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[Faisal Ghafoor]

Does anybody has experience of water ingress in ammonia refrigeration system during shutdown of the plant. e.g. if total quantity of water mixed with ammonia is 10%, how it will impact start of refrigeration compressor and onward taking load. Does it require more power during start up of the machine? What other consequences can happen.

[Art Montemayor]

Faisal Ghafoor:

 

I don't want to believe what I understand to be your query.  Do you mean that water crept into your ammonia mechanical refrigeration system and contaminated the refrigerant to the tune of 10% (by weight?, by mole? by volume?).   If this is true it is next to a disaster, as far as your process refrigeration system goes.  You (or anyone else) would be foolish certainly if you try to operate the system as such.  An ammonia mechanical refrigeration system works only with essentially PURE ammonia.  The presence of water in your system makes it a contaminated system that must be drained, purged, dried, and inspected for potential damage prior to any future attempt to start it up again.  I'm speaking based on my ammonia refrigeration field and design experience of over 40 years.