the past and present, and evaluates the pros and cons of each.

• The Pressure/Enthalpy Diagram as a Teaching and Diagnostic Tool for Refrigeration Operators. When effectively presented, the pressure/enthalpy or "Mollier" diagram is the perfect teaching tool for visualizing simple concepts like the basic vapor/compression cycle as well as more complex topics like refrigerating effect, heat of compression and the advantages of multi-staging. This presentation presents an overview of the terminology required and the basic refrigeration cycle, then leads into use of the diagram and plotting operating system parameters on the diagram.

• Refrigeration Piping: Why Do We Still Have Problems After All These Years? The presentation reviews applicable piping codes and welding methods and analyzes piping sizing methods for a variety of applications, emphasizing the effects of undersizing or oversizing liquid piping, vapor lines and control valves. Piping layout issues, in particular, layout of compressor suction mains, wet suction returns, elevated equipment and condensers are also covered.

• What Is the Right Liquid Feed Method for Your System? This presentation provides system designers with an analytical approach for choosing a liquid feed option for a specific application. It also gives technicians and end users a basis for understanding liquid feed systems, including where each of these systems can become problematic.

• The Process of Optimizing and Fine Tuning Refrigeration Systems to Improve Efficiency and Lower Operating Costs. This presentation takes a step-by-step approach to refrigeration optimization and the tuning process for a production plant. It will also look at the efficiency gains that can be made throughout the process.

• Making the Most of a VFD-Equipped Evaporative Condenser. While variable frequency drives (VFDs) have gained notoriety in the refrigeration industry over the last several years, practical information on the real-world efficiency benefits and operational considerations of these drives remains difficult to locate. This presentation attempts to bridge the gap between the theoretical and real-world application of VFDs on evaporative condensers by discussing the optimization of a plant's condenser cooling capacity.

• Evaporator Performance in Carbon Dioxide Systems. In several recent installations using carbon dioxide as the refrigerant, the performance of the evaporators has exceeded design expectations. This presentation provides analysis of the air coolers in a cold store and in a chill store, and plate freezers in a meat processing plant. It also provides guidance for the selection of carbon dioxide evaporators, and suggests modifications to evaporator design that might optimize performance in the future.

• The Basics of Refrigeration Control Valves for Liquid Makeup Applications. One of the most basic and important applications in industrial refrigeration systems is liquid refrigerant makeup or transfer to various vessels. The entire system can be shut down if there is a failure or even if there is an upset in the operation of the system. This presentation offers suggestions that may help avoid the possibility of these problems.

Two panel discussions will also be held. "Pump Up Your Pump Out Procedures" will address system pump out, whether for maintenance purposes or short- or long-term decommissioning. In "Research Update," a panel of experts will discuss joint IIAR/ASHRAE projects and an ammonia water tank research project.

Finally, "Codes and Standards: Update and Feedback Forum" will cover the latest development in the model mechanical, building, and fire codes. The session will also cover machinery room ventilation issues, a review of ASME B31.5 and an update on the IIAR Standards Review Committee's activities regarding IIAR's current and proposed new standards.

For more information on the 2005 IIAR Ammonia Refrigeration Conference and Exhibition, visit www.iiar.org or call (703) 312-4200.

Sidebar
Problem/Solution Session Returns

• Failure to Evacuate a Surge Drum

• Why Doesn't the New Freezer Work, But We Still Get Floodback?

• A Rational Approach to Emergency Ventilation Exhaust Treatment Design

• How to Control Legionella Without Damaging Your Evaporative Condenser

• Dropping the Evaporating Temperature to Condense More of a Toxic Substance in a Chemical Plant

• Starting up a New System and Initial Charging Difficulties