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This year’s ‘Andy Ammonia Award of Excellence’, which recognises excellence in the IIAR annual Industrial Refrigeration Conference, was presented to a presentation exploring how a refrigerated warehouse featuring ammonia technology can achieve LEED certification, as well as a presentation on the evaporator performance effects caused by the presence of water in ammonia.

The two presentations were the two highest-ranking ones according to the scores they received on evaluation forms submitted by the attendees of the 2010 International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR) annual Industrial Refrigeration Conference & Exhibition.

Ammonia Refrigeration Design for LEED Certification

Tom Dosch, C&L Refrigeration and Doug Scott, VaCom Technologies, were awarded for their joint technical presentation ‘Ammonia Refrigeration Design for LEED Certification’.

In their presentation, Dosch and Scott explored how a refrigerated warehouse with an efficient ammonia refrigeration design can achieve LEED® certification. They presented the case of a facility in San Diego where early and extensive analysis of different design alternatives and efficiency investments was employed, including: R-22 versus ammonia, high-rise building and material handling, LED lights, rainwater recovery, water-saving measures and solar (PV) generation. The controls and mechanical equipment were designed to make the entire system “variable capacity”. The design features helped the facility owner achieve LEED Gold certification, while holding four times as much product as their previous facility and using half the energy.

Thermodynamic Effects of Water in Ammonia on Evaporator Performance

Bruce Nelson, Colmac Coil Manufacturing, Inc., was awarded for his presentation ‘Thermodynamic Effects of Water in Ammonia on Evaporator Performance’.

Nelson’s presentation explored the operation of ammonia evaporators at reduced liquid overfeed rates. He also reviewed and recommended methods for managing and removal of water from these systems.