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 ASHRAE Standard 15
A review and update on whats new?

Douglas Reindl, Ph.D., P.E.

ASHRAE Fellow
Director, IRC and HVAC&R Center
Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison
During this presentation
Brief history of Standard 15
Discuss the purpose and scope
Provide an overview of the standard
Recent changes
 A bit of history,

1919 1930 1933 1939 1950 1953 1958 1964 1971

Refrigeration Safety Timeline

ASRE
proposes code
to regulate
ASRE publishes updated
refrigerating
versions of ASA B9 ASRE re-designates
machines and
refrigerants and publishes versions
of ASA B9.1

ASRE publishes ASA B9

Safety Code for Mech. Refrig. ANSI
approves B9.1
 A bit of history,

1978 1989 1992 1994 2001 2004 2007 2010 2013

Refrigeration Safety Timeline

ASHRAE publishes
1st version of
ANSI/ASHRAE 15

ASHRAE publishes revised versions of

ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 15
 ASHRAE 15 today
Purpose: specifies safe design, construction,
installation, and operation of refrigeration
systems
Scope: establishes safeguards for life, limb,
health, and property and prescribes safety
requirements
 Fundamental goals of Std. 15
1. Keep refrigerants contained within their
refrigeration systems
2. In the event when a refrigerant might be
released, mitigate its impact on people
a) By limiting refrigerant quantity in direct systems
b) Locating refrigeration systems within machinery
rooms when system charge is too large
 ASHRAE 15
Applications:
a) design, construction, test, installation, operation,
and inspection of mechanical and absorption
refrigeration systems, including heat-pump systems
used in stationary applications;
b) modifications, including replacement of parts or
components if they are not identical in function and
capacity; and
c) refrigerant substitutions with a different designation
 ASHRAE 34
Companion to ASHRAE 15

Purpose: establish a system to uniquely

identify refrigerants, assign reference numbers
to refrigerants, establishes safety classification
and refrigerant concentration limits
 ASHRAE 15 and ASHRAE 34
ASHRAE 15 defers to ASHRAE 34 on:
Refrigerant safety classifications
Refrigerant concentration limits (RCLs)
Key refrigerant property information that must
be submitted with an application for designation
ASHRAE 34
 ASHRAE 34

Toxicity classifications
Class A signifies refrigerants where toxicity has
not been identified at concentrations 400 ppmv
based on TLVTWA data or consistent indices

Class B signifies refrigerants for where there is

evidence of toxicity at concentrations < 400 ppm,
based on TLV-TWA data or other consistent
indices
 ASHRAE 34
Flammability classifications
1 No flame propagation
2 Exhibits flame propagation, a LFL > 0.10 kg/m3
and heat of combustion < 19,000 kJ/kg
2L burning velocity not greater than 10 cm/s*
3 Exhibits flame propagation, a LFL 0.10 kg/m3
and heat of combustion 19,000 kJ/kg

* per ASTM E 681

 ASHRAE 34
Refrigerant safety classifications
A1 Safety Group Classification
R22, R134a Higher
A3 B3
A2L Flammability
R32, R143a, R1234yf Lower A2 B2
B2L Flammability A2L B2L
R717 (ammonia) No Flame
A1 B1
A3 Propagation
Lower Higher
R600a (isobutane),
Toxicity Toxicity
R290 (propane)
The 2L refrigerants have a burning velocity of 10 cm/s or slower.
Standard 15 content

Classifications
Section 4 Occupancy
Section 5 Refrigerating systems
Section 6 Refrigerant safety
 Standard 15 content
Restrictions
Section 7 Refrigerant use
Section 8 Installation
Design, construction, & operation
Section 9 Equipment and Systems
Section 10 Operation and testing
 Standard 15 content
General
Section 11 General requirements
Section 12 Precedence with conflicts
Section 13 Listed equipment
Normative appendices
Appendix B References
Appendix D Relief vent line lengths
 Occupancy classifications
Relates to restrictions on refrigerants and
refrigerating systems usage
Institutional hospitals, nursing homes, prisons
Public assembly auditoriums, classrooms, restaurants,
theaters
Residential dormitories, hotels, apartments, private
residences
 Occupancy classifications
Relates to restrictions on refrigerants and
refrigerating systems usage
Commercial office, professional buildings
Large mercantile large stores
Industrial food production, storage, chemical process
Mixed two or more occupancies in same building
Refrig system classifications

High probability
systems

Low probability
systems
 Restrictions on use
I. Determine refrigerant concentration from
complete discharge of largest independent
refrigerant circuit
II. Resulting concentration cannot exceed the
refrigerants RCL from ASHRAE 34
(institutional occupancies @ 50% of RCL)

Exceptions:
1. Listed equipment not containing more than 6.6 lb.
2. Listed equipment for use in laboratories with more than 100 ft2/person
RCLs are found in ASHRAE 34
Refrigerant Concentration Limit (RCL)
is the min(AETL, ODL, FCL)
Acute-Toxicity Exposure Limit (ATEL)
Basis: mortality, cardiac sensitization, anesthetic/ nervous
system impacts or other escape-impairing effects
Oxygen Deprivation Limit (ODL)
Flammable Concentration Limit (FCL)
set at 25% of LFL
 What is RCL?
ASHRAE 34
RCL is the refrigerant concentration limit in air that
is intended to reduce the risks of acute toxicity,
asphyxiation, and flammability hazards in normally
occupied, enclosed spaces
Concentration is based on
full vaporization of the refrigerant in the space to
which it is released with complete mixing and no
removal by ventilation, dissolution, reaction, or
decomposition
ASHRAE 34 RCL excerpt
 Volume for determining RC
Volume of space to which refrigerant disperses in
the event of a refrigerant leak [7.3]
Occupied spaces that do not connect through
permanent openings or HVAC ducts, use the volume of
the smallest occupied space [7.3.1]
When refrigerant is in an air-handler, duct, or space
served by mechanical ventilation, the entire air
distribution system must be analyzed
 When is a machinery room required?

All refrigerant-containing components

containing shall be located in a machinery room
or outdoors, when
a. the quantity of refrigerant exceeds the limits for the
given occupancy
b. direct-fired absorption equipment
is used
 Installation considerations
Machinery rooms
Tight fitting construction
Refrigerant detection requirements
Dedicated ventilation: normal & emergency operation
Restricted access to authorized personnel
No open flames using combustion air from room
Other
 Design
Materials of construction
Design pressure not be less than pressure
during maximum operating, standby, or
shipping conditions
Pressure relief protection
Serviceable components provided with safe
access
Shut-off valves number and location
Other
 Operation, testing, and general
For field-erected parts of system, pressure
testing is required
Refrigerating equipment must be
properly guarded from impact damage
Refrigerant circuit access ports located
outdoors must be secured
Equipment must be properly labeled
 ASHRAE 15 - 2013
Highlights of whats new in the 2013 edition:
Clarifies requirements for machinery room
ventilation (8.11.4)
Explicitly states design pressure requirements are
expressed as gauge pressure (Section 3)
Adds locking cap requirement to harmonize with
IMC (11.3)
Removes methods for determining RCL and defers
to Std. 34 (Appendix A)
Removes requirement for manual discharge of
ammonia firemans control box (8.13)
Clarifies relief requirements (Addendum a)
 ASHRAE 15 - 2013
8.11.4
Mechanical ventilation referred to in Section 8.11.3
shall be by one or more power-driven fans capable
of exhausting air from the machinery room at least
in the amount given in the formula in Section
8.11.5
The mechanical exhaust inlet(s) shall be located in
an area where refrigerant from a leak is likely to
concentrate, in consideration of the location of the
replacement air path(s), refrigerating machine(s),
and the density of the refrigerant relative to air.
 ASHRAE 15 - 2013
Definitions (Section 3)
design pressure: the maximum gauge pressure
for which a specific part of a refrigerating
system is designed.
 ASHRAE 15 - 2013
11.3 Charging, Withdrawal, and Disposition of
Refrigerants
11.3.1 Refrigerant Access Refrigerant circuit
access ports located outdoors shall be secured to
prevent unauthorized access.
 ASHRAE 15 - 2013
Appendix A is deleted in its entirety
INFORMATIVE APPENDIX A
CALCULATIONS OF THE MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE
CONCENTRATION (Cm) OF A BLEND

A1. FOR 100 lb OF BLEND, DETERMINE THE IDEAL GAS

VOLUMES OCCUPIED BY EACHCOMPONENT AND BY THE
BLEND AT 70F AND 1 atm

A2. DETERMINE THE DILUTION VOLUME REQUIRED FOR

THE 100 lb OF BLEND AND EACH COMPONENT THEREIN

A3. DETERMINE THE MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE

CONCENTRATION (Cm) OF A BLEND
 ASHRAE 15 - 2013
Section 8.13 is deleted in its entirety
8.13 Manual Emergency Discharge of
Ammonia Refrigerant. When required by the
AHJ, manual emergency discharge or diffusion
arrangements for ammonia refrigerants shall be
provided.
 ASHRAE 15 - 2013
Addendum a
Clarifies safety relief system discharge
requirements
Removes requirements for sulfur dioxide because
refrigerant is no longer in use
Revised and clarified requirements for relief
systems
 ASHRAE 15 - 2013
Addendum a
Outdoor systems containing Group A1
refrigerant shall be permitted to discharge
[safety relief] at any elevation where the point
of discharge is located in an access-controlled
area accessible to authorized personnel only.
 ASHRAE 15 - 2013
Addendum a
For heavier-than-air refrigerants, point of vent
discharge shall not be less than 20 ft from:
Below-grade walkways, pits, or ramps if a release of
entire system charge can result in a concentration
greater than the RCL
Direct discharge into an enclosed outdoor space
such as a courtyard is prohibited if the resulting
concentration is greater than the RCL
 ASHRAE 15 - 2013
Addendum a
Drip pockets
Relief vent lines that terminate vertically
upward and subject to moisture entry
shall be provided with a drip pocket at
least 24 deep and of vent pipe size
Located at first change in vent pipe direction
Fitted with a valve or drain plug to permit drainage
 ASHRAE 15 - 2013
Addendum a
Relief valve back-pressure
When outlets of two or more relief devices or fusible
plugs, which are expected to operate simultaneously
connect to a common discharge pipe, the common
pipe shall be sized large enough to prevent the
outlet pressure at each relief device from exceeding
the maximum allowable outlet pressure.
Questions on Std. 15?