Author Archive
2015 GCAP Training Tour
by Jeremy Williams on Jan.12, 2015, under News
2015 GCAP Training Tour
GCAP has been involved in industrial training since 2003. We travel across the world to meet your training needs.
We are looking for 12 different locations in 2015 to host an Ammonia Operator I / Boiler Level 1 / or PSM/RMP course seminars.
Look where GCAP has been over the last decade
If you or your company would like to host one of these seminars, GCAP is looking for participants. Please contact Kristen De La Pena of GCAP to see the requirements. 620.271.0037 or ammonia@Pld.com
- January 26 – 29, 2015: PSM/RMP @ Clovis, CA
- January 26 – 29, 2015: Ammonia Operator I @ Phoenix, AZ
- February 9 – 12, 2015: Ammonia Operator I @ Bakersfield, CA
- February 16 – 19, 2015: PSM/RMP @ Denedin, FL
- February 23 – 26, 2015: PSM/RMP @ Fort Worth, TX
- June 29 – July 2, 2015: Ammonia Operator II @ Bakersfield, CARegister Today
Look for GCAP coming to a city or area near you.
Chicago, IL
Cincinnati, OH
Minneapolis, MN
Grand Rapids, MI
Harrisburg, PA
Columbia, SC
Raleigh, NC
Macom, GA
Montgomery, AL
Houston, TX
Vancouver, WA
Salt Lake City, UT
Anchorage, AK
GCAP’s Wrap Up of 2014
by Jeremy Williams on Dec.15, 2014, under News
GCAP’s New Classroom Finished
What a way to finish 2014. Thank you all for your support and GCAP’s staff to make opening doors of our new expansion possible this year. We will be hosting our first class in the new classroom starting this week.
Click Here for the 2014 News Update
GCAP is looking for an Industrial Electrician
by Jeremy Williams on Dec.10, 2014, under News
GCAP is growing with industry demand. We are currently looking for an industrial electrician to become part of our team. This position would be involved with day to operation and expansion related to all electrical needed at our facility with chances of also moving into an instructor position for current and future classes.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
- Run conduit, wiring, hook-up disconnects, switches, push buttons, circuit panels, breakers, suppressors, transformers
- Read engineering drawings and schematics; while also keeping them up to date
- Maintain and troubleshoot PLC sensors
- Troubleshoot electrical problems on all refrigeration equipment
- Assist in general construction duties
- Assist as a Support Instructor and move into Lead Instructor Status
Send Resume to ammonia@pld.com attention Electrician Position
Come be apart of the best team in the industry!
Free Ammonia Refrigeration Online Training
by Jeremy Williams on Dec.08, 2014, under News
We just wanted to let everyone know that Garden City Ammonia Program (GCAP) has largest discussion forums in the industry through Linkedin. Linkedin.com is a professional website that allows posting of resumes, discussions, and news that could be related to your industry.
GCAP has created groups called “Ammonia Refrigeration Operators”, “Boiler Operators”, and “Natural Refrigerants”. These groups are designed for anybody in field of Ammonia Refrigeration or Boiler Operations. We have started to get a collection of operators, engineers, managers, safety manager, OSHA, EPA, etc… to join the group. We now have over 12,000 total members.
We are inviting you to come check it out. You can read discussions, news and/or create you own discussions of information pertaining to the industry. Over 100 videos have been submitted directly relating to ammonia and boilers. You can also help by giving answers to questions posted to the group. We believe this group will increase your connections in the industry.
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If interested in joining “Ammonia Refrigeration Operators” go to this direct link.
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/Ammonia-Refrigeration-Operators-2320633/about
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For the group “Boiler Operators” you can go to this direct link.
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/Boiler-Operators-2682100/about
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For the group “Natural Refrigerants” go to this direct link.
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/Natural-Refrigerants-3646421/about
If that does not work for you, you can also join by going to their home page. www.linkedin.com. Create your profile by submitting your email address and a password. Search for: “Ammonia Refrigeration Operators” in the group tab. Once you find the group, request to join. Your request to join the group will be sent to us and we will confirm you as a member.
Thanks for you time and wish you the best of luck for 2015 from the staff here at GCAP
Jeremy Williams, GCAP
Directing Manager / Instructor
www.AmmoniaTraining.com
620-271-0037
ammonia@pld.com
30 Years Later: CSB Safety Message Warns it Could Happen Again
by Jeremy Williams on Dec.02, 2014, under News
The video entitled “Reflections on Bhopal After Thirty Years” chronicles how on December 2, 1984, water inadvertently entered a storage tank containing more than 80,000 pounds of methyl isocyanate, or MIC, which reacts react violently with water. A subsequent runaway reaction overheated the tank and resulted in a massive toxic gas release. A dense, lethal cloud drifted over the city of Bhopal exposing hundreds of thousands of people to deadly MIC and other chemicals.
[youtube width=”480″ height=”320″]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZirRB32qzU#t=327[/youtube]
An estimated 3,800 people died immediately, and tens of thousands were injured. Eventually thousands more died from toxic gas-related illnesses – the release eventually killed tens of thousands of people.
In the wake of Bhopal, Congress enacted new laws to increase chemical emergency preparedness and to require companies to develop process safety and risk management programs, and to report their worst-case release scenarios. Congress also established the Chemical Safety Board to independently investigate chemical accidents and recommend measures to prevent such catastrophic accidents. But despite these actions in the 1990’s, the United States continues to experience serious chemical accidents.
In the video, CSB Chairperson Rafael Moure-Eraso says, “Process safety management regulations are in need of reform. There must be more emphasis on preventing the occurrence of major chemical accidents through safer design. Responding to emergencies and punishing people after the fact are not enough.
In the past few years, CSB investigations have found deficiencies in design and process safety management similar to those uncovered in Bhopal. The video points out that a 2008 explosion killing two workers and injuring eight others at a pesticide plant in Institute, West Virginia found that incomplete operator training and procedures similar to Union Carbide’s at Bhopal.
Furthermore, had the Institute plant vessel that exploded taken a different trajectory, pieces of it could have struck piping connected to a storage tank containing 13,700 pounds of MIC, potentially causing a large release of the same highly toxic chemical that killed thousands in Bhopal.
The safety message discusses a number of additional accidents currently investigated or previously investigated by the CSB which ultimately could have been prevented had current federal and state regulations focused on preventative measures or continuously reducing process risks.
To enhance safety in the chemical industry, the Board has voted to include “Modernize U.S. Process Safety Management Regulations” on the CSB’s list of most wanted safety improvements.
Chairperson Rafael Moure-Eraso concludes the video with the following call to industry and regulators, “Since Bhopal, both industry and government have increased their efforts to prevent major chemical accidents. But multiple CSB investigations show that much more needs to be done to assure that future tragedies will be avoided.”
The CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating serious chemical accidents. The agency’s board members are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. CSB investigations look into all aspects of chemical accidents, including physical causes such as equipment failure as well as inadequacies in regulations, industry standards, and safety management systems.
The Board does not issue citations or fines but does make safety recommendations to plants, industry organizations, labor groups, and regulatory agencies such as OSHA and EPA. Visit our website, www.csb.gov. For more information, contact public@csb.gov.
PSM Opportunity @ GCAP
by Jeremy Williams on Nov.18, 2014, under News
Do you have a passion for Ammonia Process Safety Management? Do you feel you have more to offer the Ammonia PSM community than you can at your current position?
GCAP is looking to expand our compliance team through the addition to our staff of an additional full time traveling instructor. You’ll travel all over the United States and work with the best customers in the business. From grocery store warehouses to synthetic rubber plants and food processors, if they use ammonia in a PSM/RMP covered process, you’ll visit them eventually. You’ll be part of a team assisting PSM practitioners as they perform Process Hazard Analysis Studies, Compliance Audits and even OSHA/EPA citation abatements.
You may well travel 80% of the time. You’ll work long days and nights. While GCAP offers a steady income, it will give you the chance to be part of the best team in the industry and get out from behind a desk. But if you’re willing to get out from behind the desk – if you’re willing to commit to helping our industry by becoming a traveling member of the GCAP staff, we can promise you something more: Satisfaction. A chance for promotion and becoming lead in GCAP’s other division courses as well!
- The satisfaction you get when you help people struggling with PSM finally understand it.
- The satisfaction you get when you assist people in getting their OSHA/EPA problems behind them so they can get back to their core business.
- The satisfaction you get when you realize you’ve made a difference in hundreds of companies across this great country.
- GCAP provides the training. GCAP provides the travel and accommodations. You provide the passion!
Contact us and send resume to:
Ammonia@pld.com
Subject: PSM Position
Thanks,
Garden City Ammonia Program
620.271.0037
www.AmmoniaTraining.com
Ammonia Operator I @ Phoenix, AZ
by Jeremy Williams on Nov.06, 2014, under News
Garden City Ammonia Program is proud to announce they will be in Phoenix, AZ in January 2015 to host an Ammonia Operator I Seminar.
This will be a 4 day intensive Industrial Ammonia Refrigeration Course. Seating is limited so make preparations today. Course dates are January 26 – 29, 2015
Course Syllabus
Registration
Other Course Dates
BITZER Screw Compressor: Looking from the Inside Out
by Jeremy Williams on Oct.13, 2014, under News
This is one of the best videos I have ever seen of following the gas through the female screw of a twin screw machine. Remember all twin screws must split rotors apart towards the suction port.
BITZER Screw Compressor
[youtube width=”480″ height=”320″]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbAINhbArLU[/youtube]
GCAP “CoolCast” Episode 39: Getting Back to Basics with CO2 and Supermarkets
by Jeremy Williams on Oct.06, 2014, under Podcast
In today’s PodCast Jeremy Williams interview Andre Patenaude whom is the Director of CO2 Business Development through Emerson Climate Technologies. Today we discused topics that are becoming more and more relevant to commercial refrigeration (Natural Refrigerants).
Donated cut-aways to GCAP from Emerson Climate Technologies
This podcast includes discussion of the proposed early phase outs of R-134a and some similar refrigerants by January 2016.
Emerson CO2 compressors for sub-critical application and transcritical applications.
Getting Back to Basics for technicians
University of Dayton Ohio “Global Innovation Center”
Mobile training simulators for CO2 applications
[youtube width=”480″ height=”320″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHsQu4c2OiU[/youtube]
Uncontrolled Anhydrous Ammonia Release
by Jeremy Williams on Sep.29, 2014, under News
A scary video of an ammonia release and what looks like a hose rupture. Thank goodness the spectators did not try to approach the scene and should of been further away.
Anhydrous Ammonia Tank Leak
[youtube width=”480″ height=”320″]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sn6CS4PYBoo[/youtube]