402 Colma DX Ammonia Piping Handbook PDF

P.O.
Box 571 | Colville, WA 99114 | USA

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DXAMMONIAPIPINGHANDBOOK
BruceI.Nelson,P.E.

TABLEOFCONTENTS

Page
Background 2
SystemConfiguration 4
SystemStability 4
EvaporatorSelectionandOperation 6
DT1vsDTMRatings 6
SensibleHeatRatio,Roomrh%,andEvaporatorRatings 7
OptimizingSystemTD 10
EffectofTDonExpansionValveOperation 15
TypesofFrostandSelectionofFinSpacing 16
CondenserSelectionandOperation 22
Subcooling 23
PipingGeneral 26
LiquidLines 27
SuctionLines 28
HotGasLines 28
EffectsofWaterinAmmoniaandItsRemoval 29
Separation 32
DistillationandDisposalofAmmoniumHydroxide 32
LiquidTransfer 36
EffectsofOilonEvaporatorPerformanceandOilSeparation 37
EstimatingDXEvaporatorRefrigerantChargeInventory 40
ColmacSmartHotGasDefrost 41
CalculatingtheCostofDefrost 42
SmartHotGasSequenceofOperation 46
DefrostWaterVolumeandDrainLineSizing 47
References 50
APPENDIXADXAmmoniaP&ID 52
Figure1SingleStage
Figure2SingleStageEconomizedScrew
Figure3TwoStage

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I. Background

Ammoniarefrigerationsystemshavetraditionallyemployedevaporatorssuppliedwith
liquidbyeithergravityflooding(withsurgedrums),orpumpedoverfeed(eitherwith
mechanicalpumpsordischargegasdrivenvessels).Bothofthesedesignstypicallyuse
bottomfeedcoilcircuitingwhichfeedsliquidammoniaatthelowestpointinthecoilcircuit
andcausestheammoniatoflowupwardandpercolatethroughthecoilinascending
passestotheoutletatthetopofthecircuit.Thesecoildesignsalsotypicallyuselarge
diametertubingwhichmeansrelativelylargecoilinternalvolume.Thiscombinationof
refrigerantfeed,circuiting,andtubediameter,resultsinthegreatestevaporatorcharge
inventorypossible.

Endusersofammoniarefrigerationsystemsareincreasinglyinterestedinreducingthe
chargeofammoniainevaporators(andintheoverallsystem)intheinterestofminimizing
therisktoworkersandproductsassociatedwithammonialeaks.Oneveryeffectivewayto
significantlyreduceevaporatorammoniachargeistodesignandoperatetheevaporator
usingdryexpansion(DX)circuitingandcontrols.UsingDXammoniacanreducethe
evaporatorchargebyasmuchas30to50timescomparedtobottomfeedfloodedor
pumpeddesigns.Themagnitudeofthisreductioninammoniachargemayalsomitigate
regulatoryrequirements(PSM,RMP),andpotentiallyreduceinsuranceriskandpremiums.

DXammoniahasbeenusedforsometimeinmediumandhightemperaturesystems
(suctiontemperaturesabove+20degreesF)withsomesuccess.However,inspiteofthe
chargereductionadvantagesmentionedabove,todateDXammoniahasnotbeenapplied
successfullyatfreezertemperatures.Atsuctiontemperaturesbelowabout+20F,the
followingparticularcharacteristicsofammoniaresultinextremelypoorperformanceof
evaporatorsunlessaddressedandmitigated:

1. Separationofliquidandvaporphases.Theveryhighratioofvaportoliquidspecific
volumeofammoniaatlowtemperaturescombinedwithitsveryhighlatentheatof
vaporizationcausesanunavoidableseparationofvaporandliquidphasesinside
evaporatortubes.Thisseparationofphasescausestheliquidammoniapresenttorun
alongtheverybottomofthetubesleavingthetopofthetubescompletelydry.The
resultisextremelypoorevaporatorperformanceandlowerthanexpectedsuction
temperaturesduringoperation.TosolvethisproblemColmachasdeveloped(and
patented)anenhancementtechnique,whichwhenappliedtotheinsideofevaporator
tubes,causestheliquidammoniapresenttocoattheentireinsidesurfaceofthetubes
bycapillaryaction.PerformancewithColmacenhancedtubetechnologyresultsinDX
ammoniaperformanceatlowtemperatureswhichisasgoodorbetterthan
performancewithbottomfeedpumpedammoniacircuiting.
2. Refrigerantdistributortechnology.Traditionallythedistributionofexpandedrefrigerant
tomultipleparallelevaporatorcircuitshasbeendoneusingarefrigerantdistributor
havingafixedorificeplate.Thisdesigndependsonarelativelylargepressuredrop
(approximately4045psi)acrossthefixedorificetothoroughlymixandequally
distributortheliquidandvaporphasesbeforetheyenterthedistributortubesand
evaporatorcircuits.Thisrelativelyhighpressuredropacrossthedistributorreducesthe
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pressuredropavailablefortheexpansionvalve,andconsequentlylimitshowlow
condensingpressurecanbeallowedtofallduringperiodsoflowambienttemperature.
Theveryhighlatentheatofvaporizationofammoniaresultsinlowrefrigerantmass
flowrateandconsequentlyaverysmallorificediameterforagivencoolingload(the
orificecanbeassmallas1/16diameterinsomecases).Thissmallorificesizeisprone
tofoulingandbeingblockedbyevensmallsizedebris.Otherdisadvantagesofthis
distributordesigninclude:
a. Performanceisverysensitivetoliquidtemperature(subcooling)atthe
expansionvalve.
b. Operatingrangeissmall,atmost50%to125%ofratedcapacity.
c. Theorificeanddistributortubesrestricttheflowofhotgasduringahotgas
defrostcycle.
d. Themaximumnumberofparallelevaporatorcircuitsavailableinasingle
distributorislimitedtoonly15.
ToaddresstheseshortcomingsColmachasdevelopedanew(patentpending)
refrigerantdistributortechnology,theColmacTankDistributor,havingthefollowing
characteristics:
a. RefrigerantpressuredropacrosstheTankDistributorduringoperationisvery
low,only24psi.
b. AnyoilordebrisenteringtheTankDistributoriscapturedinadropleg(whichis
integraltothedesign)beforeitcanenterthecoilandfoultubesurfaces.
c. PerformanceoftheTankDistributoriscompletelyinsensitivetoliquid
temperature(subcooling).
d. Graduatedorificesineachdistributortubeallowequaldistributionof
refrigeranttoallcircuitsoveranextremelywideoperatingrangeof0%to700%
ofratedcapacity.
e. Graduatedorificesandlargediameterdistributortubesallowfullflow(minimal
restriction)ofhotgasduringhotgasdefrost.
f. ThenumberofparallelevaporatorcircuitspossibleinasingleTankDistributor
canbeashighas48.
3. Removalofwaterfromammonia.Asdescribedelsewhere(Nelson2010),evensmall
amountsofwater(13%)intheammoniawillsignificantlypenalizeDXammonia
evaporatorperformance.Watermustbeeffectivelyremovedduringoperation,
particularlyinfreezingsystemswhichoperateatsuctionpressuresbelowone
atmosphere(inavacuum).Currently,theonlyeffectivewaytoremovewaterfrom
ammoniaisinaheateddistillationvessel(anammoniastill).Thisverynegativeeffect
ofsmallamountsofwateronevaporatorperformancehasnotbeenfullyrecognizedin
thepast,butmustbeaddressedduringthedesignoftheDXammoniasystem.Colmac
hasdevelopedaneffectiveammoniadistillationvesseldesignandinstallationstrategy
whichisdescribedwithinthisHandbook.

Colmachasdeveloped,tested,andpatented(Nelson2011)anewLowTemperatureDX
Ammoniasystemwhichcorrectlyaddressesalloftheaboveissuespeculiartoammoniaasa
refrigerantthathaveheretoforepreventeditsuseatlowsuctiontemperatures.Itisnow
possibletosuccessfullyapplyDXammoniaatsuctiontemperaturesdownto50degreesF.

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ThisPipingHandbookisintendedtoguidethereaderthroughtheprocessofsuccessfully
designingandimplementingDXAmmoniafrom+50Fto50Fandrealizingthebenefitsof:

Dramaticallyreducedammoniacharge
Simplifiedcontrols
Energyefficientdrysuctionline
Reducedlinesizes
Eliminationofammoniarecirculatorpumps

II. SystemConfiguration

ColmacDXAmmoniacanbeappliedtoanytemperaturelevelandsystemconfiguration.
P&IDdiagramsforvarioustypicalsystemsareshowninAppendixA,simplifiedforpurposes
ofclarity.Selectionandsystempipingdetails(reliefvalves,purgers,isolationvalves,vessel
designs,etc)shouldfollowindustryguidelinesasfoundintheIIARAmmoniaPiping
Handbook(IIAR2004).Thediagramsarenotintendedtopresentanexhaustiverangeof
configurationseveryindustrialrefrigerationsystemwillhaveuniquefeaturesand
requirements.Thisinformationispresentedtoillustratethegeneralsystemfeatures
particulartoasuccessfulDXAmmoniadesign.

a. Figure1SingleStageSingleTemperatureLevel
b. Figure2SingleStage(EconomizedScrew)MultipleTemperatureLevel
c. Figure3TwoStageMultipleTemperatureLevel

III. SystemStability

Withliquidoverfeedandgravityfloodedsystems,liquidreturntotherecirculatorvesselor
thesurgedrumisnormalandexpectedthroughthewetsuctionline.Therecirculatorvessel
orsurgedrumeffectivelyseparatesreturningliquidfromvaporandinsuresthatthedry
suctionlinecarriesonlyvaporbacktothecompressor.

DXsystems,ontheotherhand,aredesignedtooperatewithadrysuctionlineandareby
definitionmoresensitivetoliquidfloodback.IndustrialDXsystemsshouldincorporatea
suctionaccumulatorvesseltopreventliquidsluggingofthecompressorduringafloodback
event,however,excessivefloodbackfromevaporatorscancausehighlevelalarmingand
systemshutdownuntiltheexcessliquidinthesuctionaccumulatorcanbetransferredback
tothehighpressuresideofthesystem.Stableandsmoothoperationofthesystemandthe
evaporatorexpansionvalve(s)iscriticaltoavoidingliquidfloodback.Instabilitiesand/or
rapidchangesindischargeandsuctionpressuresduringoperationarethetypicalcauseof
unstableoperationofexpansionvalvesandshouldbeconsideredcarefullybythesystem
designerandoperator(s).

Rapidchangesinsystemdischargepressurecancausesysteminstabilitiesinanumberof
ways.Asuddenreductionindischargepressurecanresultinundesirableflashingofliquid
refrigerantinliquidlinesandwillalsobeaccompaniedbyasympathetic,albeitsmaller,
reductioninsuctionpressure.Asuddenincreaseindischargepressurewillbeaccompanied
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byasympathetic,albeitsmaller,increaseinsuctionpressure.Anincreaseinsuction
pressure,iflargeenoughandrapidenough,willsuppressboilingintheevaporatorswhich
candirectlyleadtoliquidfloodbackfromtheevaporatorstothesuctionaccumulator.

Rapidchangesindischargepressurearenormallycausedby:
a. Condenserfanscyclingonandoff,or
b. Evaporativecondenserpumpscyclingonandoff,or
c. Compressor(s)cyclingonandoff

**NOTE:Designthesystemtolimittherateofchangeincondensingtemperaturetono
morethan5degF/minute.

Rapidchangesinsystemsuctionpressurecanalsoresultinsysteminstabilityandpoor
performance.Itisasuddenincreaseinsuctionpressurethathasthehighestpotentialfor
liquidfloodbackfromDXevaporators.Thissuddenincreaseinsuctionpressureraisesthe
temperatureoftheevaporator,reducestheimposedload,andresultsinliquidrefrigerant
exitingtheevaporatorbeforetheexpansionvalvecanrespondandreducetheflowof
refrigerantenteringtheevaporatoraccordingly.

Rapidchangesinsuctionpressurearenormallycausedby:
a. Compressor(s)cyclingonandoff
b. Multipleliquidfeedsolenoidscyclingonandoff
c. Evaporatorfanscyclingonandoff
d. Evaporatorsstartingorfinishingdefrost
e. Suddenchangesinimposedloadonevaporators

**NOTE:Designthesystemtolimittherateofchangeinsuctiontemperaturetonomore
than2degF/minute.

Followingarerecommendedsystemdesignfeatureswhichwillservetomaximizesystem
pressurestabilityandminimizethepotentialforliquidfloodbackfromevaporators.

1. CondenserFans
a. UseofVFDfanspeedcontrolinsteadoffancyclingforcontrolofheadpressureis
recommended.

2. CondenserPumps
a. Itisalsorecommendedthatevaporativecondensersumpwaterpumpsbeoperated
continuouslyratherthancyclingonandoff,providedambientweatherconditions
allow.

3. CompressorCapacityControl
a. UseofVFDspeedcontrolforcapacitywherepossibleandappropriate.
b. Limitcapacityloading/unloadingsteps(on/off)tonomorethan10%oftotalsystem
capacity.
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c. Limittherateofchangeofsuctiontemperature(speedofscrewcompressorslide
valvemovement)tonogreaterthan2degF/minute.

4. EvaporatorDefrost
a. Defrosttheminimumnumberofevaporatorsatonetime.
b. Useableedlinetoequalizepressureslowlyattheendofdefrost.

5. EvaporatorFans
a. FanspeedandcoolingcapacitycanbecontrolledbyVFD,howeverthefollowing
guidelinesmustbeobservedwhenappliedtoDXevapaorators:
o Rateofchangeinfanspeedmustbegradualandlimitedtoresultinno
morethan2degF/minutechangeinsuctiontemperature.
o Minimumfanspeedmustbesettoproducenolessthan250ft/minface
velocity.
b. Iffansaregoingtobecycledon/offforcapacitycontrol,nomorethan10%ofthe
totalnumberofevaporatorfansshouldbecycledonoroffatthesametime.

6. LiquidFeedSolenoids
a. Avoidcyclingmultipleliquidfeedsolenoidsallatthesametime.i.e.Liquidfeed
solenoidsshouldbecycledsequentially.

7. SuddenchangesinloadonEvaporators
a. Avoidlocatingevaporatordirectlyabovedoorways.
b. Mitigateintermittentprocessloadslocatedclosetoevaporators.

IV. EvaporatorSelectionandOperation

1. DT1vsDTMratings

Asexplainedindetailelsewhere(Nelson2012(a))evaporatormanufacturerstypically
presenttheircapacityratingsusingoneoftwodefinitionsoftemperaturedifference,
DT1orDTM.SomemanufacturerspublishratingsbasedonbothDT1andDTMand
allowthedesignertochoosethepreferreddefinition:

DT1=AirOnTemperatureEvaporatorTemperature
DTM=Average(Room)AirTemperatureEvaporatorTemperature

Figure1belowgraphicallyillustratesthesetwodefinitionsoftemperaturedifferencefor
thesameevaporatorandtheireffectonLMTD(LogMeanTemperatureDifference),and
henceratedcapacity.Inthisexample,thesameevaporatorhavinga20degF
evaporatingtemperatureratedusingDTMproduces33.3%(DTMLMTDof9.6degF
versusDT1LMTDof7.2degF)morecapacitythanthesameevaporatorratedusing
DT1!

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Inshort,byusingtheDTMratingmethodamanufacturercanshowcoolingcapacities
thataremuchhigher(30to40%higher),andsoofferalowercostevaporatorwith
muchlesssurfaceareathanthemanufacturerusingtheDT1ratingmethod.

Unfortunately,onecannotgetsomethingfornothing.Eventhoughevaporators
selectedusingDTMratingswillbecheaperinitiallybecausetheyhavelesssurfacearea,
theywillcausethesystemtorunatalowersuctionpressurewithhigheroperatingcosts
thanevaporatorsselectedusingDT1ratings.Thisdifferenceinoperatingcostbetween
DTMandDT1evaporatorshasbeencalculatedandtheincrementalreturnon
investmentshowntodramaticallyfavorselectingevaporatorsusingDT1ratings(Nelson
2012(b)).Additionally,inthesamearticletheauthorshowsthatthebasicDTM
assumptionthattheaverageairtemperaturewithintheevaporatorequalstheaverage
roomtemperatureisafundamentallyflawedandfalseassumptionbecauseofair
entrainmentandmixingintheroom.

FIGURE1
TemperatureProfilesforDT1vsDTM

(a) DT1=10F(AirOn)TempDifference(b)DTM=10F(Average)TempDifference
DT1 LMTD = 7.2 F DTM LMTD = 9.6 F
Inconclusion,ColmachighlyrecommendsthatevaporatorsbeselectedusingDT1ratings
ratherthanDTM.

2. SensibleHeatRatio,RoomRelativeHumidity(rh%),andEvaporatorRatings

Accuratepredictionoftherefrigerationload,bothsensibleandlatentcomponents,is
importanttoproperrefrigerationsystemequipmentselectionandsuccessfuloperation
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(Nelson2012(a)).Varioustypesofsensiblecoolingloadsmustbeanticipatedand
includedinthecalculation,suchas:lighting,electricmotors,forklifts,product
cooling/freezing,transmissionofheatthroughwalls,ceilings,andfloors,andcoolingof
infiltrationair.Latentcoolingloadsarepresentwhenevermoistureisaddedtotheairin
therefrigeratedspace.Sourcesofintroducedmoisturetypicallyinclude:infiltrationair,
respiringfoodproducts,surfacemoistureonproducts,packagingandotherobjects
enteringthespace,residualwaterleftonfloorsafterwashdown(processrooms),
humanrespiration,andhumidificationequipment(abovefreezing).

Roomrelativehumidity(rh%),whichistheindicationofhownearlytheairinthe
refrigeratedspaceissaturatedwithwatervapor,willbetheequilibriumcondition
resultingfromthebalanceofmoistureintroducedintothespacewiththemoisture
removedfromspacebytheevaporatorcoils(Cleland2012).

Wheneverevaporatorsurfacesoperateattemperaturesbelowthedewpointoftheair
beingcooled,watervaporintheairstreamiscondensedtoliquid(attemperatures
above32F(0C))ordepositedtoformfrost(below32F(0C)).Thecoolingeffect
associatedwiththisdehumidificationoftheairstreamistermedlatentcooling.The
sumofthesensiblecoolingloadandlatentcoolingloadistermedthetotalload.The
ratioofthesensiblecoolingloaddividedbythetotalcoolingloadiscalledtheSensible
HeatRatio(SHR)anddefinestheslopeoftheairprocesslineonapsychrometricchart.

(1)

Refrigeratedspaceswithproductbeingtransferringinandoutthroughdoorwayswill
verytypicallyhavearelativehumidityinthe85to95%rangeduetoinfiltrationand
othersourcesofmoisture.Lowerroomrelativehumiditymaybefoundinsome
exceptionalcaseswheretrafficthroughdoorwaysisverylight,productistightly
packaged,dehumidificationequipmentisusedatdoorways,etc.Therelationship
betweenroomrelativehumidityandSHRisshowninTable1below:

TABLE1
SHRFORDT1=10degFATVARIOUSTEMPERATURESANDROOMRH%
SensibleHeatRatio,SHR

RoomTemperature,F(C) 65%rh 75%rh 85%rh 95%rh
45(7.2) 1.0 0.84 0.67 0.56
32(0) 0.98 0.84 0.73 0.64

10(12.2) 0.98 0.92 0.87 0.83

0(17.8) 0.98 0.95 0.92 0.89

10(23.3) 0.99 0.97 0.95 0.93

30(34.4) 0.99 0.99 0.98 0.97

TheroomrelativehumidityandresultingSHRcanhavealargeeffectonevaporator
coolingcapacity,especiallyathigherroomtemperatures.
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Usingacomputermodeldevelopedtoaccuratelycalculatefinefficiencyandsurface
effectivenessforbothsensibleandcombinedsensibleandlatentheattransfer,a
predictionoftheincreaseinevaporatorcoilperformanceasafunctionofSHRhasbeen
made(Nelson2012(a)).ResultsofthepredictedcapacityincreaseasafunctionofSHR
foranammoniarefrigerationevaporatorcoiloperatingoverawiderangeofroom
temperatures(+45Fto30F)andhavingtypicalfinspacingsandgeometrywithDT1=
10FareshowninFigure2below.

FIGURE2
TotalCoolingCapacityFactorvsSHR
1.5

CapacityFactor,Qtotal/Qsensonly
1.45

1.4
1.35
1.3
1.25
1.2

1.15

1.1

1.05
1
0.6 0.65 0.7 0.75 0.8 0.85 0.9 0.95 1
SensibleHeatRatio,SHR

Tomakethingsabitmorecomplicated,someevaporatormanufacturersincludethe
effectofroomrh%intheirratings,othersdonot.AsshowninFigure2,thelowerthe
SHRthegreaterthetotalcoolingcapacityoftheevaporator.Amanufacturerwhoshows
theirevaporatorratingsasallsensible(SHR=1)willbemoreconservative(havemore
surfacearea)thanthemanufacturerwhoshowstheirratingsat85or95%rh.

Selectingevaporatorsusing85to95%rhratingswillresultinevaporatorshavingless
surfaceareaandlowerfirstcostcomparedtoevaporatorsselectedusingallsensible
ratings.Theriskinthisapproachisundersizingtheevaporatorsinthecasewherethe
actualoperatingroomrh%islessthantherh%usedduringtheselectionprocess.

Conclusion:Thelatentloadshouldalwaysbeestimatedandincludedinthetotal
calculatedrefrigerationload.Sizeevaporatorsforthedesigntotalcalculated
refrigerationloadattheestimatedroomrelativehumidity.Ifroomrelativehumidityis
difficulttoestimateorcannotbeestimated,thenaconservationapproachistoselect
evaporatorsbasedonalowroomrelativehumidity(i.e.65to75%rh)orusingsensible
onlyratings.

3. OptimizingSystemTD
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Theproductbeingstoredorprocessednormallydeterminestheroomairtemperature
inarefrigeratedfacility.Appropriatetemperaturesforstoringandprocessingvarious
foodsandfoodproductscanbefoundelsewhere(ASHRAE2009).

Oncetheroomtemperatureisdetermined,theevaporatortemperaturemustbe
decideduponbythedesigner.Compressorpowerandenergyconsumptionisastrong
functionofthesuctionpressureandtemperature.Thehigherthesuctionpressurethe
moreefficientlythecompressorwillrunandthelesspowerwillbeconsumed.Energy
efficiencycanbecharacterizedbyaratiotermedCoefficientofPerformance(COP),
definedas:

(2)

Inthecaseofarefrigerationcompressor,

(3)

Figure3belowshowstypicalammoniascrewcompressorCOPvsSST(SaturatedSuction
Temperature).Thefigureassumes2Stagecompressionisusedbelowasuction
temperatureof20degF.

FIGURE3

R717ScrewCompressorCOPvsSST
(SCT=85DegF)
8

7

6

CompressorCOP
5

4

3

2

1
50 40 30 20 10 0 10 20 30 40
SST,DegF
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ItwouldappearfromFigure3thatasmallerTD(TD=RoomTemperatureEvaporator
Temperature)wouldalwaysbedesirablefromanenergyconsumptionstandpointsince
thesmallertheTD,thehighertheevaporator(SST)temperatureandcompressorCOP.
This,however,isnotthecase.

Heatistransferredfromtheroomviatheaircirculatedbytheevaporators.Thecooling
capacityofanevaporatorcanbecharacterizedbytheNTUeffectivenessequation.This
equationindicatesthatforaconstantcoolingcapacityandevaporatoreffectiveness(an
expressionofhowcloselytheleavingairtemperatureapproachestheevaporating
temperature),theflowrateoftheairwillbeinverselyproportionaltotheTD.

(4)

Where:

Evaporatoreffectivenessis,infact,verynearlyconstantoverthetypicalnarrow
operatingrangeofarefrigerationevaporator.Theeffectivenessequationshowsthatas
TDbecomessmaller,theairflowratemustbecomelargerinthesameproportionfora
givencoolingcapacity.

Fanpowercanbecalculatedusingasimpleequationasfollows:

(5)

Where:

Theairpressuredropthroughtheevaporatorcoil,andthereforefanpower,willbe
affectedby:
1. Thecoilfacevelocity,
2. Tubediameter,spacing,andpattern,
3. Numberofcoilrowsdeep,
4. Finspacingandpattern
5. Frostthickness
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TherelationshipsaboveindicatethatcompressorCOPwilldecreasewithincreasingTD
whileFanCOPwillincreasewithincreasingTD.Figure4showstheserelationshipsforan
exampleevaporatorcoilhaving8rowsdeepand3FPIfinspacing.

FIGURE4

COPvsTD
8Row3FPI,R717,AirOnTemp=10DegF

7

6

5

4
Fan(500FPM)x10^1
COP
Fan(750FPM)x10^1
3
Fan(1000FPM)x10^1

2 Compressor

1

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
TD=AirOnTemp SuctionTemp,DegF

Figure4impliestherewillbesomemaximumcombinedCOPforcompressorandfans
whichwillrepresenttheoptimumoperatingTDintermsofenergyefficiency.This
combinedCOPisshownbelowinFigures5,6,and7,foratypicalammoniaevaporator
coilhavingthefollowingcharacteristics:

Tubing:7/8ODAluminum
TubePattern:2.25Staggered
Fins:ConfiguredAluminumPlateType
RowsDeep:8
FaceVelocity:500,750,and1000FPM
FinSpacing:2,3,and4FPI
AirOnTemperature:10degF
FrostThickness:0mm

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FIGURE5

Compressor+FanCOPvsTD
2.4

2.2

2

1.8

CombinedCOP
1.6
500FPM
1.4
750FPM
1.2 1000FPM

1

0.8

0.6
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

FIGURE6


2.6

2.4

2.2

2
CombinedCOP

1.8 500FPM
750FPM
1.6
1000FPM
1.4

1.2

1
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
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FIGURE7



2.6

2.4

2.2

2
CombinedCOP

1.8 500FPM
750FPM
1.6
1000FPM
1.4

1.2

1
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

ThefollowingisobservedfromFigures5through7:
a. CombinedCOPisaverystrongfunctionofcoilfacevelocity.COPat500FPMis
approximately10%higherthanCOPat750FPMand20%higherthanCOPat
1000FPM.
b. CombinedCOPincreasesasthedistancebetweenfinsisincreased.Coilswith
2FPIspacingwillhavehighercombinedCOPthancoilswith3FPI,whichwillhave
higherCOPthan4FPI.
c. Theoptimum(maximum)TDincreaseswithincreasingfacevelocity.
d. Inallcases,combinedCOPdecreasesveryrapidlybelowabout7degFTD.

InordertomakethefinaldecisionaboutselectingtheoptimumTD,thecostofpower
aswellasinstalledcostofthecompressor(s)andevaporatorsmustbeknown(or
estimated).Thesevariablescanthenbecombinedtocalculatetheincrementalreturn
oninvestmentcomparingdifferentevaporatordesigns(facevelocityandfinspacing)in
termsoffirstcostvsoperatingcost.

Sincethesecostsarehighlyvariable,thefinalreturnoninvestmentcalculationmustbe
madeonacasebycasebasisandpresentedtotheclientinawaywhichallowsthefinal
decisiontobemadegiventheprojectfinancialconstraintsandrequirements.

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Conclusions:
1. ForhighestsystemCOP/energyefficiency,selectevaporatorsforthelowestface
velocityandwidestfinspacingfinanciallypractical.Colmacrecommendsmaximum
facevelocityof600FPMandfinspacingof3FPIorwider(lowerFPI).
2. Forcoilfacevelocitiesbetween500and750FPMadesignTDbetween10degFand
15degFisrecommended.
3. FinaloptimizedevaporatordesignandTDmustbedeterminedbasedonspecific
projectfinancialconstraintsandacceptablereturnoninvestment.

4. EffectofTDonExpansionValve(EV)Operation

Withdirectexpansion(DX)evaporatorstheflowofrefrigeranttotheevaporatoris
meteredbyanautomaticexpansionvalveinresponsetoacontrolsignalmeasuredat
theevaporatoroutlet.Thecontrolsignalisnormallytheamountofsuperheatinthe
refrigerantsuctiongas.Thetheoreticalmaximumamountofsuctiongassuperheatthat
canbegeneratedisequaltotheoperatingTD(TD=AirOnTemperatureEvaporating
Temperature).

Theamountofsuperheatrequiredforstableoperation(modulation)oftheexpansion
valvevarieswiththetypeofvalveemployed.Twobasictypesofexpansionvalvesare
currentlyavailableonthemarket,Thermostatic(TEV)andElectronic(EEV).Bothuse
superheatinthesuctiongasasthecontrolsignal.

Thermostaticexpansionvalvesmeasureandmechanicallycalculatesuperheatbymeans
ofatemperaturesensingbulbandpressureequalizingline.Thesevalvesandtheir
operationaredescribedindetailbythevalvemanufacturers.Theadvantageofthistype
ofvalveistheirlowcostandcompactness.Withthistypeofvalve,temperaturesensing
isaccomplishedbyarefrigerantfilledbulbstrappedtotheoutsideofthecoilsuction
connection.Adisadvantageofthissystemistheadditionalsuperheatrequiredto
overcomethethermalresistanceofthepipewall.Thisadditionalsuperheatforcesthe
operatingTDtobeapproximately5degFgreaterthanforanelectronicexpansionvalve
thatusesatemperaturetransducertomeasuretemperaturedirectly.

Electronicexpansionvalvesoperatebasedonasignalreceivedfromasuperheat
controllerwhichreadssuctiongastemperatureandpressurefromacombinationof
sensors.Theexpansionvalveitselfmayoperatebasedonanopen/close(pulsing)
principleoronamotorizedpositioningprinciple.Advantagesofthistypeofvalve
includemoreaccurateandresponsivesensingofsuperheatwhichallowsstable
operationatsmallerTDthanthermostatictypevalves.PIDcontrolparameterscanalso
beadjustedinthecontrollertofinetuneoperationoverawiderangeofconditions.
Theprimarydisadvantageofelectronicexpansionvalvesisthehigherfirstcost
comparedtothermostaticvalves.This,however,ischangingasvalvemanufacturersare
findinglowercostsolutionsandbeginningtooffercostcompetitiveelectronicvalvesto
themarket.

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MinimumrecommendedTDandsuperheatsettingsforbothtypesofexpansionvalves
areshowninTable2below:

TABLE2
MINIMUMRECOMMENDEDDXAMMONIATDANDSUPERHEATSETTING

ExpansionValveType MinimumRecommended RecommendedSuperheat
TD,degF Setting,degF
Thermostatic 15 12
Electronic 10 8

Note:Colmacoffersfactorysuppliedandmountedexpansionvalvesandcontrollers,
boththermostaticandelectronictype.

5. TypesofFrostandSelectionofFinSpacing

Frostcanaccumulateonevaporatorcoilfinsbyoneoftwomechanisms:

1. Bydeposition,and/or
2. Asairborneicecrystals

Designingevaporatorstoproperlyhandlethesetwotypesoffrostisdescribedinthis
section.

1. Deposition:

Wheneverthetemperatureoftheevaporatorcoilsurfaceisbelowthedewpoint
temperatureoftheroomair,moisturewillcondenseandbedepositedonthesurface
eitherasliquidwater(abovefreezing)orasfrost(belowfreezing).Thismasstransfer
process,whenrelatedtotheformationoffrostiscalleddeposition,andisdrivenbythe
differenceinwatervaporpressurebetweentheairandthesurfaceofthecoil.The
amountofheatassociatedwiththismasstransferprocessistermedlatentheatandis
quantifiedbytheSHR(seepreviousdefinition).WhenevertheSHRislessthan1.0,the
depositionoffrostwilltakeplace.Therateatwhichfrostwillbedepositedonthecoil
surfacescaneasilybecalculatedasafunctionofthetotalcoolingload,theSHR,andthe
surfaceareaoftheevaporator.

Thesurfaceeffectivenessofarefrigerationevaporatorisrelativelyhigh(usuallygreater
than80%)duetothetypicallysmallTDandlowheatfluxcomparedtoairconditioning
andprocessevaporators.Thishighsurfaceeffectivenessresultsinamoreorless
constantsurfacetemperatureanduniformdepositionoffrostovertheentiresurfaceof
theevaporator.Thisassumptionofuniformfrostdepositionismadeinthefollowing
equation:

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(6)

Where:

EXAMPLE:
Anevaporatorhaving8rowsdeepandfinspacingof3FPIisoperatingwitha10degF
TD(DT1)ina+10degF/85%rhroom.Theevaporatorhasacoolingcapacityof240,000
Btu/h(20TR)andoutsidesurfaceareaof4100ft2.Whatwillbetherateoffrost
deposition?

Answer:
FromTable1theexpectedSHRatthisroomairtemperatureandrh%willbe0.87.

Asfrostisdepositedontheevaporatorcoilsurfacesthelocalairvelocitybetweenfins
willincreaseandresultinincreasedairpressuredropacrossthecoil.Theincreaseinair
pressuredropduetoaccumulationoffrostcanbeapproximatedbythefollowing
equation:

(7)

Where:

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Therateofblockageofthecoilwithfrostandassociatedpressuredropwillresultina
reductioninairflowandcoolingcapacity.Thisreductionincoolingcapacitywill
ultimatelydeterminedefrostfrequencyandefficiency,andoverallsystemenergy
efficiencyandpowerconsumption.
Coolingcapacityoftheevaporatorcanbecharacterizedasfunctionsoffacevelocity,
SHR,andfrostthickness.Knowinghowcapacitychangeswiththeseparameters,
combinedwiththerelationshipsshowninequations5,6,and7above,allowsthe
constructionofasimplemodelwhichwillpredictthechangeincoilcapacityovertime.
Simplifyingassumptionsinthemodelinclude:

o Frostisdepositeduniformlyoverthesurfaceofthecoil
o Frostdensityisuniformandofafixedvalue
o Suctiontemperatureremainsconstant

Normally,refrigerationloadsarecalculatedbasedon16to18hoursofruntimeperday.
Itisnotclearwhenorwhythisruleofthumbcameintopractice.Perhapsitisacorollary
tothe2to1ruleforhotgasdefrosting.Thatis,twocoilsmustbeinoperationwhile
thethirdcoilisinhotgasdefrostinordertoprovideasufficientquantityofhotgasfor
thedefrostcycle.Perhapsitissimplyanadditionalcatchallsafetyfactor.One
industryhistorianmentionedthatthe1618runhoursrulecamefromsplitsystem
applicationswherecapacitydropsoutduringdefrostcomparedtoacentralsystem
whichwouldrebalancetheTDontheremainingevaporators(Welch2013).Itmakesthe
mostsensetotheauthorthattheruntimeadjustmenttothedesignrefrigerationload
shouldbeusedtoaccountforthedegradationincoilperformanceovertimedueto
accumulationoffrost.

Inalargerefrigerationsystemhavingaconstantrefrigerationloadandcompressor
unloadingcapability,thecompressorswillunloadtomaintainaconstantsuction
temperatureasthecoilcapacityfallsoffduetofrosting.Asthecompressorsunloadto
maintainsystemsuctionpressure,theywillrunlongertomaintainroomtemperature.
Thisimpliesthatinordertomaintainroomtemperature,defrostingshouldbeinitiated
whenevaporatorcapacityfallstoalevelequaltothedesignruntimeratio(design
runtimedividedby24).Table3belowshowsthemaximumreductioninevaporator
capacityduetofrostingthatshouldbeallowedbeforedefrostisinitiated.Notethatthis
tableobviouslydoesnotapplytoevaporatorsoperatingabovefreezing.

TABLE3
MINIMUMEVAPORATORCAPACITYTOINITIATEDEFROSTATVARIOUSDESIGN
RUNTIMES

DesignRuntime,h/day MinimumEvaporatorCapacityat
InitiationofDefrost
14 58%
16 67%
18 75%
20 83%
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Theevaporatorperformancemodeldescribedabovewasusedtoexaminetheeffectof
finspacingandSHRonlossofcoolingcapacityduetofrostaccumulation.SeeFigures8,
9,10,and11below.

FromTable1itisclearthatthehighestfrostload(lowestSHR)willoccurinhigh
temperature(+32F)roomswithhighrelativehumidity.Thelowestfrostloads(highest
SHR)occuratfreezertemperatures,evenwhenrelativehumidityishigh.

FIGURE8

CapacityvsTimeforVariousFinSpacings
7/8StaggPattern,0.65SHR
100%
90%

80%

70%

CoolingCapacity,%
60%
50% RBR(Stagg)8R2F
40%
RBR(Stagg)8R3F
30%
RBR(Stagg)8R4F

20%

10%
0%
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4
Time,h

FIGURE9

100%
90%
80%
70%

CoolingCapacity,%
60%

50% RBR(Stagg)8R2F

RBR(Stagg)8R3F
40%
RBR(Stagg)8R4F
30%
20%
10%

0%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Time,h
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FIGURE10

100%
90%
80%

70%

CoolingCapacity,%
60%
50% RBR(Stagg)8R2F
40%
RBR(Stagg)8R3F
30%
RBR(Stagg)8R4F

20%

10%

0%
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Time,h

FIGURE11

100%
90%
80%

70%

CoolingCapacity,%
60%
50% RBR(Stagg)8R2F
40%
RBR(Stagg)8R3F
30%
RBR(Stagg)8R4F

20%

10%

0%
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Time,h

AnumberofobservationscanbemadewhenconsideringFigures811,Table1,and
Table3:

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1. Therateatwhichfrostaccumulatesonanevaporatorincreasesastheroom
temperatureincreasesforagivenroomrelativehumidity.i.e.Frostonan
evaporatoroperatinginaroomat+32Fand85%rhwillaccumulatemuchfaster
thanonthesameevaporatoroperatingat10Fand85%rh.Thisisduetothehigher
watervaporpressureinairathighertemperaturesandtheresultinglowerSHR.
2. Foragivenreductioninevaporatorcapacity,widerfinspacingalwaysresultsin
longeractualruntimebetweendefrosts.
3. Asdesignruntimeisincreased,thenumberofdefrostsperdayrequiredincreases.
Inthecaseofveryhighfrostload(SHRlessthan0.75)usingdesignruntimegreater
than14h/daymayresultinaninabilityoftherefrigerationsystemtomaintainroom
temperature.
4. Figures8through11canbeusedtoestimatedefrostfrequencywhenroomSHR,
designruntime,andcoilfinspacingareknown.
Example:
Anevaporatorhasbeenselectedfora+10F/85%rhroombasedondesignruntime
of16h/day.Finspacingselectedis3FPI.Estimatethedefrostfrequencyusing
Tables1and3,andFigures8through11.
FromTable1:SHR=0.87
FromTable3:CoolingCapacityatTimeofDefrost=67%
FromFigure10:Timebetweendefrosts=5.2h
Therefore,estimateddefrostfrequency=24h/day/5.2h=5defrostsperday

Conclusion:Table4belowshowssuggestedmaximumfinspacing,designruntime,and
defrostfrequencyforvariousvaluesofSHR.Thistableisintendedtobeusedasageneral
guidelineinconjunctionwithTable1.Notethatroomrelativehumidity,andtherefore
SHR,willlikelychangethroughouttheyeardependingonlocationandclimate
conditions.Thisimpliesthatoptimumdefrostfrequencymaybedifferentinsummer
monthsvswintermonths.

TABLE4
SUGGESTEDFINSPACING,RUNTIME,ANDDEFROSTFREQUENCYVSSHR
SHR SuggestedMaximum RecommendedMaximum SuggestedDefrostFrequency,
FinSpacing,FPI DesignRuntime,h/day No.Defrosts/day
0.65 2 14 9
0.75 3 16 8

0.85 4 16 6

0.95 4 18 2

Theabovediscussionandrecommendationsarebasedonfrostaccumulationby
depositionanddonotincludetheeffectsofairborneicecrystalsonfinspacingand
defrostfrequency.Theeffectsofairborneicecrystalsarediscussedinthefollowing
section.

2. AirBorneIceCrystals:

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Thistypeoffrostisformedquitedifferentlyfromthefrostformedbydepositionas
explainedabove.Itaccumulatesonevaporatorsurfacesbyadifferentmechanism,and
ismoredifficulttoquantifyandpredict.

Airborneicecrystalsasatypeoffrostthatcanbedepositedoncoilsurfaceshasbeen
recognizedanddiscussedforsometime(Cleland2002,Stoecker1988).Theseice
particulatesformwheninfiltrationairmixeswithrefrigeratedairtoproducea
supersaturatedcondition.Onapsychrometricchart,asupersaturatedconditionis
indicatedwhenthemixedairconditionfallstotheleftofthesaturation(100%rh)line
(thinkoffogthathasfrozeninmidair).

Ratherthanaccumulaterelativelyuniformlyovertheentirecoilsurfaceasisthecase
withfrostformedbydeposition,airborneicecrystalsaccumulateontheleadingedges
ofthecoilfinsandhavetheprimaryeffectofrestrictingairflow.Thistypeoffrostis
moredifficulttopredictsinceitsformationdependsonnotonlytheconditionoftheair
outsidetherefrigeratedspace,butalsoontheconditionofdoorwaysandhowtheyare
operated.

Whenevaporatorsarelocateddirectlyabovedoorwayswhereairborneicecrystalsare
formedthistypeoffrostcanaccumulateveryquicklyandhaveseriousconsequencesin
termsofdegradedperformanceandinabilitytodefrosteffectivelyduetoexcessive
accumulationofhoarfrostandice.Inoneparticularcaseobservedbytheauthor,two
identicalevaporatorswereinstalledinthesamerefrigeratedspace(a10degFfreezer)
alongthesamewall,onedirectlyoverthedoorwayandthesecondoffsetbetween
doorways.Theevaporatordirectlyoverthedoorwayhadchronicproblemswithrapid,
heavyaccumulationoffrost,andwithdefrostissuesrelatedtoaccumulationoficeon
theunitcabinetandinthedrainpan.Theevaporatorlocatedonly20feetawaybetween
doorways,operatedwithoutaccumulatingiceonthecabinetandorinthepanand
defrostednormallyandeffectively.Itisthereforerecommendedthatevaporatorsnotbe
locateddirectlyabovedoorwayswheneverpossible.

Ifitisknownthattheevaporatorwillbeexposedtothistypeoffrost,variablefin
spacingisrecommended.Thatis,afinspacingarrangementwhichhasfinsonthefirst
onetotworowsontheairenteringsideofthecoilspacedwiderthanintheremaining
rows.Typicalarrangementsare1/2fpi(finsperinch),1.5/3fpi,and2/4fpi.

V. CondenserSelectionandOperation

Anumberofdifferenttypesofcondensersareavailableforusewithammonia.

WaterCooled
AirCooled
Evaporative
Hybrid(Adiabatic)AirEvaporative

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Incertaincasesthetypeofcompressionequipment(screwvsreciprocating)selectedand
theexpectedmaximumambienttemperaturewilldeterminewhetherornotaircooled
condensingwillbepossible.Inothercasestheavailability(orunavailability)ofwatermay
requiretheuseofaircooledcondensing.ThegoodnewsisthatDXammoniaiscompatible
withalltypesofcondensingsystems!

Properselectionandoperationofammoniacondensingequipmentisoutlinedinthe
condensermanufacturersliterature.

Itisrecommendedthatthesystemdesignercarefullyconsiderthefollowingpointswhen
selecting/designingcondensingequipment:
Energyefficiency
Partloadoperation
Lowambientoperation
Internalvolumeandammoniacharge
Gasinletandliquidoutletpiping
Purgingofnoncondensiblegases
VFDcondenserfancontrol(highlyrecommended)

VI. Subcooling

Refrigerantliquidleavingthecondenseristypicallyatornearsaturationtemperatureand
pressure.Iftheliquidhasnotbeensubcooledbeforeitenterstheliquidline,anydropin
pressure,and/oranyheatinput,willcausetheliquidtoboilandflashgaswillbeformed.
Becauseoftheverylargevolumeoccupiedbyvaporcomparedtoliquid,theflashgas
increasestherefrigerantvelocityandcausesanexcessivepressuredropintheliquidline,
Thisreducesthecapacityandinterfereswiththeoperationoftheexpansionvalve,and
consequentlywillreducesystemcapacity.Adequatesubcoolingoftheliquidwillpreventthe
formationofflashgasinliquidlines.

Subcoolingtheliquidafteritleavesthereceiveristhereforeanecessityforpropersystem
operation.Notethatanysubcoolingdonewithinthecondenserorbetweenthecondenser
andthereceiverwillbeeliminatedinthereceiverduetotheequalizerline.Theamountof
subcoolingrequiredcorrespondstotheliquidlinepressuredropandheatgain.Thepressure
dropisthesumof1)thelossinpressureduetoelevationgainintheliquidline,2)liquidline
pressuredropduetofriction,and3)pressuredropthroughserviceandcontrolvalves.

Table5showsthepressuredropinliquidlinesproducedbyelevationgainbetweenthe
receiverandevaporatorswithammonia.

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TABLE5

PressureDropinAmmoniaLiquidLinesDuetoElevationGain

ElevationGain PressureDrop
ft m psi kPa
1 0.3 0.3 1.9
5 1.5 1.4 9.3
10 3.0 2.7 18.7
15 4.6 4.1 28.0
20 6.1 5.4 37.3
25 7.6 6.8 46.7

30 9.1 8.1 56.0
35 10.7 9.5 65.4
40 12.2 10.8 74.7
45 13.7 12.2 84.0
50 15.2 13.5 93.4

Oncethetotalliquidlinepressuredrop(thesumofelevationpressuredropplusfrictional
pressuredroppluspressuredropthroughvalves)iscalculated,therequiredamountof
subcoolingtopreventflashgasinthelinecanbedeterminedfromTable6.Notethatthe
amountofsubcoolingrequiredforagivenpressuredropincreasesascondensing
temperaturedecreases.

TABLE6

TotalLiquidLine RequiredAmountofSubcooling(Ammonia)
PressureDrop 120F(49C)SCT 95F(35C)SCT 65F(18C)SCT
psi kPa degF degC degF degC degF degC
1 6.9 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.5 0.3
4 27.6 1.0 0.5 1.3 0.7 1.9 1.0
6 41.4 1.4 0.8 1.9 1.1 2.8 1.6
8 55.2 1.9 1.1 2.6 1.4 3.8 2.1
10 68.9 2.4 1.3 3.2 1.8 4.7 2.6
12 82.7 2.9 1.6 3.8 2.1 5.6 3.1
14 96.5 3.4 1.9 4.5 2.5 6.6 3.7

16 110.3 3.8 2.1 5.1 2.8 7.5 4.2

18 124.1 4.3 2.4 5.8 3.2 8.5 4.7

20 137.9 4.8 2.7 6.4 3.6 9.4 5.2
25 172.4 6.0 3.3 8.0 4.4 11.8 6.5
30 206.8 7.2 4.0 9.6 5.3 14.1 7.8
35 241.3 8.4 4.7 11.2 6.2 16.5 9.2
40 275.8 9.6 5.3 12.8 7.1 18.8 10.5
45 310.3 10.8 6.0 14.4 8.0 21.2 11.8
50 344.7 12.0 6.7 16.0 8.9 23.5 13.1
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AcommonlyusedmethodofsubcoolingliquidrefrigerantistermedMechanicalSubcooling.This
istheCOLMACRECOMMENDEDmethodofliquidsubcoolingandreferstousingaportionof
liquidrefrigerantfromtheuncooledliquidlinetoevaporateandcooltheremainingliquid.A
heatexchanger(typicallyaplatetypeexchanger)isinstalledintheliquidlineinsuchawayasto
cooltheliquidrefrigerantononesideoftheexchangerbyevaporatingarelativelysmallamount
oftherefrigerantontheothersideoftheexchanger.Theevaporatingsiderefrigerantis
meteredbyaTXVormotorizedvalveinresponsetoliquidlinetemperatureandtheevaporated
refrigerantthenreturnedtothesuctionline.Thismethodofsubcoolingproducespredictable
resultsunderallconditions,andisrequiredtoinsureproperoperationofColmacDXAmmonia
evaporatorcontrols.Withmechanicalsubcoolingthereisnonetlossofrefrigeratingeffector
systemenergyefficiency.

Alternatemethodsforsubcoolingrefrigerantliquidcanbeapplied,buthavevariousdrawbacks:

AmbientSubcooling.Thisinvolvesusingaseparatecircuitwithinthecondensertoroute
liquidrefrigerantfromthereceivertothesystemcausingtherefrigeranttoapproachthe
ambientairtemperature.Thisisarelativelysimpledesign,howevertheamountof
subcoolingwillbelimitedtothecondenserTD.Thismaynotbeasufficientamountof
subcoolingtoavoidformationofflashgasduringcertaintimesoftheyear.Therefore,this
methodofsubcoolingisNOTrecommended.

LiquidPumping.Herealiquidpumpisinstalledattheexitofthereceivertopressurizethe
liquidlinesufficientlytoovercomethetotalpressuredropduetofrictionandelevationgain.
Whileeffectiveateliminatingflashgasregardlessofoperatingconditions,thismethodadds
complexityandwillcausetheliquidlinetooperateatapressurewhichishigherthan
condensingpressure.Aswithambientsubcooling,thismethodisNOTrecommended.

NOTE:ReferringtoFigures13,liquidtemperatureleavingthemechanicalsubcoolerisshownas
40degF.Thisliquidtemperatureisconservativeandshouldpreventtheformationofflashgas
inliquidlinesinmostifnotallcases.

SubcoolerPiping:

Figure12belowillustratestypicalmechanicalsubcoolerheatexchangerpiping.

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FIGURE12

SUBCOOLER KIT

SUCTION
HOT LIQUID IN

N.C.

SUBCOOLED LIQUID OUT

TEMPERATURE
TRANSDUCER

T

TEMPERATURE
CONTROLLER

SOLENOID VALVE GLOBE VALVE PRV VALVE

ANGLE VALVE STRAINER T TEMPERATURE GAUGE

Toinsureeffectiveliquidsubcooling,besuretoobservethefollowingrules:
1. Sizepipingandvalvesforthemaximumrefrigerantflowconditionanticipated,i.e.
lowestheadpressure/highestsuctionpressure.Thisconditiontypicallyoccursduring
wintermonths.
2. Alwaysinsulateliquidlinestopreventheatgainandlossofsubcooling.
3. Locatesubcoolerheatexchangerdownstreamofthereceiverattheentrancetothe
liquidline,NOTbetweenthecondenserandreceiver.SeeP&IDexamplesabove.
4. Usegoodpipingpractice,ascanbefoundintheIIARAmmoniaRefrigerationPiping
Handbook(IIAR2004).

MechanicalSubcoolerSelection:

ColmacofferspreengineeredMechanicalSubcoolerswhicharefactorypipedandpackaged
inafreestandingframe,andincludethefollowingcomponents:
Stainlesssteelplatetypesubcoolingheatexchanger
Electronicexpansionvalveandtemperaturecontroller
Service(isolation)valves
Pressurereducingvalveforcontrolledleavingliquidlinepressure
ULlistedandwiredcontrolpanel

SeeseparateEngineeringBulletinforsubcoolerselectionandspecificationdetails.

VII. PipingGeneral

1. Cleanliness.Thesmallinternalpassagesfoundinexpansionvalves(andothercontrol
valves)inDXammoniasystemsareparticularlysensitivetofoulingandpluggingwith
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relativelysmallamountsofdirtanddebris.Forthisreason,particularcareneedstobe
takenduringtheinstallationofsystempipingtoinsurecleanlinessandtominimizethe
introductionofweldscaleanddust,andothertypesofdirtanddebris.

2. EvacuationPriortoChargingtheSystemwithAmmonia.BecausetheperformanceofDX
ammoniaevaporatorsisdramaticallyaffectedbyevensmallamountsofwater,itisvery
importanttofollowgoodpressuretestingandevacuationprocedurespriortocharging
thesystemwithammonia.Recommendedevacuationprocedurecanbefoundinthe
separateColmacEngineeringBulletinonthistopic.

VIII. LiquidLines

Industryacceptedmethodsandpracticeforpropersizingandarrangementofliquidlines
canbefoundintheIIARAmmoniaRefrigerationPipingHandbook(IIAR2004).Additionally,
followtheguidelinesexplainedbelow.

1. Designmassflowrate.Liquidlinesmustbesizedappropriatelyforthetypeofline
(condensertoreceiver,receivertoexpansionvalve,etc.)andtheexpectedmaximum
massflowratecondition.Themaximummassflowrateconditionwilloccurwhen
dischargepressureisatitsminimum,suctionpressureisatitsmaximum,and
compressorsarerunningfullyloaded.Typicallythiswouldoccurwithfloatinghead
pressuresystemsduringwintermonths.Designingliquidlinesforthehottestdayofthe
year(commonlytakenasthedesignpoint)willlikelyleadtoundersizedliquidlines
andhigherthanexpectedpressuredropwiththepotentialofformingflashgasinthe
liquidline.
2. Insulation.Insulationofliquidlinesdownstreamoftheliquidsubcoolerbecomes
criticallyimportantinDXammoniasystemstoavoidheatgainandthepotentialfor
developingflashgasintheliquidlineupstreamoftheexpansionvalves.Usegood
qualityinsulationsystemswithadequateinsulationvalueandprotectionagainst
physicalandweatherdamage.
3. TypeofExpansionValve.ThreetypesofexpansionvalvesarecommonlyusedinDX
systems:1)Thermostatic,2)Motorized,and3)PulsewidthModulating.Thermostatic
andmotorizedvalvesmodulateinresponsetotheimposedloadonthecoilandsoliquid
linesshouldbesizedforthemaximumexpecteddesignmassflowrate(seeparagraph
V.1.above).Pulsewidthmodulating(PWM)expansionvalves,ontheotherhand,
alternatebetweenwideopenandfullyclosedataratewhichcorrespondstotheduty
calledforbytheelectroniccontroller.Becausethemassflowrateofrefrigerantwillbe
determinedbythewideopencapacityofthePWMvalve,thelocalliquidlinefromthe
liquidsupplymaintotheindividualevaporatormustbesizedtohandlethemaximum
capacityofthevalve.WhenPWMvalvesareused,theliquidsupplymainlinemustbe
sizedtohandlethiswideopencapacitybyusingadiversityfactorbasedonthe
numberofevaporatorsexpectedtobeoperatingatthesametimedividedbythetotal
numberofevaporators.
4. PressureRegulatingValve.AsshowninFigures13,theliquidlinepressureleavingthe
subcoolerassemblyismaintainedat75psigbyapressureregulatingvalve.When
defrosthotgaspressureisregulatedtomaintain90psig(alsoshowninFigures13)this
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pressuredifferentialallowsdefrostcondensateleavingtheevaporatorsduringdefrost
tobefeddirectlybackintotheliquidlineandsenttootheroperatingevaporators.
5. Pipematerialspecifications.RefertotheIIARAmmoniaRefrigerationPipingHandbook
(IIAR2004)andANSI/IIARStandard22008(IIAR2008)fordetailedpipematerial
specificationrequirementsforammonialiquidpiping.

IX. SuctionLines

Unlikepumpedammoniasystems,nowetsuctionlinesareneededforDXammonia.
Althoughtheyshouldbepitchedandtrappedtoaccommodatetheoccasionalpresenceof
liquid,suctionlinepressuredropshouldbecalculatedtoreflectdryoperation.Refertothe
IIARAmmoniaRefrigerationPipingHandbook(IIAR2004)forpropersizingandarrangement
ofdrysuctionlines.Additionally,followtheguidelinesexplainedbelow.

1. Designmassflowrate.Aswithliquidlines,drysuctionlinesshouldbesizedforthe
expectedmaximummassflowratecondition.Again,themaximummassflowrate
conditionwilloccurwhendischargepressureisatitsminimum,suctionpressureisatits
maximum,andcompressorsarerunningfullyloaded.
2. Trappedverticalrisers.Suctionlineswithverticalupflow(suctionrisers)mustbe
installedwithaptrapatthebottom(entrance)oftheriseranddischargeintothetopof
theoverheadsuctionmainpipe.Whenvaryingloadsontheevaporatorareexpected,a
doubleriserdesignshouldbeused.RefertotheIIARAmmoniaRefrigerationPiping
Handbook(IIAR2004)forexamplesofdoublesuctionriserdesigns.
3. Pitchedsuctionlines.Suctionlinesmustbepitchedaminimumof1/8perfoottoward
thesuctionaccumulatortofacilitategooddrainageofanyliquidrefrigerantand/oroil
thatentersthesuctionline.
4. Pipematerialspecifications.Particularattentionmustbepaidtocarbonsteelpipe
materialspecificationsinlowtemperature(suctiontemperaturesbelow20degF),
whichmayrequireimpacttesting.RefertotheIIARAmmoniaRefrigerationPiping
Handbook(IIAR2004)andANSI/IIARStandard2(IIAR2008)fordetailedpipematerial
specificationsandrequirements.

X. HotGasLines

Industryacceptedmethodsandpracticeforpropersizingandarrangementofhotgaslines
canbefoundintheIIARAmmoniaRefrigerationPipingHandbook(IIAR2004).Additionally,
followtheguidelinesexplainedbelow.

1. Designmassflowrate.Hotgas(defrost)linesshouldbesizedforthemassflowrate
correspondingtothemaximumnumberandsizeofevaporatorsexpectedtodefrostat
thesametime.Conventionalwisdommaintainsthateachindividualevaporatorrequires
aflowofhotgasequalto2xtimestheflowrequiredduringcooling,andsothiswould
limitthenumberofevaporatorsbeingdefrostedatthesametimetoamaximumof1/3
thetotalnumberofevaporatorsinthefacility(thetwotoonerule).However,
evaporatorsequippedwithColmacSmartHotGascontrolscaneffectivelydefrostan
evaporatorwithhotgasflowingtotheevaporatorforonly8to10minutes.Withan
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effectivebuildingmanagementcontrolsystem,anddependingonthefrostloadand
frequencyofdefrosting,itispossibletolimittheamountofdefrosthotgasflowingat
anygiventimetoonlythatrequiredforthelargestsingleevaporatorinthefacility.This
approachobviouslyhasthepotentialtoreducethehotgaslineandPRVsizeandcost.
Expectedmassflowrateofhotgasfordefrostofagivensizedevaporatorcanbe
calculatedusingthemethoddescribedbelowintheHotGasDefrostsection.
2. Insulation.Insulationofhotgaslinesiscriticallyimportanttoinsurefastdefrosting.Use
goodqualityinsulationsystemswithadequateinsulationvalueandprotectionagainst
physicalandweatherdamage.
3. PressureRegulatingValve.AsshowninFigures13,thehotgaslinecomingfromthe
compressordischargelineismaintainedat90psigbyapressureregulatingvalve.When
defrosthotgaspressureisregulatedtomaintain90psigandtheliquidlineis
maintainedat75psig(alsoshowninFigures13)thispressuredifferentialallowsdefrost
condensateleavingtheevaporatorsduringdefrosttobefeddirectlybackintotheliquid
lineandsenttootheroperatingevaporators.Maintainingthehotgaslinepressureat
thereduced90psigalsominimizesheatlosstothesurroundingambient.
4. Pitchedhotgaslinesanddriplegs.Hotgaslinesmustbepitchedaminimumof1/8per
foottowardtheevaporatorstofacilitategooddrainageofanycondensedrefrigerant
(condensate)todriplegsinstalledaheadoftheevaporatorcontrolvalvegroup(s).
5. Liquiddrainers.Ashotgasfordefrosttravelsfromtheengineroomtotheevaporators
someofitsenergywillbereleasedtoheatupthepipingitself,andsomereleaseddue
toheatlossthroughinsulation.Condensatewillthereforeforminthehotgaspiping
whichmustthenbeeffectivelytrappedanddrainedbeforeitreachestheevaporators.
Unlessitiseffectivelyremoved,accumulatingcondensedliquidupstreamofhotgas
solenoidvalveswillcausecavitationontheseatsofthesolenoidvalveswhenthevalve
isclosed(Jensen2013).Condensatewillcollectindriplegs(describedabove)andmust
bereturnedtoeitheranearbysuctionline,oracondensatereturnline.Usealiquid
draineroranappropriatelysizedsteamtraptoallowonlyliquidtoleavethedripleg.
Usingliquiddrainersalsoeffectivelykeepshotgaslinescontinuallyheatedandreadyto
supplyfullflowofhotgastoevaporatorsimmediatelyondemandfordefrosting.
6. Pipematerialspecifications.RefertotheIIARAmmoniaRefrigerationPipingHandbook
(IIAR2004)andANSI/IIARStandard22008(IIAR2008)fordetailedpipematerial
specificationrequirementsforammoniahotgaspiping.

XI. EffectsofWaterinAmmoniaandItsRemoval

Asexplainedindetailelsewhere(Nelson2010),thepresenceofevensmallamountsof
waterinammoniahasasignificantnegativeeffectonDXevaporatorperformance.
Unfortunately,waterisdifficulttoentirelykeepoutofindustrialammoniarefrigeration
systemsforanumberofreasons:Residualwaterinpressurevesselsleftfromhydrotesting,
incompleteevacuationofthesystempriortostartup,leaksinpartsofthesystemwhich
normallyoperateinavacuum,etc.

Thisresidualwatergoesintosolutionwiththeammoniaandincreasesandtheboilingpoint
(bubblepoint)temperature.Ataconcentrationof20%(bymass)waterinammonia,the
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boilingpointrisestoapproximately10degFabovetheboilingpointofpureammoniaatthe
samepressure.SeeFigure13below.

Astheammoniawaterliquidenterstheevaporatorcircuititbeginstoboil.Becauseofthe
largedifferenceinvaporpressuresofammoniaandwater,onlyammoniavaporis
generatedduringtheevaporationprocess,leavingthewaterbehindintheremainingliquid.
Sotheevaporationprocessresultsinanincreaseinwaterconcentrationanda
correspondingincreaseintheboilingpointoftherefrigerantasitpassesthroughthecoil
circuit.Inthecaseofanevaporatoroperatingwitha10degFTD,therefrigerantwillstop
boilingoncethewaterconcentrationreachesabout20%sincetheboilingpointwillhave
risenby10degF.Thiscessationofboilingwilloccuratsomepointalongthelengthofthe
evaporatorcircuit,thepointatwhichboilingstopsdependingontheinitialconcentrationof
waterandsuctionpressure.Atthepointwheretheincreaseinthewaterconcentrationhas
causedanincreaseintheboilingpointequaltothecoilTD,liquidrefrigerantwillexitthe
evaporatorandenterthesuctionline.

Figure13belowshowstheincreaseinboilingpoint(bubblepoint)forvariousinitialwater
concentrationinammoniaatvariouspressures.

FIGURE13

IncreaseinBubblePointTemperaturevsComposition
AmmoniaWater
40

35
48.2 psia(3.3bar)
30.4psia(2.1bar)

IncreaseinBubblePointTemperature,F
30 18.3psia(1.3bar)
10.4psia(0.7bar)
25

20

15

10

5

0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5
Composition(MassFractionWater)

Anexampleoftheincreaseinbubblepointtemperatureoverthecircuitlengthofan
evaporator,representedbythechangeinvaporquality,isshowninFigure14belowforan
initialwaterconcentrationinammoniaof3%atapressureof10.4psia(40degFSST).In
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thisexamplethebubblepoint(Tbub)hasincreasedby10degFatavaporqualityofapprox.
0.89.
FIGURE14

Incr in Bubble Point vs NH3 Vap Quality, 3.00% Water in NH3,
Tsat = -40.0F

50
45

40

35

Increase in Tbub, F
30

25
20

15
10

5

0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1

NH3 Vapor Mass Fraction (Quality)

Thisincreaseinbubblepointsignificantlyreducesthemeantemperaturedifferenceand
thereforethecoolingcapacityoftheevaporatorisreducedasillustratedinFigure15.

FIGURE15

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Inadditiontotheperformancepenaltyseenwhenrelativelysmallamountsofwaterare
presentintheammonia,thisalsomeansthatthemassfraction(10.89)=0.11,or11%of
themassofrefrigerantexitingtheevaporatorasliquidwillhavetobecaptureddownstream
inthesuctionaccumulator.

Knowingthatammoniawaterliquidofapproximately20%waterconcentrationwill
unavoidablyleavetheevaporatorswheneverevensmallamountsofwaterarepresentin
theammoniaisimportantforthedesignertounderstand.Thesuctionaccumulatormust
thereforebeproperlydesignedtoperformthefollowingfunctions:

i. Separateliquidandvaporrefrigerantandallowonlyvaportoreturntothe
compressor,
ii. Captureanddistill(byheating)ammoniawaterliquidtoaconcentrationthat
cansafelyberemovedfromthesystemfordisposal.
iii. Transferexcesstrappedliquidtothehighpressurereceiver,orintothereduced
pressureliquidline.

1. Separation

Liquidvaporseparationinsuctionaccumulatorvesselsiswellunderstoodanddesign
methodswelldocumented.Refertorecognizedpublishedsizinganddesignmethods
(Stoecker1988,Wiencke2002).

Colmacoffersarangeofpreengineeredfactoryassembledsuctionaccumulator
packagesspecificallysuitedtooperationwithDXammonia.SeeseparateEngineering
Bulletinforselectionandspecificationdetails.

2. DistillationandDisposalofAmmoniaWaterSolution(AmmoniumHydroxide)

Distillation:

AmmoniaishighlysolubleinwaterduetothepolarityofNH3moleculesandtheir
abilitytoformverystronghydrogenbonds(Nelson2010).Thishighsolubilitymakes
ammoniawateragoodworkingfluidpairinabsorptionrefrigerationmachines,taking
advantageofthelargevaporpressuredifferencesbetweentheammoniavaporand
weaksolution.However,thissamebehaviormakeswaterremovalfromammonia
refrigerationsystemssomewhatchallenging.

Asmentionedabove,ammoniawatersolutionconcentratedtoapproximately20%
waterwillreturnfromevaporatorsviathesuctionlinetobetrappedinthesuction
accumulator.Thisaqueousammoniasolution,calledAmmoniumHydroxide,ata
concentrationof80%ammonia(20%water)wouldbeverydifficulttosafelyremove
fromthesystemfordisposal.Furtherdistillationofthesolutionisneededtobringthe
ammoniaconcentrationinthesolutiondowntothepracticalminimumbeforeitis
removed.
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TheonlypracticalwaytodistilltheAmmoniumHydroxideisbyheatinginaseparate
distillationvessel,calledastill.AmmoniumHydroxidetrappedinthesuction
accumulatordrainsbygravityintothestillwhereitisheatedtoatemperature
correspondingtothepointonaPhaseEquilibriumdiagramwheretheslopeofthedew
pointlinechangesrapidlyfromnearlyverticaltomorenearlyflat.Thispointisshownon
Figure16asPointA.Belowthistemperature(between100and120degF),nearlypure
ammoniavaporwillleavethestillandtravelthroughtheventlinebacktothesuction
accumulatorwhereitwillthenbetakenbacktothecompressor.Abovethis
temperature,watervaporwillbegintoleavetheAmmoniumHydroxidesolutionand
exitthestillventlinewhereitwillgobackintosolutionwithanyammonialiquid
presentinthesuctionaccumulator.Basedonthis,theheatingelementinthestillmust
becontrolledtobringthesolutiontemperatureuptoamaximumof100to120degF,
atwhichpointitisreadytoberemovedsafelytoastoragecontainerforfurther
processingand/ordisposal.

FIGURE16

Figure16alsoshowsthatthemaximumwaterconcentrationintheAmmonium
Hydroxidesolutionheatedto100degFvarieswithsuctionpressure.Themaximum
waterconcentrationspossibleareshownasPointsB,C,D,andE,inFigure16,andare
listedinTable7below.Itisapparentfromthefigureandthetablethatthestillisableto
achievehigherwaterconcentrationsatlowersuctionpressures.
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TABLE7
AMMONIAWATERCONCENTRATIONS@100degFvsSUCTIONPRESSURE
SuctionPressure,psia WaterConcentration, AmmoniaConcentration,
(SaturationTemp,F) %bymass %bymass
48.2(+20F) 57.5 42.5
30.4(0F) 65.0 35.0
18.3(20F) 72.5 27.5
10.4(40F) 80.0 20.0

Usingtheaboveinformation,anestimatecannowbemadeofthevolumeof
AmmoniumHydroxidesolutionthatwillbegeneratedbythestillforagivensystem
ammoniachargehavingagiveninitialwatercontent.Table8belowshowsthe
expectedvolumeofAmmoniumHydroxidesolutionperpoundofinitialammonia
chargethatwillhavetoberemovedbythestill(anddisposedof)inorderto
completelyremovethewaterfromrefrigerationsystem.

TABLE8
EXPECTEDVOLUMEOFDISTILLEDSOLUTIONAMMONIUMHYDROXIDE@100F
(GALLONSperPOUNDINITIALAMMONIACHARGE)

InitialWater SaturatedSuctionPressure,psia(SaturatedTemp,F)
Content,% 48.2(+20F) 30.4(0F) 18.3(20F) 10.4(40F)
0 0.00000 0.00000 0.00000 0.00000
1 0.00246 0.00211 0.00183 0.00161
3 0.00738 0.00633 0.00550 0.00484

5 0.01230 0.01055 0.00917 0.00807

10 0.02460 0.02109 0.01835 0.01614

20 0.04920 0.04218 0.03669 0.03229

EXAMPLE:
Asystemhasaninitialammoniachargeof5,000lbswith3%watercontent.Thestill
isinstalledonthe20degFsuctionaccumulator.Whatwillbethetotalvolumeof
distilledAmmoniumHydroxidesolutiondrainedfromthestill?

Answer:
FinalDistilledSolutionAmmoniaConcentrationforDisposal(fromTable7):27.5%
ExpectedVolumeofDistilledSolutionperPound(fromTable4):0.0055gal/lbs

TotalExpectedVolumeof27.5%AmmoniumHydroxideforDisposal:
5,000lbsx0.0055gal/lbs=27.5gallons

StorageandDisposal:

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AmmoniumHydroxideislistedasahazardoussubstanceunderCWA(40CFR
1164.40CFR117.3ReportableQuantityCategoryC.1000lbs/454kg).Assuch,itis
importanttocomplywithalllocalandnationalregulationsforsafehandlingand
disposalofthesolutionremovedfromthesystemstill(Smith2010).

ItisinterestingtonotethatsuitablydilutedAmmoniumHydroxidemaybedisposed
ofonagriculturallandasfertilizer.However,thematerialshouldbekeptfrom
enteringstreamsandlakesasitisharmfultoaquaticlifeandcancause
environmentaldamage.

AmmoniumHydroxidewillreactexothermically(heatisgenerated)withacids,and
soneutralizingofthesolutionbyunqualifiedpersonnelisnotrecommended.

ItisimportanttopreventcontactoftheAmmoniumHydroxidesolutionwith
chemicalssuchasmercury,chlorine,iodine,bromine,silveroxide,and
hypochlorites,astheycanformexplosivecompounds.Contactwithchlorineforms
chloraminegaswhichisaprimaryskinirritantandsensitizer.

Figure16incombinationwithTable7canbeusedtopredictthetemperatureabove
whichammoniavaporwillbegeneratedwhenthedistilledsolutionisstoredinan
opencontainer.Thisvaporneutraltemperatureisfoundusingtheammonia
concentrationsshowninTable7forvarioussuctionpressures,intersectingalineof
constantbubblepointtemperature(Tbub)atatmosphericpressure(14.7psia)on
Figure16.Table9belowshowstheambient(storage)temperaturesbelowwhich
ammoniavaporwillnotbegeneratedfromtheAmmoniumHydroxidesolution
dischargedfromthestill.

TABLE9
RECOMMENDEDMAXIMUMAMMONIUMHYDROXIDESTORAGETEMPERATURES
SuctionPressure,psia AmmoniaConcentration, StorageTemperature,
(SuctionTemp,F) %bymass DegF
48.2(+20F) 42.5 42
30.4(0F) 35.0 64
18.3(20F) 27.5 90
10.4(40F) 20.0 108

AmmoniumHydroxidesolutionhasacorrosivereactionwiththefollowingmaterials
whichshouldnotbeusedtostorethedistilledAmmoniumHydroxidesolution
(LaRocheIndustries1987):
x Galvanized(zinccoated)surfaces
x Copper
x Brassandbronzealloys
x Certaintypesofelastomers

ThedistilledAmmoniumHydroxidesolutioncanbesafelystoredincontainersmade
ofthefollowingmaterials:
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x Carbonsteel
x Stainlesssteel
x Aluminum
x CastIron

Generallyspeaking,aluminumalloysarenotrecommendedforexposuretoaqueous
solutionshavingapHgreaterthan9.0duetoacceleratedcorrosionandmetalloss.
AmmoniumHydroxidehowever,eveninhighconcentrations,isanexceptiontothis
rule.(Davis1999).

Inconclusion,AmmoniumHydroxidesolutioncollectedfromthestillshouldbestored
inanappropriatelyconstructedcontainerlocatedinacoolspaceoutofdirect
sunlight.Itisrecommendedthatthedistilledsolutionbedisposedofusingalocal
qualifiedwastedisposalvendor.

MoredetailedhandlingandsafetyinformationcanbefoundonMSDSsheets
publishedbysuppliersofAmmoniumHydroxide(TannerIndustries2000,LaRoche
Industries1998).

3. LiquidTransfer

Theanticipatedvolumeofammoniawaterliquidleavingtheevaporator(s)basedon
anaverage20%waterconcentrationattheevaporatorexithasbeencalculatedand
showninTable10below.Multiplythevalueshowninthetablebythetotalcapacity
ofthesystemintons(TR)todeterminethevolumeofammoniawaterliquid
returningtothesuctionaccumulator.

TABLE10
VolumeofAmmoniaWaterLiquidLeavingDXEvaporators

InitialWaterContentin VolumetricFlowrateofAmmoniaWater
Ammonia,% (20%waterconcentration)LeavingDX
Evaporators,ft3/h/TR
0.5 0.01
1.0 0.02
3.0 0.07
5.0 0.12
10.0 0.24

Example:
Ithasbeendeterminedthattheammoniachargeina500ton(TR)ammoniasystem
hasawatercontentof3%.Iftheevaporatorsareoperatedasdirectexpansion(DX),
howmuchammoniawaterliquidisexpectedtoreturnfromtheevaporatorstothe
suctionaccumulator?
Answer:
500TRx0.07ft3/h/TR=35ft3/h=4.4gal/min
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Thisvolumeofliquidreturningtothesuctionaccumulatorduetowaterinthe
ammonia(atleastinitially)mustbeaddedtothevolumeofliquidrefrigerant
floodbacknormallyconsideredwhendesigningthesuctionaccumulatortransfer
vessel.

AliquidtransfervesselisincorporatedintotheColmacPreEngineeredSuction
AccumulatorSkidpackage(seeseparateEngineeringBulletin).Thetransfervesselis
designedtohandleupto5%initialwatercontentinthesystemammoniacharge.
NotethatIndustrialRefrigerationgradeanhydrousammoniaiscertifiedtobe
99.95%pureammonia.

XII. EffectsofOilonEvaporatorPerformanceandOilSeparation

ImmisciblelubricantsarerecommendedovermisciblelubricantsforlargeindustrialDX
ammoniarefrigerationsystemsforanumberofreasons:
o Lowercost
o Easeofseparation
o Relativeinsensitivitytocontaminants(water,dirt)

Therefore,immiscibleoilispreferredovermiscible,however,DXevaporator
performanceisseverelypenalizedifimmiscibleoilisallowedtoreachevaporatorsand
coatinternaltubesurfaces.Evenathinlayerofoildepositedonevaporatortubeswill
resultinarelativelylargefoulingfactorasshowninFigure17below.

FIGURE17

InsideFoulingFactorvsOilFilmThickness
0.006

0.005
InsideFoulingFactor,ft2Rh/Btu

0.004

0.003

0.002

0.001

0
0 0.001 0.002 0.003 0.004 0.005
OilFilmThickness,inches

InatypicalDXammoniaevaporator,thisfoulingfactorcausesasignificantreductionin
coolingcapacityasisshownbelowinFigure18.
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FIGURE18

CapacityReductionvsOilFilmThickness
AmmoniaEvaporator,15FSST,5FAirOn
1

0.95

CapacityReductionRatio
0.9

0.85

0.8

0.75
0 0.0005 0.001 0.0015 0.002 0.0025 0.003 0.0035 0.004
OilFilmThickness,inches

ItisapparentfromFigures17and18abovethatitishighlydesirablefromanenergy
efficiencystandpointtopreventcompressorlubricatingoilfromreachingtheevaporators.
Toachievethis,thefollowingshouldbecarefullyconsideredandspecifiedinthesystem
design:

a. Typeofcompressorlubricatingoil
b. Compressoroilseparatordesignandefficiency
c. Oilcaptureinthesystemreceiverandaccumulator(s)
d. Oilcaptureattheevaporator

TypeofOil:

Dependingonthetypeofcompressorused(reciprocatingorrotaryscrew),varyingamounts
oflubricatingoilwillunavoidablybedischargedwiththeammoniavapor.Oilwillleavethe
compressorbothinliquiddropletformandasoilvapor.Theliquiddropletscanbecaptured
mechanicallyintheoilseparatorvesselbycontrollingvelocityandbyincorporating
coalescingelements.Theoilwhichiscombinedwiththeammoniainvaporformismore
difficulttocapture.Generallyspeaking,asvolatilityandsolubilityoftheoilincrease,
separationbecomesmoredifficult.Theamountofoilwhichisnotcapturedintheseparator
andreturnedtothecompressorisreferredtoasoilcarryover.

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Alllubricatingoilsusedintheammoniarefrigerationindustryareblendsofabasefluid(s)
withadditives(Wierbosch2010).Thebasefluidcontrolsvolatilityandsolubiltyoftheoil.
Today,commonlyusedbasefluidsinclude:
Napthenic
SolventRefinedParaffinic
AlkylBenzene
2StageHydrocracked
PAO/AB

Thearomaticcontentofthebasefluidhasalargeeffectonvaporpressure(volatility)and
solubility.Thehigherthevaporpressureoftheoil,themoreoilvaporwillleavethe
compressorwiththeammoniainthedischargegas(Briley1984).Sincethisoilvaporis
difficulttocaptureintheseparator,itisdesirabletoselectanoilwhichhasthelowestvapor
pressurepossible.AlkylBenzeneandNaphthenicbaseshavethehighestaromaticcontent,
vaporpressure,andsolubility.2StageHydrocrackedbaseshavelowestaromaticcontent,
vaporpressure,andthelowestsolubility.

Itisthereforerecommendedthatammoniarefrigerationoilhavinga2StageHydrocracked
basefluidbeusedintheDXammoniacompressionsystemdesign.2StageHydrocracked
mineraloilmanufacturedbyCPI(CPI100868)isrecommendedforapplicationin
reciprocatingandscrewtypeammoniacompressorsfortemperaturesabove40.

Anotherfactoraffectingoilvaporpressureistheoiltemperature.Thehighertheoil
temperature,thehigherthevaporpressure.Reducingthedischargegas(andoilvapor)
temperaturebeforeitenterstheseparatorwillthereforereduceoveralloilcarryoverand
increasetheefficiencyoftheseparator.Forexample,desuperheatingthedischargegas
from80degCto35degCreducestheoilvaporpressure,andthereforecarryoverofoil
vapor,byapproximately85%(Wiencke2012).

OilSeparator;

ForsuccessfulDXammoniasystemoperation,anoilseparatorwithcoalescingelements
capableofguaranteeing57ppmcarryovershouldbespecifiedandinstalled.

Forreasonsmentionedabove,itisalsorecommendedthatthedischargegasbe
desuperheatedasmuchaspracticalpriortoenteringtheoilseparator.

NOTE:MeshPadoilseparatorsasfoundonolderscrewcompressorpackagesand
reciprocatingcompressorswillnothavetherequiredseparationefficiencyandarenot
recommended!

OilCaptureattheEvaporator:

Evenwhen2StageHydrocrackedoilisusedwithahighlyefficientoilseparator,itispossible
forsomeverysmallamountofoiltoreachtheentrancetotheevaporators.

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Toseparateandcapturethisoilbeforeitreachestheevaporator,Colmachasdesigneda
proprietaryDXammoniadistributor.TheColmacTankDistributor(patentpending)
incorporatesadroplegintothebodyofthedistributortankwhichservestocollectoiland
debriswhereitcanbeperiodicallydrainedandremovedfromthesystemattheevaporator.

Figure19belowshowsacrosssectionoftheColmacTankDistributorwithitsintegraldrop
legfeatureforcapturingandremovingoil.

FIGURE19
COLMACTANKDISTRIBUTOR(CROSSSECTION)

OilCapturefromtheSystem:

Colmacpreengineeredsuctionaccumulatorandintercoolervesselskidpackagesincludean
integraloilpotforcollectionandperiodicremovalofoil.

Itisalsorecommendedthathighpressurereceiversbedesignedwithanoilsumpanddip
tubeforcollectionandperiodicremovalofoil.

XIII. EstimatingDXEvaporatorRefrigerantChargeInventory

Inordertoproperlysizethevolumeofthesystemvessels(highpressurereceiverand
lowpressureaccumulator),anestimateoftherefrigerantchargeheldinthe
evaporatorsmustbemade.Designersnormallycalculatetheevaporatorchargeasa
percentageoftheevaporatorinternalvolumetimestheliquiddensityofammonia.

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OneofthemainadvantagesofDXoperationisthesignificantlyreducedevaporator
ammoniachargecomparedtopumpedammonia.Manysystemdesignersestimate
evaporatorchargeforbottomfeedpumpedammoniaevaporatorstobeasmuchas
80%oftheinternalvolumetimestheliquiddensitytoaccountforlowloadandidle
conditions.DXammoniaevaporatorchargecanbeestimatedusingtwophasevoid
fractionequations.Table11belowshowsDXammoniaevaporatorchargeasa
percentageofinternalvolume.

TABLE11
COLMACDXAMMONIACHARGEINVENTORY
SuctionPressure,psia ColmacDXAmmonia
(SaturationTemp,F) EvaporatorChargeInventory,
lbs/ft3ofInternalVolume
48.2(+20F) 1.01
30.4(0F) 0.83
18.3(20F) 0.63
10.4(40F) 0.52

Thissignificantlyreducedsystemchargenotonlyreducestherequiredsizeofthe
receiver(and/orothersystemvessels),italsogreatlyreducespumpouttimeforthe
evaporatorspriortodefrosting.Thisservestoshortentotaldefrosttimeandincrease
theeffectivenessofhotgasdefrosting,reducingenergyconsumptionandoperating
costs.

EXAMPLE:
AColmacDXammoniaevaporatoroperatingatasuctiontemperatureof20degFhas
aninternalvolumeof12ft3.WhatistheexpectedDXammoniaoperatingcharge?What
wouldtheoperatingchargebeforpumpedammoniaoperationusingthe80%rule?

Answer:
ColmacDXammoniacharge=12ft3x0.63=7.6lbs
Pumpedammoniacharge=12ft3x0.8x42.2lbs/ft3=405lbs

XIV. ColmacSmartHotGasDefrost

Theenergyefficiencyofhotgasdefrostingevaporatorsdependsonthefollowing
(Nelson2011(1)):

1. Minimizingconvectiveheatloss.
Uselowestpracticaldefrostregulatorsetting.75to90psig(50to60F)
shouldbeadequate.Note:Ifhigherpressuresareneeded,lookfor
problemselsewhere.
2. Shortendefrostduration.
UsetopfeedorDX(directexpansion)evaporatorfeedtoreducetime
requiredforpumpout.
Openthehotgassolenoidonlylongenoughtoclearcoil(68minutes).
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Installaseparatehotgassolenoidanddefrostregulatorforpreand
postheatingofthepanloop.Alternately,installelectricresistance
drainpanheating.
3. Reducethenumberofdefrostsperday.
Reducethenumberofdefrostsperdaytomatchthefrostload.
Chooseevaporatorswithwidefinspacing(3fpiinsteadof4fpi)to
maximizefrostcarryingcapacity.
Mitigateinfiltrationofhumidairintotherefrigeratedspaceby:
x Properdesignandoperationofdoorways,and
x Keeploadingdocksatthelowestpracticaldewpoint
temperature.

CalculatingtheCostofDefrost

Asmentionedabovedefrostefficiencycanbesignificantlyimprovedbyreducingthe
amountofenergylosttotheroombyconvectionduringdefrost.Theoperatingcost
savingsduetoareductionindefrostdurationhasbeencalculatedandpresentedbelow
basedon:

1. Reducingdefrostdurationfrom30minutesto10minutes,and
2. Increasingfrostthicknessfrom1mmto2mm(reducingthenumberofdefrosts
perdaybyhalf).

Thecalculationsassume:

Evaporatorcapacity:100TR
Compressorruntime:16h/day
CostofElectricity:$0.10/kWh

Table12showscalculatedcostsavingsforfourdifferentroomtemperatures.

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TABLE12
CALCULATEDCOSTSAVINGS($/y/100TR)FOROPTIMIZEDVSCONVENTIONALDEFROST

Room Temp, C (F)
0 (+32) -18 (0) -23 (-10) -34 (-30)
SHR 0.66 0.89 0.93 0.97
System COP: 3.2 2.5 2.2 2

Frost Removed, kg/day: 2,778 899 572 245
Frost Removed, kg/y: 1,014,096 328,090 208,784 89,479
I. Baseline (30 min, 1 mm)
Defrost Efficiency, % 32% 18% 17% 14%
Defrost Convective Losses, %: 46% 61% 63% 65%
Defrost Convective Losses, kWh/y: 1,012,438 753,334 545,922 283,071
Baseline Cost of Defrost (Convective), $/y: $31,639 $30,133 $24,815 $14,154
II. Optimized (10 min, 2 mm)

Defrost Efficiency, % 61% 46% 43% 40%
Defrost Convective Losses, %: 15% 26% 27% 30%
Defrost Convective Losses, kWh/y: 168,740 125,556 90,987 47,178
Optimized Cost of Defrost (Convective), $/y: $5,273 $5,022 $4,136 $2,359
SmartHotGasDefrostPiping
Savings
Optimized vs Baseline, $/y: $26,366 $25,111 $20,679
$11,795

Conventionalammoniaevaporatorsaretypicallyarrangedforbottomfeedwiththehot
gaspanlooppipedinserieswiththecoil.TheColmacSmartHotGasDefrostsystem
(Nelson2011(2))resultsinthehighestpossibledefrostefficiencyandlowestoperating
costbyutilizingtopfeedDXcircuitingwiththehotgaspanlooppipedseparatelyfrom
thecoil.Thisresultsin:

Pumpoutperiodshortenedto5minutes
Defrostduration(timecoilhotgassolenoidisopen)ofonly68minutes

ColmacSmartHotGasDefrostcontrolvalvegroupsareshowninFigures20and21
below.

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FIGURE20
COLMACDXSMARTHOTGASDEFROSTCONTROLVALVEGROUP
HIGHPRESSURELIQUID(HPL)FEED

DC

GLOBE VALVE ANGLE VALVE

SOLENOID VALVE ELECTRONIC EXPANSION VALVE

STRAINER HAND EXPANSION VALVE

SUCTION STOP VALVE CHECK VALVE

TANK DISTRIBUTOR AUTO VENT

SIGHT GLASS

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FIGURE21
COLMACDXSMARTHOTGASDEFROSTCONTROLVALVEGROUP
INTERMEDIATEPRESSURELIQUID(FROMINTERCOOLER)FEED

DC

GLOBE VALVE ANGLE VALVE CHECK VALVE

SOLENOID VALVE ELECTRONIC EXPANSION VALVE SIGHT GLASS

STRAINER HAND EXPANSION VALVE PRV VALVE

SUCTION STOP VALVE TANK DISTRIBUTOR

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Withaconventionalbottomfeedandhotgasdefrostpipingarrangement,hotgasisfirst
sentthroughthedrainpanloopandtheninseriesthroughthecoilblock.Thiscommonly
usedarrangementiseffectiveandsimple,however,itrequiresthatthehotgassolenoid
remainsopentokeepthedrainpanheatedlongenoughforallwatertocompletely
drainandexitthroughthedrainpiping.Convectiveheatlosstotheroomcontinuesafter
thecoilisclearoffrostwhilethepanisdraining.

Amoreefficientarrangementistocontrolhotgastothecoilblockandtothedrainpan
loopseparatelythroughtwoseparatelytimedhotgassolenoidvalves.Thisarrangement
shortenstheamountoftimehotgasisflowingthroughthecoilblock,minimizingthe
convectiveheatlossandmaximizingdefrostefficiency.

AproperlysizedcontrolvalvegroupfortheColmacSmartHotGasDefrostpiping
arrangementislessexpensivethanaconventionalbottomfeedhotgasdefrostpiping
arrangementwithdefrostregulator.

ColmacDXSmartHotGasDefrostSequenceofOperation

1. Defrostisinitiated.
2. LiquidLineSolenoid(LLS)closes
3. Briefpumpoutperiod(5minutes)
4. Fan(s)stop
5. Panloopsolenoidenergizedfortimedpanpreheat(23minutes)
6. Coilhotgassolenoidandpilotsolenoid(closessuctionstopvalve)open
7. Timeddefrost(68minutes)
8. Coilhotgassolenoidcloses
9. Aftercoilpressureisequalizedtosuctionpressure(35minutes),SuctionStop
Valveopens
10. OpenLLS
11. Panloopsolenoiddeenergized
12. After5minutecooldowndelayfansrestart

DiversityandDefrostTiming

Aswithallhotgasdefrostsystems,thetwotoonerulemustbeobservedinthe
executionofdefrosts.Thatis,aminimumoftwoevaporatorsinthesametemperature
zonemustberunning(liquidlinesolenoidsopen)atthesametimeoneevaporatoris
defrosting.Thisstrategyisneededtoprovideenoughloadtobalanceevaporatingto
condensing(defrosting)capacityintherefrigerationsystem.

HotGasFlowrateandValveSelection

Colmacprovidestoitsrepresentativesandselectedcustomersacalculationtoolfor
estimatinghotgasflowrategivenoperatingtemperaturesandevaporatordimensional
data.
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ThecompleteColmacDXSmartHotGasDefrostevaporatorcontrolvalveisalsooffered
fromColmacasakitorfactorymountedontheevaporator.

XV. DefrostWaterVolumeandDrainLineSizing

Followingisasimplemethodtocalculatetheamountofmoistureremovedbytheair
coolersfromairintherefrigeratedspacesinordertodetermine:

A) Totalseweragerequirementsforthefacility,and
B) Properdrainpipingsizestohandlepeakflowratesduringdefrost.

Thissectionwillpresenttwosimplecalculationmethodsfordeterminingthese
importantdesignparameters(Nelson2008).

DeterminingTotalVolumeofMoistureRemoved:

Inordertoestimatethevolumeofwatergeneratedfromdefrosting(orwetfin)air
coolers,thehoursperdaythecooler(s)operatealongwiththeSensibleHeatRatio
(SHR)mustbeknown.Assumingaroomrelativehumidityof90%,theSHRforanair
cooleroperatingatvarioustemperatureswillbeasshowninTable13below:

Table13
SHRfor90%rhAiratVariousTemperatures

RoomTemp,F AirSHR
45 0.59
32 0.70
10 0.85
10 0.93
30 0.98

Theamountofmoistureaccumulatedonthesurfacesoftheaircooler(s)thatwillbedrained
ascondensedwaterinhightemproomsorasmeltedfrostinmediumandlowtemprooms,
canbeestimatedusingthefollowingformula:

Gal / day 1.35t 1 SHRQ (8)

where:
t=OperatingTime,hours/day
SHR=AirSensibleHeatRatio
Q=SystemCoolingCapacity,tons(note:1ton=12,000Btuh)
1.35(constant)=12,000Btuh/ton/(8.33lbs/galx1,068Btu/lbs)
8.33lbs/gal=liquiddensityofwater
1,068Btu/lbs=latentheatofvaporizationofwater

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Example1:
RoomTemp:45F
OperatingTime:12hours/day
RoomSHR(fromTable1):0.59
SystemCoolingCapacity:50tons
CondensedWaterVolume=1.35x12x(1.59)x50=332gal/day

Example2:
RoomTemp:10F
OperatingTime:16hours/day
RoomSHR(fromTable1):0.93
SystemCoolingCapacity:100tons
DefrostWaterVolume=1.35x16x(10.93)x100=151gal/day

DeterminingPeakDefrostWaterFlowrate

Todeterminethepeakdefrostwaterflowrateleavingafrostedcoilsurface,firstcalculate
thevolumeofwateryieldedbyacoolingcoilduringdefrostusingthefollowingequation:

1

t fin

S fin
Vdef u Asurf
0.0937 u u H (9)
2

:
where

Vdef
Asurf

S fin
t fin

H

Note:Thisequationassumesfrosthasaveragedensityof150kg/m3(Besant1999),approx.
1/6ththatofliquidwater.

Example1:
TotalSurfaceArea=4,500sqft
FinSpacing=4finsperinch
FinThickness=0.012inches
FractionofFrostBlockage=0.5
VolumeofDefrostWater=0.0937x4,500x(1/40.012)/2x0.5=25gallons
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Inordertothendeterminethepeakflowrate,anestimateofthelengthofdefrosttime
mustbemade.Forhotgasdefrosting,themajorityofdefrostwaterflowstothedrainina
relativelyshortperiodoftime.Toestimatepeakflowrateofdefrostwateranestimated
durationofdefrostof5minutescanreasonablybemade(Stoecker1983).

Tocalculatepeakflowrate,simplydividethevolumeofdefrostwaterbytheestimated
durationofdefrost.Fortheexample:

Estimatedpeakdefrostflowrate=25gal/5min=5gpm

Drainlinescannowbesizedbasedonthecalculatedpeakdefrostflowrate.Themaximum
peakflowrateforafacilitywillbethecombinedflowratesforthemaximumnumberof
coolingcoilsexpectedtodefrostsimultaneously.

Colmacprovidestoitsrepresentativesandselectedcustomersacalculationtoolfor
estimatingdefrostflowrategivenoperatingtemperaturesandevaporatordimensional
data.

SizingSlopingDrainLines

TheAmericanSocietyofPlumbingEngineers(ASPE)publishessizingmethodsforvertical
andslopingdrains(ASPE1999).ThefollowingtableistakenfromtheASPEDataBook
Volume2,page8.

Table14
ApproximateDischargeRatesandVelocitiesinSlopingDrains,n=0.015*

ActualInsideDiameter FullFlowDischargeRateandVelocity
ofPipe,inches Basedoninch/ftSlope
Discharge,gpm Velocity,fps
13/8 3.13 1.34
1 3.91 1.42
15/8 4.81 1.50
2 8.42 1.72
2 15.3 1.99
3 24.8 2.25
4 53.4 2.73
5 96.6 3.16
6 157 3.57
8 340 4.34
10 616 5.04
12 999 5.67

*n=Manningcoefficient,whichvarieswiththeroughnessofthepipe.

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Horizontaldrainlinesmustbepitchedatleastperfoottoinsurepositivedrainage.

Drainlinesrunningthroughfreezingspacesshouldbeactivelyheatedwithheattracecable
andthenwellinsulated.

Drainlinesshouldalsohaveptrapsinstalledjustoutsidetherefrigeratedspacetoprevent
backflowofwarmhumidambientairthroughthedrainlineintotherefrigeratedspace.

XVI. References

Briley,G.C.1984.Lubricant(Oil)Separation.InternationalInstituteofAmmonia
Refrigeration,Alexandria,VA.ProceedingsoftheIIAR1984AnnualMeeting,pp107F131F.

ClelandD.J.,OHaganA.N.2002.PerformanceofanAirCoolingCoilUnderFrosting
Conditions.AmericanSocietyofHeating,RefrigeratingandAirConditioningEngineers.
ASHRAETransactions2002V.109,Pt.1

Cleland,D.J.2012.TheEffectofWaterVapouronFoodRefrigerationSystems.The
InstituteofRefrigeration.London,UK.Proc.Inst.R.201112.5.

Davis,J.R.,1999,CorrosionofAluminumandAluminumAlloys,ASMInternaional,
MaterialsPark,OH.Chap2,pp38.

IIAR2004,AmmoniaRefrigerationPipingHandbook.InternationalInstituteofAmmonia
Refrigeration.Alexandria,VA.

IIAR2008,ANSI/IIAR22008Equipment,Design,andInstallationofClosedCircuitAmmonia
MechanicalRefrigeratingSystems,InternationalInstituteofAmmoniaRefrigeration.
Alexandria,VA.

Jensen,S.2013.Personalcorrespondence.

LaRocheIndustries,1987,AquaAmmoniaInformationManual,LaRocheIndustriesInc.
Concord,NC.

LaRocheIndustries,1998,MaterialSafetyDataSheet#4003(AmmoniumHydroxide),
LaRocheIndustriesInc.Concord,NC.

Nelson,B.I.,2008,DeterminingDefrostWaterVolume.TechnicalBulletin.ColmacCoil
Manufacturing,Inc.Colville,WA.

Nelson,B.I.,2010,ThermodynamicEffectsofWaterinAmmoniaonEvaporator
Performance,InternationalInstituteofAmmoniaRefrigeration,Alexandria,VA.
ProceedingsoftheIIAR2010AnnualMeeting,pp201236.

Page50of52
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Nelson,B.I.,2011,U.S.Patent7,958,738,DirectExpansionAmmoniaRefrigerationSystem
andaMethodofDirectExpansionAmmoniaRefrigeration.

Nelson,B.I.,2011(1),OptimizingHotGasDefrost.TechnicalBulletin.ColmacCoil
Manufacturing,Inc.Colville,WA.

Nelson,B.I.,2011(2),ColmacIntroducesDXAmmoniawithSmartHotGasSHGDefrost.
TechnicalBulletin.ColmacCoilManufacturing,Inc.Colville,WA.

Nelson,B.I.,2012(a),ComparingAirCoolerRatingsPart1:NotAllRatingMethodsare
CreatedEqual.TechnicalBulletin.ColmacCoilManufacturing,Inc.Colville,WA.

Nelson,B.I.,2012(b),ComparingAirCoolerRatingsPart2:WhyDTMRatingsCostYou
Money.TechnicalBulletin.ColmacCoilManufacturing,Inc.Colville,WA.

Smith,E.2010,TechnicalNote.InternationalInstituteofAmmoniaRefrigeration(IIAR).
Alexandria,VA.CondenserMagazineAugust2010.

Stoecker,W.F.1988,IndustrialRefrigerationHandbook,BusinessNewsPublishing
Company,Michigan.

TannerIndustries,2000,MaterialSafetyDataSheet(AmmoniumHydroxide),Tanner
Industries,Inc.Southampton,PA.

Welch,J.2013.Personalcorrespondence.

Wiencke,B.2002,SizingandDesignofGravityLiquidSeparatorsinIndustrial
Refrigeration,InternationalInstituteofAmmoniaRefrigeration,Alexandria,VA.
ProceedingsoftheIIAR2002AnnualMeeting,pp63133.

Wiencke,B.2012.Personalcorrespondence.

Wierbosch,M.andSandler,M.2010,BaseFluidEffectonPerformanceinanAmmonia
RefrigerationSystem.RMSupportBV.Henglelo,NL.

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XVII. APPENDIXA

ThreeP&IDdiagramsareshownrepresenting:

Figure1SingleStageSingleTemperatureLevel
Figure2SingleStage(EconomizedScrew)MultipleTemperatureLevel
Figure3TwoStageMultipleTemperatureLevel

Page52of52
FIGURE1
COLMACDXAMMONIA
SINGLESTAGESINGLETEMPERATURELEVEL

EXPANSION
TANK

EVAPORATIVE
90 psig CONDENSER
60F
e GLYCOL OIL
COOLING LOOP

LP

SH HLCO COMPRESSOR
SUCTION DRY LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE

TRAP OPERATION RANGE RECEIVER
MOTOR
OPTIONAL
DX EVAPORATOR BPRV
AIR DEFROST

COALESCING OIL
SEPARATOR SUBCOOLER
OIL POT
e T
HTR
110F

WATER STILL TRANSFER N.C.
GLYCOL
OIL COOLER
75 psig
SH e
(50.3F SAT)
P
SUBCOOLER SUCTION T
SUBCOOLED
to 40F
DX EVAPORATOR
HOT GAS COIL ONLY SUBCOOLED REDUCED PRESSURE LIQUID

e
SOLENOID VALVE ELECTRONIC EXPANSION VALVE PRV VALVE W/ ELECTRIC SHUT OFF

DRAIN VALVE VALVE
3-WAY HAND EXPANSION VALVE

RELIEF VALVE GLOBE VALVE ANGLE VALVE

AUTO VENT VALVE
CHECK STRAINER
PUMP

TANK DISTRIBUTOR DOUBLE ACTING RELIEF VALVE

P PRESSURE GAUGE REFLEX LEVEL EYE LP LEVEL PROBE

SH SUPERHEAT TRANSDUCER T

TEMPERATURE TRANSDUCER

Copyright2013ColmacCoilManufacturingInc.
FIGURE2
COLMACDXAMMONIA
SINGLESTAGE(ECONOMIZEDSCREW)MULTIPLETEMPERATURELEVEL EXPANSION
TANK

EVAPORATIVE
90 psig CONDENSER
60F

GLYCOL OIL
e
70 psig COOLING LOOP
(47F)

LP
SH
HLCO
P LEVEL
ECONOMIZER

FLASH COOLER/
RANGE
RECEIVER

HOT GAS PAN LOOP
SUBCOOLER
DX EVAPORATOR

SMART HOT GAS COIL & PAN
MEDIUM TEMPERATURE N.C.
OIL POT
SUBCOOLER
75 psig
e
(50.3F SAT)
N.C. T
SUBCOOLED
SUBCOOLED to 40F
e
by 10F ECONOMIZER
T

e

SUCTION
LP

SH
HLCO
P
DRY SUCTION

OPERATION TRAP
MOTOR
HOT GAS PAN LOOP

COMPRESSOR
DX EVAPORATOR
LOW TEMPERATURE COALESCING OIL
OIL POT SEPARATOR
T
HTR
110F
WATER STILL TRANSFER
GLYCOL
OIL COOLER

e

SOLENOID VALVE
ELECTRONIC EXPANSION VALVE PRV VALVE W/ ELECTRIC SHUT OFF
DRAIN VALVE 3-WAY VALVE

HAND EXPANSION VALVE


LIQUID DRAINER CHECK VALVE STRAINER

PUMP
TANK DISTRIBUTOR DOUBLE ACTING RELIEF VALVE
AUTO VENT

PIPE CAP (CLEANOUT) LP LEVEL PROBE
Copyright2013ColmacCoilManufacturingInc.
P PRESSURE GAUGE REFLEX LEVEL EYE T TEMPERATURE TRANSDUCER
SH SUPERHEAT TRANSDUCER PRV VALVE

FIGURE3
COLMACDXAMMONIA EXPANSION
TWOSTAGEMULTIPLETEMPERATURELEVEL TANK
EVAPORATIVE
90 psig CONDENSER
60F
GLYCOL OIL
70 psig
e COOLING LOOP
(47F)

LP
SH

P
HLCO LEVEL
INTERCOOLER/
ECONOMIZER RANGE
RECEIVER

HIGH STAGE
HOT GAS PAN LOOP SUBCOOLER COMPRESSOR

DX EVAPORATOR
MOTOR
MEDIUM TEMPERATURE N.C.

OIL POT
SUBCOOLER 75 psig
e (50.3F SAT)

T COALESCING OIL
N.C. SEPARATOR
SUBCOOLED
to 40F
e SUBCOOLED
by 10F
GLYCOL
OIL COOLER
T

e

LP

SH BOOSTER
HLCO COMPRESSOR
P
DRY SUCTION
OPERATION TRAP
MOTOR

HOT GAS PAN LOOP

DX EVAPORATOR
LOW TEMPERATURE COALESCING OIL
OIL POT SEPARATOR
T
HTR
WATER STILL
110F
TRANSFER GLYCOL
OIL COOLER

e
SOLENOID VALVE ELECTRONIC EXPANSION VALVE PRV VALVE W/ ELECTRIC SHUT OFF

DRAIN VALVE 3-WAY VALVE HAND EXPANSION VALVE
LIQUID DRAINER CHECK VALVE

STRAINER

PUMP TANK DISTRIBUTOR DOUBLE ACTING RELIEF VALVE

AUTO VENT PIPE CAP (CLEANOUT) LP LEVEL PROBE Copyright2013ColmacCoilManufacturingInc.
P PRESSURE GAUGE REFLEX LEVEL EYE T TEMPERATURE TRANSDUCER
SH SUPERHEAT TRANSDUCER PRV VALVE

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Box 571 | Colville, WA 99114 | USA

DT1 LMTD = 7.2 F DTM LMTD = 9.6 F

SUCTION DRY LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE

HOT GAS PAN LOOP

DRAIN VALVE 3-WAY VALVE

SH SUPERHEAT TRANSDUCER PRV VALVE

RELIEF VALVE GLOBE VALVE ANGLE VALVE

LIQUID DRAINER CHECK VALVE

SH SUPERHEAT TRANSDUCER PRV VALVE

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