The number of refrigeration systems charged with ammonia in South Africa is expanding at a rapid rate . As a natural refrigerant with an ozone depletion potential ( ODP ) of zero and a global warming potential ( GWP ) of zero , there is no threat of a ban due to environmental laws .
BUSINESS AND TRAINING
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
Training improves safety of ammonia refrigeration By John Ackermann
The number of refrigeration systems charged with ammonia in South Africa is expanding at a rapid rate . As a natural refrigerant with an ozone depletion potential ( ODP ) of zero and a global warming potential ( GWP ) of zero , there is no threat of a ban due to environmental laws .
Ammonia has been used for decades in many refrigeration systems incorporating cold stores , food processing plants , in the fishing industry aboard trawlers , breweries , wineries and even mines . South Africa has a wealth of world class experience and know-how in the design , installation and maintenance of ammonia refrigeration plants . The knowledge is there , it ’ s the application that is lacking .
Ammonia systems can be hazardous and harmful to humans if operated or serviced by untrained persons or on sites without the proper safety equipment . Training to handle incidents and the uncontrolled release of ammonia needs to be made a priority . Whilst these incidents are not a frequent occurrence , they have been known to happen and we need to be prepared .
The rapid release of ammonia liquid or gas from a system can occur because of a premature failure of a system component , during the servicing of a system by a technician not adhering to the proper procedures or overconfident ‘ old hands ’ who take short cuts when working on plants . It ’ s all about risk assessments and personal protective equipment ( PPE ) prior to any work on hazardous material sites – get it right first time .
Images supplied by John Ackermann .
The attendees were from across a wide section of the ammonia refrigeration industry .
In the past , where there have been incidents of ammonia releases ; these tend to occur from plants which are not well maintained or checked routinely . However , many ammonia systems in South Africa have operated for decades without any major release of ammonia : it all comes down to compliance and the training of the plant operators .
But what happens if there is a release of ammonia on any site ? Before the plant is commissioned , it is an OHS Act requirement that there be a SANS 1514 Site Emergency Plan in place and all staff trained in the response to an unexpected release . An annual re-assessment is also a legal requirement .
Andrew Perks is passionate about the training of all safety procedures associated with ammonia , the drafting of site emergency plans and training in the use of personal protective equipment . As an associate of ASTI , he believes in their maxim to ‘ make ammonia the safest hazardous material in the world ’. On 28 February 2024 Crossberth Cold Stores , in the Cape Town Harbour , hosted a training session in Site Incidence Response presented by A . Perks Enterprises . Besides the staff of Crossberth Cold Stores , there were 34 attendees from Bidfoods , County Fair , Fruitways , Rhodes Fruit Group , firefighting staff of Transnet Port Authorities , Lactalis , Commercial Cold Storage , Jeff Wedgewood Consulting Engineers , and MHR Consulting .
Before the practical demonstration of a release incident response , Perks presented a short training session illustrating the properties of ammonia , at what levels it is harmful , and how to deal with injuries along with some videos of past incidents . This included a video presentation titled ‘ The Jose Mata Story ’ produced by the US-based ASTI ( Ammonia Safety Training Institute ), which told the story of how , because of proper training and muscle memory , Mata managed to escape from an unexpected release while sustaining serious burns due to a lack of water stations , his injuries still trouble him some 10 years on .
Perks , a well-known ammonia refrigeration engineer with many years
20 www . coldlinkafrica . co . za COLD LINK AFRICA • May 2024