VOLUME FOUR NUMBER ONE

(SUPERSEDES VOLUME ONE NUMBER ONE)

SYNOPSIS
A N H V A C N E W S L E T T E R F O R B U I L D I N G O W N E R S A N D M A N A G E R S

In this issue... Your Mechanical Room and

• ASHRAE 15-1994
What’s the connection to your
mechanical room? . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
• Your Liability
When must you comply with
ASHRAE 15-1994? . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
• Check It Out
Safety checklist for your
mechanical room . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
• Compliance
What steps should you take to
comply with ASHRAE 15-1994? . . . 3
• Refrigerants
Understanding their properties . . . . . 4
Want to know more about ASHRAE
15-1994: 2001 Update? Visit our
web site at www.carrier.com, click
on Commercial/Industrial Heating
and Cooling Systems and see Newsletter
under Resource Center, download
the publication HVAC Analysis,
Vol. 4, No. 1, written specifically
for consulting engineers.
ASHRAE 15-1994: 2001 Update
How familiar are you with your build- embodied in Standard 15-1994 of
ing’s mechanical equipment room? These the American Society of Heating,
areas are often “out of sight, out of mind” Refrigeration and Air Conditioning
for building owners and managers. But Engineers (ASHRAE). It’s important,
operational and safety guidelines for therefore, that you be familiar with this
mechanical rooms document and how
are spelled out in The standard is intentionally written it affects the design,
industry standards operation and upgrad-
in code language so it can be
that you, as a profes- ing of your building.
sional, are liable to adopted nearly verbatim by model The standard
comply with just by code associations — and it can be is intentionally written
being aware of difficult to understand. in code language so it
them. And since can be adopted nearly
these standards are commonly verbatim by model code associations —
used to draft municipal and it can be difficult to understand.
building codes, they This issue of Synopsis provides a basic
may also be the law overview of mechanical room safety
in your locale. issues in relation to the standard.
Today’s mechan- It is not intended to be a comprehensive
ical room safety review of all requirements, nor should
standards it be a substitute for reading the doc-
are ument itself. It will, however, help
you to know what to look for
when reading the standard
and discussing it with
consulting/specifying
engineers and con-
tractors. Also
provided are sugges-
tions based on good
practice installations.
 FIGURE 1
Mechanical Room Safety Check
3 4
Rupture disk
2 outlet locations?
Purge
vents to
outside?
Are there any
pit areas in
the room?
1 floor drains
A Standard For Mechanical
Room Safety
ASHRAE Standard 15 was first issued Mechanical Room Changes
as a safety code in 1930, the same year
that CFC (chlorofluorocarbon) refriger-
ants were introduced in the United
States. With increasing refrigerant
regulations and phaseouts, as well as the
development of alternative refrigerants,
2
the standard has undergone unusually
rapid change over the last decade.
It was revised in 1992 and again in
1994, followed by
several addenda in Your local building codes may
the late 1990s. have already been rewritten to reflect chiller is changed
The primary ASHRAE 15-1994.
goal of the standard
is to mitigate risks to the environment,
to mechanical room operators and,
ultimately, to the general public.
Since refrigerants have varying degrees
of toxicity and flammability, specific
procedures and training are needed
to use them safely.
ASHRAE 15-1994: Your
Liability
Even if your local codes haven’t
yet been updated to reflect ASHRAE
15-1994, compliance with the standard
can minimize your legal liability by
demonstrating that you have gone to
the furthest extent possible to promote
mechanical room safety. And, as previ-
ously noted, as a building professional
or owner, you are considered liable for
compliance if you are aware of the
SYNOPSIS
C H E C K I T O U T
Location of
roof drains? 5 Location of inlet
vents in relation
to exhaust outlets?
Whether you’re evaluating an existing mechanical room or
assessing the situation before acquiring a building, a compre-
Are common headers
hensive safety check is a must. Here’s a checklist of some key
used only for common
refrigerant?
6
Is access to
mechanical
potential trouble spots, as illustrated in Figure 1.
8 room restricted?
Are safety
rupture
lines the 1 Are there low areas in the mechanical room?
9 right size?
Are chiller drain
Is there
Check the condition of pits or other areas below floor
valves secure?
a tight seal
on doors? level. They may hold chemical residues such as acids,
Are rubber mats
used to cover spilled refrigerant, cleaning solvents, etc.
the drains when
not in use? 2 Where does the purge vent?
Where do the
empty?
A conventional purge (not high efficiency) loses up
7 to 20 pounds of refrigerant for every pound of non-
condensible air it removes from the system. All purges
should vent outside. If high efficiency purges are used,
they should be specified per the new ARI (American
Refrigeration Institute) Standard 580-2000. Some new
standard. ASHRAE 15 typically high efficiency purges have been vented to relief disk
applies in several ways. pipes. This is not a good practice as refrigerant may
condense to the thin rupture disk resulting in failure
due to corrosion.
The CFC and HCFC (hydrochlorofl- 3 Where are safety rupture disk outlets located?
urocarbons, i.e. R-123, R-22) refrigerant Thin carbon rupture disks are often vented through
production phaseout has raised the the roof or side wall. Locations should be at least 15
critical issue of what to do with existing feet above ground level.
chillers. There are pros and cons to each 4 Could roof drains collect refrigerant? If you lose
possible solution — containment, con- refrigerant from an exhaust outlet and it vents above a
version or replacement — and therefore, flat, curbed roof, the refrigerant could lay across the roof
a thorough evaluation is necessary. and find the first exit — probably down the roof drains
It is particularly important to understand and into a sewer system.
that if the type 5 Are exhaust outlets near inlet vents? Chiller
of refrigerant in a safety relief devices typically vent outdoors, usually
through the roof. Check the vent’s proximity to air
or if the chiller intakes — they should be at least 20 feet apart.
itself is replaced, 6 Is access to the mechanical room restricted?
ASHRAE 15-1994 applies. Section 5.3 These potentially hazardous spaces contain systems
of the standard reads: “A change in the critical to a building’s operation. The mechanical room
type of refrigerant in a system shall not door should have a tight seal to isolate the room in an
be made without the notification of the emergency, as well as prominent signage limiting
authority having jurisdiction, the user access to trained personnel only.
and due observance of safety require- 7 Where do the floor drains empty? If your chiller
ments. The refrigerant being considered and occupied space share the same floor, they may also
shall be evaluated for suitability.” (The share a drainage system. Check to see if drains in the
addition of containment devices, such as occupied space (i.e., in restrooms) are connected to
high efficiency purges and back-up relief those in the mechanical room. Imagine losing a full
valves to your existing equipment, how- charge and “finding” it in a restroom!
ever, does not trigger application of 8 Are rupture lines the right size and length?
the standard.) For convenience, safety devices will run into a common
Upgrading a mechanical room header if they have common refrigerants. Chillers with
to meet the standard typically adds different refrigerants should never share common
11 to 13% to the total chiller headers. An improperly sized header can exacerbate
conversion/replacement project problems in an emergency, when the discharge capacity
cost, depending on the room’s age of safetylines is put to the test.
and location. This expense should 9 Are chiller drain valves secured? These valves are
be factored into your refrigerant an easy way for an inexperienced technician to get into
planning cost analysis. trouble. Make sure the valves are locked off.
Building Code Compliance
Your local building codes may
already have been rewritten to reflect
ASHRAE 15-1994. Many of the major
U.S. building code jurisdictions have
incorporated the standard into their
model codes, and state and municipal
authorities are following suit.
To find out what’s happening with
codes in your area, meet with your
local building inspector. It’s important
to be as well informed as possible,
especially before making any mechanical
room changes.
Equipment Design
Manufacturers’ labels reference com-
pliance with the standard, so it’s easy to
check to ensure that anything installed
in your building will comply.
Contracts
It’s a good idea to include the specifi-
cation that all equipment and service
“must be in compliance with the latest
ASHRAE 15” as standard language for
all your installation submittals,
service agreements
and contracts.
Key Steps to Compliance
When examining your mechanical
equipment room for compliance with
ASHRAE 15-1994, here are some of
the primary issues to consider.
Do I Need a Mechanical Room?
The standard lists allowances for
all refrigerants in pounds of refrigerant
per 1,000 cu. ft. of occupied space
(this allowance is calculated for the
occupied space in the building and
does not apply to the mechanical room).
These figures represent the maximum
refrigerant levels allowable for refrigera-
tion equipment installed in “occupied”
portions of the building. If your system
has more than the allowable amount
of refrigerant, it must be housed in a
separate mechanical room.
Purge System and Relief Devices
The standard specifies that all purge
systems (including high efficiency sys-
tems) and other relief devices must vent
outside. Even the highest-efficiency
purges lose some
refrigerant. If vented
to the chiller relief
piping, refrigerant can
condense, coming into
contact with safety rupture disks
and promoting corrosion.
Sizing of Relief and Rupture Devices
ASHRAE 15-1994 specifies the
appropriate sizing of pressure relief
devices. It also includes rating formulas
for discharge capacity of rupture mem-
bers and maximum length of discharge
piping. When converting a chiller to
a new refrigerant, it is critical to check
the size of existing safety devices to
be sure they are suitable.
Refrigerant Sensors
All mechanical rooms must have sen-
sors capable of detecting refrigerant loss.
They should be positioned where vapor
from a refrigerant leak would most likely
concentrate, providing early warning
so that personnel can prevent dangerous
exposure and catastrophic refrigerant
loss. The sensors should trigger an alarm
and mechanical ventilation, as well as
activate visual and audible alarms inside
and outside the mechanical room.
3
Mechanical Ventilation to
the Outdoors
Mechanical rooms must be vented
to the outdoors using mechanical
ventilation. ASHRAE provides a
formula for calculating ventilation
capacity requirements.
Access Restrictions
Mechanical rooms must have tight-
fitting doors that open and close freely
(i.e., no fire doors), and any other open-
ing that would permit the passage of
refrigerant must be sealed. Each entrance
to a refrigerating machinery
room must have a legible
permanent sign that reads
“Refrigerating Machinery
Room — Authorized
Personnel Only,” and should commu-
nicate that when an alarm has been
activated, entry is forbidden except
by trained personnel who can
address emergencies.
SYNOPSIS

Refrigerant Storage
Section 11.5 of ASHRAE
15-1994 reads: “The total amount
of refrigerant stored in a machinery
room in all containers not provided
with relief valves and piped in
accordance with the standard, should
not exceed 330 lbs.” This is designed
to allow building owners to store
adequate quantities of refrigerant for
chiller servicing in separate, approved
storage tanks. However, you should
check your local building and fire
codes for possible exceptions.
Relief Discharge Location
The discharge location of relief
devices must be at least 20 feet away
from any ventilation openings, and
not less than 15 feet above ground
level (to avoid spraying someone
with refrigerant).
4 Combustion Device Limitation
ASHRAE 15-1994 prohibits the
location in a mechanical room of any
open-flame device using combustion
air from inside the room. On the
other hand, an open-flame device
such as a boiler may be located in a
mechanical room — if combustion
air is drawn from a sealed outside
source, or the boiler is shut off
through the use of refrigerant
sensor cut outs.
Room Dimensions
The new standard defines an
appropriately sized mechanical room
as one that allows access to all equip-
ment, including adequate space for
service and maintenance, as well
as operation.
Periodic Testing
Ventilation systems and sensors
must be periodically tested in
accordance with the manufacturer’s
recommendation and/or local
jurisdiction. This is particularly
important for refrigerant sensors
that are detecting compounds with
low allowable exposure limits.
FIGURE 2
Many of these sensors require fre-
quent calibration. (Higher quality
sensors using infrared technology are
preferred over metal-oxide types, as
they remain close to set calibrations.)
Emergency Planning
The original version of ASHRAE
15-1994 mandated the availability
of self-contained breathing apparatus
(SCBA) for refrigerant leak situations.
Addendum “d” to the standard has
removed this requirement because
of the difficulty of implementation
for many commercial buildings.
The addendum mandates an
emergency response plan that will
allow appropriate measures according
to the severity of each potential
emergency. Some considerations for
the plan include: types of detection
and alarms; ventilation activation;
respiratory protection; evacuation;
and, most importantly, a properly
trained response team.
Read ASHRAE 15-1994
Clearly, there are many issues
to consider in order to achieve
compliance with ASHRAE 15-
1994 and its addenda. Your best
strategy is to obtain a copy of the
standard. This issue of Synopsis
and consultation with an HVAC
expert can help you clarify and
understand the standard as it
applies to your building.
ASHRAE 15-1994 offers many
good, safe solutions, which can and
should become part of your overall
strategic refrigerant planning.
A sound plan will help you to meet
the increasingly complex challenges
surrounding refrigerant regulation —
and maintain a safe environment
for your building’s employees
and occupants.
ASHRAE 34 Safety Group
Type A Type B
Lower Toxicity Higher Toxicity
High A3 B3
Flammability Propane
Low A2 B2
Flammability R-142b, 152a Ammonia
No Flame A1 B1
Propagation R-11,12,22, R-123, SO2
114,500,134a
R E F R I G E R A N T S
Determining which particulars of ASHRAE 15 apply to your
situation depends in part on the type of refrigerant your air
conditioning system uses. Another important document,
ASHRAE 34-1992, “Number Designation and Safety
Classification of Refrigerants,” classifies refrigerants in two
ways: toxicity and flammability (Figure 2). Generally, the
higher the toxicity and flammability, the higher the potential
for risk and liability.
Toxicity
ASHRAE 34 divides refrigerant compounds into two
groups: (A) low-toxicity and (B) high-toxicity. The designa-
tion is determined by each compound’s allowable exposure
limit (AEL). Compounds with AELs of more than 400 parts
per million (ppm) are classified as type A, while those with
AELs of less than 400 ppm are classified as type B. The
refrigerants of the past, such as CFC-11 and HCFC-22
had very high safe exposure limits, as does the alternative
refrigerant HFC-134a. One popular alternative refrigerant,
HCFC-123 has a very low allowable exposure limit (30 ppm)
and is classed along with ammonia and sulfur dioxide as
higher in toxicity.
Flammability
ASHRAE 34 further classifies refrigerants according to
their flammability: (1) no flame propagation; (2) low flamma-
bility; and (3) high flammability. Ammonia, for example, is
considered a low-flammability refrigerant, while HCFC-22
and HFC-134a have no flame propagating properties.
Building owners and managers should also be aware
that some of the newer alternative refrigerant blends contain
flammable ingredients. Although their flammability is lowered
when they are mixed into a blend, flammability may still
be an issue in leak situations. When blends leak, the
highest-pressure compound exits first. The lowest-pressure
compound is likely to be left in the vessel, and in this state
the mixture may be highly flammable. A recent addendum to
ASHRAE 34 requires a blend to be classified according to the
highest potential flammability or toxicity of its components.