User guide

SECTION TSM 420 ISSUE E PAGE 5 OF 18
AMMONIA (Anhydrous Ammonia, NH3)
Ammonia is a colorless gas or liquid, has a pungent odor, as
a gas is lighter than air, is easily liquefied by pressure alone
and is very soluble in water. It boils at -28º F.; vapor pressure
is 16 PSIG at 0º F., 45 PSIG at 30º F., 93 PSIG at 60º F., and
138 PSIG at 80º F.
A listing of safe practices and equipment are available from
many sources, including those listed below. A copy of such
a listing and safe practices and equipment should be made
available to everyone working where ammonia is used.
Safety Department. The Safety Department of any company
using ammonia should have information about the basic
safety practices and equipment to use when working with
ammonia. The supplier of the ammonia should always have
the same information.
ANSI - American National Standard Institute, Inc.
1430 Broadway
New York, New York 10018
Bulletin ANSI-K61.1
CGA - The Compressed Gas Association, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York 10036
Pamphlet G-2 on Anhydrous Ammonia
IIAR - International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration
1 Illinois Centre
111 East Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60601
The above references give specifics on safety practices and
equipment. In addition to those, some general precautions
include:
WORK CAREFULLY.
DO NOT HURRY.
LOOK AT ANY PRESSURE GAUGES TO DETERMINE
CONDITIONS IN THE SYSTEM.
HAVE PLENTY OF WATER AVAILABLE.
1. Stop the pump (some maintenance people close the
inlet shutoff valve before stopping the pump; but, this is
not recommended practice).
2. Close the inlet (suction) side shutoff valve. A in figure 4.
3. Close the discharge side shutoff valve. B in figure 4.
DANGER !
Exposure to ammonia causes intense
irritation to the surface tissue of the eyes,
nose, throat and lungs. Exposure to high
concentrations of ammonia may blind,
burn, strangle or kill.
SAFE PRACTICES
VENTING THE PUMP
MAINTENANCE
FIGURE 4
Schematic of Piping and Valves For a Liquid Ammonia
Recirculating Pump in a Refrigeration System
DANGER !
Before opening any Viking pump liquid
chamber (pumping chamber, reservoir,
etc.) Be sure:
1. That any pressure in the chamber has
been completely vented through the
suction or discharge lines or other
appropriate openings or connections.
(See detailed procedure for venting
the pumps, pages 4, 5 and 6).
2. That the driving means (motor,
turbine, engine, etc.) has been
“locked out” or otherwise made non-
operational so that it cannot be
inadvertently started while work is
being done on the pump.
3. That you know what liquid the
pump has been handling and the
precautions necessary to safely
handle the liquid. Obtain a material
safety data sheet (MSDS) for the
liquid to be sure these precautions
are understood.
Failure to follow above listed
precautionary measures may result in
serious injury or death.
IMPORTANT: READ THE FOLLOWING BEFORE
REMOVING A PUMP FROM AN AMMONIA SYSTEM OR
BEFORE STARTING REPAIR WORK ON A PUMP.
Basic safety practices and equipment should always be used
when working with ammonia. Only personnel familiar with
ammonia systems should work on these pumps.
ACCUMULATOR
PUMP
4’
SEE THE “ * ”
ON PAGE 6.