Is an ammonia chiller dangerous?

Name: Ammonia chillers · R-717
Brand: FRIMONT

Ammonia is toxic, but it can be smelled at very low concentrations and has been used in industry for more than a century. With reduced charge, suitable materials, detection, ventilation and trained staff, an ammonia chiller operates safely.

← All products

Chillers and liquid chillers

Ammonia chillers · R-717

Industrial ammonia chillers: GWP 0, high efficiency and reduced charge.

Request a quote Request information

Technical documentation

FRIMONT ammonia chiller with screw compressor and vessels — Ammonia chiller.

Applications

What it solves.

Ammonia is the natural refrigerant with the longest history in industrial refrigeration: it does not deplete the ozone layer, its GWP is 0 and its efficiency is among the highest. FRIMONT designs and builds ammonia chillers to cool water, glycol or other process fluids, with reduced charge and a design built around safety.

Meat plants and food factories that need chilled water or glycol for their processes.
Plants with an ammonia machine room that add a chiller to the existing system.
Medium and low temperature processes seeking low energy consumption.

Meat processing plants Food and beverage Cold logistics centers

Configurations

A configuration tailored to your application.

Technical selection defines the equipment and its integration with the process.

Reduced charge

Plate or shell-and-plate evaporators, with dry expansion or low-volume flooded operation. The ammonia charge is a fraction of that of a traditional plant and stays inside the chiller.

Compression

Screw or reciprocating compressors depending on capacity and duty, including the GEA units FRIMONT distributes and integrates. The semi-hermetic GEA CompaX runs without a shaft seal and keeps the risk of leaks to a minimum.

Condensing

Water-cooled, with cooling towers, or with evaporative condensers, which FRIMONT also manufactures. Evaporative condensing allows a lower condensing temperature and lower consumption.

Materials and safety

Ammonia attacks copper: heat exchangers, piping and fittings are steel or stainless steel. It can be smelled from about 5 ppm, long before it reaches dangerous concentrations, and the design adds detection, ventilation and pressure relief.

Standards we work to

Design, installation, operation and maintenance to the safety standards for ammonia systems.

Standards

ANSI/IIAR 2: safe design of closed-circuit ammonia refrigeration systems.
ANSI/IIAR 6: inspection, testing and maintenance.
ANSI/IIAR 7: operating procedures.
ANSI/IIAR 9: minimum safety requirements for existing systems.

Technical data

Reference values.

Ammonia (R-717)

Properties that shape the design of an ammonia chiller.

Property	Value
ASHRAE 34 safety class	B2L: higher toxicity, lower flammability
GWP (100 years)	0
Ozone depletion potential	0
Boiling point at atmospheric pressure	−33 °C
Odor threshold	≈ 5 ppm
Materials	Steel and stainless steel; no copper
Density relative to air	Lighter: a leak rises

Sources: BITZER refrigerant data and ASHRAE 34 classification.

Selection

How we define the solution for your process.

We start from what you need to achieve and your facility conditions. We guide you through defining requirements and selecting an appropriate configuration. You do not need to have all this data to start the conversation.

What we evaluate during technical definition

Fluid and temperatures: Fluid to be cooled, inlet and outlet temperatures, flow and demand variations.
Location and machine room: Existing or new machine room, ventilation, access and distance to people and public areas.
Integration with the plant: Existing ammonia installation, available condensing and heat recovery options.

Documentation

Technical documentation.

Request technical documentation for the configuration required by your process. Tell us about your application and operating conditions to guide the inquiry.

Request technical documentation

Engineering and integration

Scope is defined with you.

From equipment selection to integration, installation, and commissioning, we agree on what the project needs and how it connects to your facility. Control systems and after-sales service are integral parts of that conversation.

What we can undertake