Standard 15-2013 and Standard 34-2013 complement each other

ASHRAE has announced that the 2013 editions of its major refrigerants-related standards incorporating 41 new addenda have been published.

ASHRAE gave further details: Requirements in ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 34-2013, Designation and Safety Classification of Refrigerants, and ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 15-2013, Safety Standard for Refrigeration Systems, complement each other, in that Standard 34 describes a shorthand way of naming refrigerants and assigns safety classifications based on toxicity and flammability data, while Standard 15 establishes rules for safe application in equipment and systems.

Standard 34-2013 contains the 2010 standard and 36 published addenda, ASHRAE revealed, and listed the following key changes incorporated into the standard:

• Assignment of designations and safety classifications for one new single compound refrigerant and 14 new refrigerant blends
• Changed the refrigeration concentration limits (RCL) values of 19 refrigerants listed in the 2010 standard to comply with more current methodology
• Changed the flammability safety classifications of four refrigerants from Class 2 to Subclass 2L, based on optional burning velocity measurement data
• Added Toxicity Code Classification assignments for 18 refrigerants that had been unassigned in the 2010 standard
• Clarified methodology for conducting flammability tests and for determination of fractionated compositions for flammability testing
• Updated methodology by which the heat of combustion is calculated for refrigerant blends, and provided heat of combustion calculation examples for refrigerant blends
• Defined requirements that applicants shall provide evidence of the existence of an azeotropic blend, if requesting an R-500 series designation
• Modified sections of the standard to add bubble-point and dew-point definitions and test conditions; clarified applicant documentation requirements related to GLP compliance; and added critical pressure data and specific volume calculation methodology for applicant submissions

Standard 15 reportedly contains the 2010 standard plus five published addenda, with the following key changes:

• Clarification of the location requirements for machinery room mechanical ventilation
• Clarification that design pressure is expressed in terms of relative pressure or gauge pressure (not absolute pressure)
• Wording to ensure the standard more closely harmonises with the 2012 International Mechanical Code (IMC) section 1101.10

Revealing that Standard 15-2013 and Standard 34-2013 are sold as a set, ASHRAE informed that it costs $107 ($89, ASHRAE members) and that those interested could contact ASHRAE Customer Contact Center at 1-800-527-4723 (United States and Canada) or 404-636-8400 (worldwide), fax 678-539-2129, or visit www.ashrae.org/bookstore.