An ammonia skid system is an important part of industrial refrigeration applications. The refrigeration units are often manufactured as ammonia skid systems. These skid systems are more efficient and minimize site disruption. If you will be implementing an ammonia skid system, you will need to understand how they operate.
Ammonia Storage
Pure ammonia is stored in a pressure vessel that is rated at the proper pound-force per square inch (psig). Ammonia that contains water is stored at a much lower psig than pure ammonia. An agitator blends the ammonia. When the mixing tank overfills or doesn't fill up enough, this triggers an alarm.
Skid Safety Systems
Ammonia skids come with pump protection that triggers an alarm and shuts down the pump whenever the flow rate drops below a specific point. They also use airflow monitoring to detect air leaks and measure the consumption of compressed air.
Another essential safety measure is the vaporizer liquid level. This generates an alarm when there is a high-level liquid problem. If the tank is overfilling, this also triggers an alarm, as well as leaks and a low liquid level.
How Skid Refrigeration Works
The refrigeration process cycles the liquid stored in the tank. Then, it travels through a pipe to the condenser. The purpose of the condenser is to transfer heat to the coolant. Then, the liquid travels through another pipe to reach the high and low-pressure receiver tanks. The high and low-pressure liquid receivers exist to take into account fluctuations in demand. A refrigerator may need more or less refrigerant based on how much more the refrigerator needs to cool the space.
Skid Evaporators
Next, the liquid travels through a throttling device and then reaches the evaporator. At this point, it releases the cold air to refrigerate the unit. Then, the refrigerant recycles and returns to the compressor where the process starts again. For the evaporator to function properly, the water level must be carefully controlled.
Flexibility of Skid Systems
By implementing a skid system, you will have more flexibility because skid systems are more modular. At the same time, they are self-contained. The skid system can be designed for several applications. For example, you may need the skid system to be compatible with a shipping container. The skid system is suitable for loading and unloading refrigerated products. They can be compact or they can be large enough to cool a large facility.