Central frigorífica industrial

A 90-minute, 4-round basic Express simulation for Spanish vocational training (Formacion Profesional), module 0041 Montaje y mantenimiento de instalaciones frigorificas industriales of the Tecnico en Instalaciones Frigorificas y de Climatizacion (Real Decreto 1793/2010), with module 0135 Mantenimiento de instalaciones frigorificas y de climatizacion of the Tecnico Superior en Mantenimiento de Instalaciones Termicas y de Fluidos (Real Decreto 220/2008).

The learner is Ruben Albisua, a newly qualified refrigeration technician in the maintenance team of a fictional frozen-food plant with an ammonia refrigeration plant, Congelados Navalcorvo, between October 2027 and September 2028.

Four situations set the plant's course: the machine room's first ammonia alarm on a campaign night, and how the technician responds (the emergency plan followed, people out and counted, the room not entered, only a trained pair with self-contained breathing apparatus near the leak) and how the leak is located and isolated (the affected section on the isolation diagram, nothing tightened under pressure); a freezing tunnel that loses capacity, and how it is diagnosed (the record and the pressures against the design values) and what is done with its hot-gas defrost (checked phase by phase); the liquid separator's high-level trips and a cavitating pump, and what is done with the separator (the cause of the high level found, the safety left in place) and with the pumps (diagnosed before anything is changed); and the summer review of how each incident is reported (the kilos of ammonia and any exposure in the installation's logbook) and closed (each incident reviewed, the emergency plan drilled).

With ammonia, the safety of people first and the fault afterwards.

Scored on the incidents resolved right first time, the cost of the incidents, the product compromised per incident and the staff exposure in person-hours; training-level decision practice that complements the module's supervised practical work, the plant's emergency plan and the training in breathing apparatus, with no concentration, threshold, pressure, level or procedure given.

Three critical errors cap the round at 40: going into the machine room alone with a dust mask (Ley 31/1995, articles 20 and 21; RSIF IF-16), bridging the separator's high-level switch (Ley 31/1995, article 29.2.3) and releasing a pump's ammonia into the room. Spanish primary, English parity.

An introductory simulation that assumes no prior knowledge of the subject, designed for undergraduate courses. It also works in vocational and high-school programmes and in onboarding sessions.