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ASHRAE Publishes Supermarket Refrigeration Commissioning Guide

March 27, 2014
Offers guidance to owners and managers of commercial and industrial facilities that use refrigeration systems Helps to ensure that project requirements are met and owners’ expectations are achieved.

New from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) is the Refrigeration Commissioning Guide for Commercial and Industrial Systems. The guide is described by ASHRAE sources as the first of its kind. It provides guidance to owners and managers of commercial and industrial facilities that use refrigeration systems to help ensure that project requirements are met and owners’ expectations are achieved. For commercial facility owners and managers, this means improved profitability through lower operating and service costs as well as reduced product loss.

The guide covers commissioning for a variety of systems:

  • food retail/convenience stores
  • small retail stores
  • food and beverage facilities
  • food distribution centers
  • industrial plants.
     

Because deficiencies in system design found at start-up are not easily resolved, maintenance managers or operators may deal with unnecessary shortcomings and expenses over the life of the facility. Commissioning helps project teams avoid these “surprises” by establishing a consistent, stepwise process that helps “get it right the first time.”

The commissioning process starts with the initial planning and design and continues through construction, installation, start-up, and the first year of system operation. Commissioning also sets the stage for ongoing servicing and maintenance of performance. The result is refrigeration systems that are easier and less expensive to install and maintain, with lower energy costs, minimized liabilities from refrigeration system leaks, and reduced loss of refrigerated product due to system failures or unreliable performance.

Sources from the ASHRAE publications department say using this guide will help achieve cost-effective and cost-efficient refrigeration systems for new projects, expansions, remodels, and existing systems that simply need a tune-up.

Download the guide here.