Standard for Ice Storage Bins

ARI Standard 820: Standard for Ice Storage Bins

For engineers and designers involved in thermal storage and commercial refrigeration, understanding product performance is paramount. ARI Standard 820 provides an authoritative framework for evaluating and rating ice storage bins, ensuring consistency and reliability in a critical component of many cooling systems. This standard is essential for specifying, testing, and verifying the capabilities of ice storage solutions across various applications.

What is ARI Standard 820?

ARI Standard 820, developed by the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI), establishes comprehensive definitions, testing procedures, and rating requirements specifically for factory-made ice storage bins. Its primary purpose is to provide a consistent and verifiable method for manufacturers to communicate the performance characteristics of their ice storage products to the industry. This standard ensures that engineers and specifiers have reliable data to select appropriate bins for their designs.

Scope & Purpose

This industry-leading standard governs the testing and rating of factory-made ice storage bins. It defines key performance metrics such as theoretical storage capacity and theoretical storage effectiveness under specified conditions. Excluded from its scope are automatic dispensing machines and cold plate drink dispensers, focusing solely on the static storage capabilities of the bins themselves. The standard aims to facilitate informed decision-making by providing a clear, standardized basis for product comparison.

Who Must Comply?

• • Primary audience: Refrigeration Engineers, HVAC Designers, Product Engineers, Test Technicians, and Quality Control Inspectors within the HVAC and refrigeration sectors.
• • Industries affected: HVAC Manufacturing, Commercial Refrigeration, Building Construction, and Energy Management.
• • Compliance nature: Conformance with ARI Standard 820 is voluntary. However, manufacturers claiming compliance must adhere to all its requirements.
• • Enforcement: Compliance is typically verified through self-certification by manufacturers and potentially through ARI's Certification Program, ensuring that published ratings accurately reflect product performance.

Key Requirements Overview

The ARI Standard 820 outlines several core provisions for ice storage bins:

• • Mandatory Definitions: The standard requires adherence to established industry definitions for terms like "Ice Storage Bin" and "Published Rating," ensuring clarity and common understanding.
• • Standardized Testing: It mandates that ice storage bins be tested using methods detailed in Appendix C, employing manufacturer-recommended components to reflect real-world conditions.
• • Defined Rating Conditions: Specific standard rating conditions, including ambient and initial ice temperatures, are established for consistent performance evaluation.
• • Performance Metrics: Key performance metrics, such as Theoretical Storage Capacity (calculated based on internal volume and density) and Theoretical Storage Effectiveness, must be determined and published.
• • Tolerance for Production Units: The standard specifies tolerances, requiring production units to meet or exceed published theoretical storage capacity and achieve at least 95% of the published theoretical storage effectiveness when tested.
• • Clear Publication Requirements: All published ratings must clearly state whether they are rated in accordance with ARI Standard 820 or are outside its scope, with application ratings requiring explicit mention of the conditions under which they apply.

Related Standards & References

While ARI Standard 820 focuses specifically on ice storage bins, it often works in conjunction with broader industry references. A key normative reference is the ASHRAE Terminology of Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning, and Refrigeration, which