IIAR
1110 North Glebe Road
Arlington, VA 22201
703.312.4200
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Ammonia is perhaps most well recognized as a household cleaner. However, ammonia makes another important contribution to daily life as an industrial refrigerant. It is responsible for the year-round availability, volume and variety of food and beverages served daily on breakfast, lunch and dinner tables around the world. Ammonia refrigeration is among the most significant developments of modern times and a primary contributor to our modern lifestyle.

The development of mechanical refrigeration dates back to the Industrial Revolution. Today, ammonia remains the most commonly used refrigerant in large systems to process and preserve food and beverages. Ammonia has been at the forefront of advances in refrigeration technology, making it essential to the food processing, storage and delivery infrastructure of our economy. More recently, ammonia refrigeration systems have been used for air conditioning in publicly accessed buildings and increasing output efficiencies for power generation facilities.

From an operational perspective, ammonia is generally accepted as the most efficient and cost effective industrial refrigerant available, an important benefit to consumers because lower operating costs contribute to lower food prices. It has found applications in enhancing the efficiency of power generation facilities. Beyond its economic advantages, ammonia is a natural refrigerant that is environmentally benign in the atmosphere.

With heightened attention given to global warming and the extraordinary international efforts made over the past decade to reduce the use of refrigerants harmful to the environment, ammonia is well positioned to be the refrigerant of the 21^st Century. Policies that encourage the expanded use of ammonia as a refrigerant would be compatible with current and emerging environmental protection and energy-efficiency goals.

The advantages of ammonia in refrigeration are well known. Ammonia does not destroy atmospheric ozone and does not contribute to the greenhouse effect linked to global warming. In fact, ammonia, one of the most common compounds found in nature, is essential to earth's nitrogen cycle and its release in the atmosphere is immediately recycled. The use of ammonia as a refrigerant is consistent with international agreements on reducing global warming and ozone depletion. Because of ammonia's proven applicability as a safe and efficient refrigerant for over 150 years, it is immediately available for wider usage and new applications. From a purely economic analysis, without unnecessary regulatory burdens, ammonia should find broader applications as a refrigerant than it currently enjoys.