EXPERIENCE: Ammonia Refrigeration Piping Repair in Less than 24 hours

Problem: Minimize downtime during replacement of piping and oil pot within the dock area of an ammonia refrigeration liquid pump. The customer determined that due to a breakdown in insulation and vapor barrier material, the integrity of the ammonia piping was questionable.

Solution: The objective was to replace the existing ammonia refrigeration piping, valves and have the first layer of insulation installed to minimize downtime for the freezer operation.

The pipe, fittings and valve placement for this project were pre-fabricated on the site. Timing was critical as it included working closely with the insulators to arrive in a timely manner to install the first of two layers of insulation prior to start-up.

The project took less than 24 hours from the start of the pump down, installation of piping and oil pot and fully completing the insulation, including an orange PVC jacket prior to re-starting the system.