The following article was published in ASHRAE Journal, March 2004.

Copyright 2004 American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and AirConditioning Engineers, Inc. It is presented for educational purposes only. This article may not be copied and/or distributed electronically or
in paper form without permission of ASHRAE.

By Daniel R. Kuespert, Ph.D., Member ASHRAE

oorly designed and installed refrigeration piping systems
can be very costly. The following 10 tips provide ways to
save money by properly piping refrigerant.

Temperature cycling makes hot gas defrost lines and liquid

transfer headers particularly susceptible to corrosion.1,2 Many
different coating formulations are available. Always consult
the manufacturer for help in determining the correct product
for the application.

1. Paint and prime all pipe.

2. Consider life-cycle costs at the design stage.

Refrigeration pipe is usually insulated and inaccessible. A

good coating system prevents pipe loss due to corrosion.
I once encountered an auxiliary refrigeration machinery room
in a meat processing plant with severe corrosion on all exposed piping. The pressure vessels in the room were insulated
with an open-cell material that was notorious for retaining
moisture and contributing to under-insulation corrosion. Therefore, I was concerned about the vessels integrity.
Later that year, the room was rehabilitated and repiped, and
the vessels were removed for replacement. When the insulation was stripped from the old vessels, they were completely
corrosion-free, a condition likely due to the coating applied
to the vessel surface before insulating. If the engineer had
specified coating on all of the exposed piping, the entire
($100,000 +) rehab project could have been avoided.

Too often, designers use rules-of-thumb such as limit pressure drop to 0.5 psi per 100 ft (3.5 kPa per 30 m) in refrigerant
piping, concentrating on lowest installed cost. In tough economic times, low capital cost is the easier sell to the customer,
but in the end, higher operating costs often swamp first cost.
Considering lifetime economic costs provides a more rational
basis for design.3,4

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3. Plan for expansion.

In many industries, engineers are working on plant expansions even before the initial design is fully commissioned. In
industrial refrigeration, public cold storage facilities, in parAbout the Author
Daniel R. Kuespert, Ph.D., is a chemical engineer with Snowy Owl LLC,
a consulting firm in Columbia, Md., focusing on refrigeration safety.

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March 2004

ticular, tend to expand greatly as new accounts are added.

Healthy provision for expansion can reduce costs and headache for the customer. Adding piping stubs and extra valving
for such tasks as pumpout and blowdown minimizes disruption (and improves safety) during future construction. Be generous when sizing capacity-sensitive piping, including main
liquid distribution headers and suction lines. This will help to
avoid expensive operating costs from expanded operations.
Locate main headers to facilitate expansions. Running piping
above rated capacity can cause unusual system behavior such
as liquid flow to compressor suction, which is extremely dangerous in any size refrigeration system. Above all, question the
general contractor and customer representatives thoroughly
to identify expansion plans.
4. Use soft-start in piping evaporators.

Hydraulic shock (e.g., water hammer) can be a hazard in

refrigeration piping. Several other types of shock, including
vapor-propelled slugging and condensation-induced shock,
occur in evaporators and attendant piping.
The ASHRAE HandbookRefrigeration (as well as IIAR
Bulletin 110) describes a soft-start scheme for large systems.
In soft-start, a smaller hot-gas solenoid piped parallel to the
main feed opens early to allow the evaporator to heat up slowly
to defrost temperature. This seems to reduce the incidence of
dangerous shocks. Also, a small solenoid around the stop-check
valve in the return line allows defrost condensate to return
slowly, preventing condensation-induced slugging, which is
another type of shock.
ASHRAE Research recently completed a project to study
hydraulic shock in refrigerant piping, so future ASHRAE Handbooks may include engineering guidelines for avoiding shocks.

safety relief protection on refrigeration equipment using simple

formulas. The discharge piping for relief valves is considerably
more complicated. Recently, Standard 15 changed to a new,
more conservative method for calculating allowed line sizes
and run lengths, so engineers should review the changes. Other
considerations include preventing ingress of water and pests,
elevation of the discharge point, treatment systems required
in some areas, and dispersion of the discharged refrigerant.
I frequently see U-bend fittings atop a relief discharge point,
aiming any released refrigerant downward where it can do the
most damage and in some cases providing a refrigerant shower
to maintenance personnel. The International Institute of Ammonia Refrigerations Ammonia Refrigeration Piping Handbook contains many alternate designs better suited to
refrigeration use, for large and small plants, and for ammonia or
Freon/halocarbon refrigerant.
7. Trap and equalize condensers.

Piping multiple evaporative condensers into a refrigeration

system can be tricky, particularly if the units are not identical.
It is easy for condenser banks to lose capacity through refrigerant backflow during off-peak conditions.
The same backflow can create safety hazards during maintenance isolation. In some cases, partially isolated condensers
can fill with liquid refrigerant in seconds, leading technicians
to isolate the unit while full. Refrigerant liquid expands on
heating, producing very high pressures as temperature increases. The resulting coil or pipe ruptures can kill. (This also
can happen in evaporators.) Proper piping cannot avoid this
hazard completely but can mitigate the problem.
Follow manufacturers instructions precisely on condenser
traps and equalization lines.

5. Choose the right pipe.

8. Build oil pots, not grenades.

Use the wall thicknesses and materials prescribed by applicable codes, particularly ASME B31.5. Generally, ASTM A-53/A106 or better steel is required by code for industrial refrigeration,
while copper is used (for cost reasons) mostly for commercial
installations. Copper dissolves in ammonia, so it is forbidden
for such systems. (Some bearing bronzes used in ammonia do
contain ammonia, but these are special applications.)
Type F (furnace-welded) steel pipe (ASTM A120 or ASTM
A53/A120) presents particular problems under cold conditions,
so avoiding it also is specified. Low-temperature piping (usually below 20F [29C]) requires special design methods
and usually impact testing of pipe samples before installation.
Designers should use caution when perusing pipe manufacturers literature. Low temperature often does not have the same
meaning to a refrigeration engineer as to a pipe distributor.

Oil is not miscible with ammonia. Oil carries over into the
system and tends to collect at inconvenient points. This creates the need in ammonia systems to drain oil from small pressure vessels called oil pots. Since the oil pot can be isolated
from the system (to facilitate draining), it can build up considerable pressure.
Without pressure relief, appropriate valving, and operating
procedures, explosions are a distinct possibility. ANSI/IIAR 21999, Equipment, Design, and Installation of Ammonia Mechanical Refrigerating Systems, gives specific requirements
for designing oil pots so that they pose less threat to operators.
Beware. Many oil pots in older systems (and even some newly
installed ones) do not meet these standards.

6. Pipe safety relief valves properly.

ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 15-2001, Safety Standard for Refrigeration Systems, specifies relief valve designs for pressure
March 2004

9. Insulate properly.

A piping systems insulation provides cost savings through

lower heat loss, but it also hides the condition of the piping.
The possibility of corrosion under insulation requires appropriate maintenance.
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L. Aleksandrich

The vapor retarder is the most important component in an one plant recently) as pipe supports. Never weld one pipe
insulation system. Installation of vapor retarder is critical. Be directly to another for support. ANSI/IIAR 2-1999 gives apcertain the installer follows manufacturers instructions pre- propriate spacing for ammonia, but halocarbon refrigerants
cisely. Any breaches in the vapor retarder should be promptly require stronger and more frequent supports because of the
and professionally repaired.
refrigerants greater density. Refrigerant piping is subject to
In addition to the all-important vapor retarder, physical pro- all manner of stress, from snow and wind to the weight of
tection of the insulation system is crucial. Modern industrial moisture-soaked insulation to dynamic stresses from hydraupractice places most piping on the roof of the facility where lic shock in the piping.
sunlight, wind/snow load, and birds become issues. Indoor pipFinally, be certain the roof can handle any suspended loads.
ing in food processing or preparation areas
Architects and structural engineers have
also requires special coverings to meet foodbeen known to forget building systems
safety standards such as the U.S. Hazard
when designing roof loads.
Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)
References
regulation.
1.
Dunn, P. and R. Norsworthy. Control
Finally, each manufacturer has detailed
of corrosion under insulation. ASHRAE Journal
recommendations on design and installa45(3):3239.
2.
Posteraro, K. 1999. Combating corrotion of its products. These differ greatly from
sion under insulation. Chemical Engineering
product to product and even from applicaProgress 10:43.
tion to application.
Metal loss shown in yellow box.
10. Support all piping.

Use proper supports for refrigerant piping. L-bracket or Uchannel stands and hangers are typical. Do not use welded
lengths of all-thread rod (or packing twine, as I observed at

3.
Richards, W.V. 1983. Refrigerant vapor line sizing not dependent on length. Proceedings of Commission
B2, 16th International Congress of Refrigeration. International Institute of Refrigeration/Institut Internationale du Froid, pp. 240244.
4. International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration.. Ammonia Refrigeration Piping Handbook. Chapter 1.

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