EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
Ammonia emergency response workshop
– essential for all plant owners
By John Ackermann
Ammonia safety and emergency procedures were the focus of a workshop presented by a
New Zealand expert on 25 April in Cape Town.
A
s a refrigerant, ammonia has
many beneficial characteristics:
zero global warming, high latent
heat, zero ozone depletion, it’s one of
the cheapest refrigerants and wide
availability. Many of the older designs of
industrial refrigeration plants are charged
with large volumes of ammonia. The new
generation of plants are being charged
with smaller quantities of ammonia
and due to the availability of suitable
equipment, for example compressors
and even semi-hermetic compressors,
ammonia is no longer restricted to the
large industrial market.
However, ammonia is both toxic
and hazardous and if good safety
and maintenance procedures are not
adhered to, it can cause injuries and like
other refrigerants, it can indirectly cause
fatalities.
This being the case, it’s always good to
see that the industry is involved in presenting
new ideas and concept to end users, which
is why safety and emergency procedures
were the focus of a one-day workshop
presented by Padriac Durham of Gauge
Refrigeration Management in Auckland,
New Zealand. The workshop was held at the
Italian Club in Cape Town on 25 April 2019.
Participants included A Perks Enterprises
(co-presenters), Crossberth Cold Storage,
Hexkoel Commercial Cold Storage,
Puregas, Table Bay Cold Storage,
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Ammonia Training Services, Ceres Fruit
Growers, Commercial Cold Storage, and
GEA Africa.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
At the early age of 25, Durham learnt from
first-hand experience to respect ammonia.
Due to his lack of training and knowledge,
and some over-confidence, he became
involved in a near-tragic situation where
he had to flee from a plant to get medical
help. He was trying to drain oil from an
ammonia charged plant when a valve
broke and released excessive ammonia
which, if he had been properly trained,
he could have dealt with quickly and
effectively. He was hospitalised for weeks
to recover from his injuries.
Research has shown that 67% of
injuries from the release of ammonia,
have occurred to service personnel, only
30% to response team members and 3%
to the public.
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
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Attendees were divided into groups
and asked to review past assessment
of emergencies done by Durham. Each
1. Cold store operators, suppliers of bulk
ammonia, service contractors and
training providers attended the one
day ammonia safety and emergency
response workshop.
2. His career in training started when
Padriac Durham tried to drain oil from a
plant and he was not prepared, over-
confident, untrained and careless.
3. Aerial photograph of the Italian Club
illustrates the three-dimensional conical
shaped ammonia cloud that would
form in the event of an ammonia
release.
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4. Nico Lategan of Table Bay Cold
Storage tries a compact, quick fit gas
mask, while Gideon Malherbe looks on
with a more conventional mask.
www.coldlinkafrica.co.za
COLD LINK AFRICA • June 2019