CA1057069A - Method and apparatus for making and holding ice in an artificial ice rink - Google Patents
Method and apparatus for making and holding ice in an artificial ice rinkInfo
- Publication number
- CA1057069A CA1057069A CA267,055A CA267055A CA1057069A CA 1057069 A CA1057069 A CA 1057069A CA 267055 A CA267055 A CA 267055A CA 1057069 A CA1057069 A CA 1057069A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- air
- ice
- cold air
- enclosure
- ice surface
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
- F25B49/00—Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
- F25B49/02—Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices for compression type machines, plants or systems
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25C—PRODUCING, WORKING OR HANDLING ICE
- F25C3/00—Processes or apparatus specially adapted for producing ice or snow for winter sports or similar recreational purposes, e.g. for sporting installations; Producing artificial snow
- F25C3/02—Processes or apparatus specially adapted for producing ice or snow for winter sports or similar recreational purposes, e.g. for sporting installations; Producing artificial snow for ice rinks
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
Artificial ice surface plants contained within an enclosure, utilize a ceiling cold air duct system operatively connected to a refrigeration unit so that the entire air content of the building housing the ice surface is maintained at approximately 26°F
to 28°F which is quite comfortable for normal winter activities such as curling, ice hockey or ice skating.
The warmer air from the building is withdrawn, cooled and hence de-humidified, and then discharged back near the ceiling area so that any turbulence takes place well above the activity area and the cooler air gradually settles towards the ice surface. Heat ge-nerated by the refrigeration unit may be passed through a heat exchanger to heat other areas of the building or may be discharged externally. If the out-side ambient temperature drops below approximately 14°F, then outside air may be drawn into the system.
All of these alternatives assist in conservation of energy and are automatic in function and are control-led by a single automatic thermostat control within the buildings.
Artificial ice surface plants contained within an enclosure, utilize a ceiling cold air duct system operatively connected to a refrigeration unit so that the entire air content of the building housing the ice surface is maintained at approximately 26°F
to 28°F which is quite comfortable for normal winter activities such as curling, ice hockey or ice skating.
The warmer air from the building is withdrawn, cooled and hence de-humidified, and then discharged back near the ceiling area so that any turbulence takes place well above the activity area and the cooler air gradually settles towards the ice surface. Heat ge-nerated by the refrigeration unit may be passed through a heat exchanger to heat other areas of the building or may be discharged externally. If the out-side ambient temperature drops below approximately 14°F, then outside air may be drawn into the system.
All of these alternatives assist in conservation of energy and are automatic in function and are control-led by a single automatic thermostat control within the buildings.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to new and useful improvements in methods and apparatus for artificial ice rink plants contained within an enclosure and normally used for winter activities such as curling, ... ~ ......... .. . . .
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. . . :
.. .... : . . . . . .
~, . : , ~ . , .
. - . . ~ . .
: .. .: . : . . : ~ .
~05'7069 . .
ice skating, ice hockey and the likeO
Conventionally, such systems include a relatively thin ice surface below which are a series of pipes operatively connected to a heavy duty re-frigeration unit which circulates a refrigerant such as brine, throughout the pipes in order to form and maintain the ice surface, In order to maintain the ice surface, it is essential that a relatively thin layer of ice be formed otherwise it is difficult for the refrigerant within the pipes to form a new sur-face on the ice surface when desired, Such units are extremely heavy in energy consumption and, when the air within the enclosure becomes relatively warm, and high in humidity, fogging often occurs with the resultant deposition of frost on the walls and ceilings of the enclosure.
Another method of forming and maintaining an artificial ice surface is shown in UOS. Patent No: 3636725 dated January 25th, 1972, in which air is refrigerated to a temperature in the range below 10F and preferably below 5F and supplied at low velocity from multiple outlets spaced around the 10~;7069 . . ~
periphery of the skating area at a level closely adjacent to the surface of the ice thereby creating an abruptly stratified blanket of cold air, However, when considerable activity is taking place upon the ice surface, it is difficult to maintain this str.ati-fied blanket of cold air and furthermore, the feet of the people upon the ice often become extremely chilled due to the relatively low temperature of this air layer. Furthermore, it also is extremely heavy in energy consumption.
SUMM~RY OF THE INVENTICW
The present invention overcomes all of these disadvantages and one aspect of the invention is a system for making and holding ice in an artificial ~.
ice rink plant, situated within an enclosure which in-cludes a roof, and an ice surface for winter activities and the like, comprising in combination a source of refrigeration and cold air discharge ducts adjacent the roof of said enclosure operatively connected with ~.
said source of refrigeration whereby cold air dis-charging from said ducts mixed with the air within said enclosure and maintains all of the air within said enclosure within a pre-determined temperature range below the freezing point of water.
1~7(~69 ... .
A further aspect of the Invention is to provide a method of making and holding ice in an artificial ice rink plant situated within an enclosure having a roof comprising the steps ~ t of flooding said surface with water, cooling the air within said enc:losure to within a temperature range of between 25 F and 30 F and maintaining said air within said range.
Another advantage of the present invention is the fact that it is extremely low in the consumption of energy and yet maintainS ice with an enclosure temperature within the range of approximately 25F and 30F with the desired range being between 26F and 28F temperatures at which normal winter activities can be undertaken with comfort.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a system and method of the character herewithin described which lS is simple in construction, economical in manufacture and other-wise well suited to the purpose for which it is desiyned.
A principal object is to provide a system for making and holding ice in an artificial ice rink plant situated within an -enclosure which Includes a roof, and an ice surface for winter activities and the like; comprising dual sources of cold air in combination with a cold air discharge duct and a warm air return duct operatlvely connected with said sources of cold air wherein one source of cold air may be natural atmospheric cold air and the other source refrigerated air, the cold air discharge duct extending substantially from end to end adjacent the upper central portion of the roof of the enclosure and having outlets uniformly spaced therealong to direct cold air towards the ice surface, and a .'' lE 4 . .
warm air return duct extending at least partly along the upper portion of the roof adjacent the discharge duct and having inlets uniformly spaced therealong, whereby cold air discharging from said cold air outlets mixes with the air within said enclosure and maintains all of the air within said enclosure within a pre-determined temperature range below the freezing point of water.
With the foregoing objects in view, and other such objects and advantages as will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates as this specification proceeds, E
.. . . ~ , . . . .. . . .... . .
my invention consists essentially in the arrangement and construction of parts all as hereinafter more particularly described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:-DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a partial schematic cross sec-tional view of an artificial ice rink showing the refrigeration system and air duct system schematic-ally.
Figure 2 is a schematic top plan view of one embodiment of the duct system that may be used with the invention.
Figure 3 is a schematic view showing a heat exchanger incorporated within the compressor and condenser circuit.
Figure 4 is an isometric view showing one method of connecting the outside air with the duct systemO
Figure 5 is a schematic view of alterna-~OS7069 tive condenser circuitry.
Figure 6 is a schematic block diagram showing the entire system, ;
' i :
In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the differ~nt figures, DETAILED DESCRIPTIoN
Proceeding therefore to describe the inven-tion in detail, reference should first be made to Figure 1 but it should be understood that the struc-ture shown in Figure 1 is as an example only and should not be considered limiting.
Reference character 10 illustrates generally, an enclosure such as an ice rink encloisure having an ice surface 11 formed on the base 12 thereof.
This enclosure, when utilized in the pre-sent invention, should preferably be insulated as indicated by reference character 13 in order to con-serve energy and also to assist'in the maintaining of a constant air temperature within the enclosure.
Situated externally of the main enclosure . :
lO is a further enclosure 14 which contains the refrigeration unit consisting of a conventional com-pressor 15, a condenser unit 16 and an evaporator or ~.
cooling coil component 17 all of which are connected .:
together in an operative manner which is well known ~
and which is indicated by the schematic connections 18. ~.
Normally, the condenser includes a fan unit :
19 forcing air passed the conventional cooling coils -;
tnot illustrated) in order to lower the temperature of the refrigerant within the condenser coils.
However, as thi~ portion of the invention is conventional, it is not believed necessary to ex-plain same further except to state that with this particular invention, because of the temperatures .
utilized, a refrigerant such as that known as Refri-gerant 22 may be utilizedO
one embodiment of the invention incorporates a plurality of cold air discharge ducts 20 ~ituated within the roof area 21 of the enclosure and extend-ing from end to end to give a good distribution of -cool air being discharged by these ducts as will hereinafter be described and these ducts are opera-:: , ... . . .. -. ~ ... . , ........ . . . - , . . ': ' :
. , . ... . ~ ~ ~
tively connected by means of a main duct 22, to the evaporator or cooling unit 17 in the usual manner so that air passes through the cooling unit and is cooled thereby and then into the main duct 22 for the afore-said distribution within the roof area of the enclosure.
Figuresl and 2 also show air return or air pick-up ducts 23 also situated within the roof area and adjacent the discharge ducts. These pick-up ducts may also extend part way along the roof area as shown in Figure 2 and are connected to a main return duct 24 which also is operatively connected to the eva-porator.
In this particular embodiment, air is with-drawn from the roof area of the enclosure, passed through the evaporator thus cooling and lowering the humidity thereof whereupon it is then discharged back into the enclosure once again in the roof area so that any turbulence takes place well above the activity level of the enclosure. The cooled air gradually settles towards the ice surface 11 so that the over-all temperature of the air within the enclosure is maintained within a pre-determined range.
This range is preferably between 26F and 11057069 .:~ ' 28F, but of course it can vary above or below these limits within reason so long as it stays below the freezing point of water in order to maintain the ice s urf ace O : ; ' ' . .
':
When between 26 F and 28 F, the ice surface may be reformed by flooding and maintained without difficulty, One of the advantages of maintaining the temperature within the enclosure within the ranges mentioned above, is the fact that the humidity of the air is relatively low so that when the ice sur-face is flooded, rapid evaporation takes place thus assisting in the formation of the new ice surface and a good bond between the old and new surfaces, Furthermore, it will be appreciated that the thickness of ice is immaterial and in fact it is preferable to build up a relatively thick surface :
under certain circumstances, When the temperature outside the enclosure is below 20F, and preferably below 14 F, this cooler outside air may be drawn in through the system and lOS7069 ~:
discharged into the roof area through the discharge ducts 20 thus eliminating the necessity for the re-frigeration unit. This reduces the power consumption and conserves energy. ~.
The overall temperature of the air within the enclosure may be controlled by a conventional temperature control such as an adjustable thermostat 25 conveniently located, to control the refrigeration unit, A similar thermostat illustrated schematically ;
in Figure 6 by reference character 26, may also con-trol the opening and closing of a louver system shown :
in Figure 4 and identified by reference character 27, This is operated by a louver motor 28 operatively con-nected to the temperature control 26 and is situated within a connection to the main duct 22 so that when the louvers are opened, the conventional air circula-tion fan (not illustrated) within the duct system, will draw air from the outside and discharge it into the enclosure until the pre-determined temperature range is reached when once again, the thermostat 25 will switch off this motorO Inasmuch as the various connections and wiring of such a system are well-known, it is not believed necessary to show same further~
The condenser normally discharges to the l~D57069 , ::
outside of the enclosure, but if desired, a further heat exchanger 27 may be incorporated within the system between the compressor 15 and the condenser 16.
A pair of solenoid valves 28 and 29 are con- ~.
nected as shown with the heat exchanger being parallel with the main line 18 between the compressor and the ~.
condenser.
~. ' Hot gas which is discharged from the com-pressor is supplied to the heat exchanger through the solenoid valve 29 which is opened when heat is called for from the automatic temperature controls in the , area to be heated by the heat exchanger. When sole- -noid 29 is opened, solenoid 28 is automatically closed and as hot gas continues to travel through the heat exchanger, it pa-qses through a one-way valve 30 and .
thence to the condenser in the usual way~
This hot gas which is by now somewhat cooler, continues to the roof condenser 16 where further con-densation takes place~
When heat is not required, solenoid valve 29 closes and solenoid valve 28 opens thus automatically closing off the heat exchanger 27 which is by-passed so that the gas travels directly to the condenser 16.
This heat exchanger may be used to heat ad-ditional areas of the rink or plant such as club rooms or the like and once again enables a saving in energy to take place.
The condenser system may be further modified so that it either takes in outside air and discharges this air to the outside or alternatively, discharges this now warmed air to an inside area which may re-quire heating. Alternatively, air inside the area to be heated may be picked up, passed through the conden-ser and returned to this area once again resulting in a saving of energy. A schematic representation of this portion of the system is shown in Figure 5.
Summarizing then, inasmuch as energy has become expensive, the system provides the formation and maintenance of an ice surface at a fraction of the cost of present systemsO This is achieved in a number of ways and it is of course preferably that the rink or enclosure be insulated not only because of energy saving, but also because the temperature ~ 1057069 is maintained at a more constant level readily and easily.
With this sytem, a much higher temperature within the enclosure is possible than has ~een achie-ved with other rinks because the air is de-humidified automatically as it is cooled. Fog is no problem and no expensive de-humidity equipment is required to remove excess moisture or to pre-heat air which in turn must be refrigerated. Because of the rela-tively high temperature design of the system, a unit using what is known as Refrigerant 22 is employed with a very high B.T.U. to horsepower rating.
Furthermore, another reason for a large energy saving which cannot be achieved at lower tem-peratures, is the fact that when outside ambient air temperatures of approximately 14~F are reached, out-side air may be used to bring the inside temperature of the enclosure down to the preferred design tempera-ture of between 26F and 28F, In other words, the unit will automatically refrigerate by shutting re-frigeration unit off and opening louvers for the intake of cold air plus exhausting warm air until the design temperature is reached.
~0570~;9 :-The ceiling ducts are used so that normal waxmupper air makes available temperature differen-tials thereby making it possible to use smaller eva-porator coils and more efficiently humidifying warm air, ;
All air turbulence takes place at upper air levels thus allowing the colder air to slowly settle to the ice level and the design temperature of 26F to 28F makes it quite comfortable for normal winter activities.
A further conservation of energy i9 possible with this sytem inasmuch as the relatively large amounts of heat, which are normally exhausted to outside air, may be diverted to a heat exchanger in the club rooms or waiting rooms or other ancillary rooms of an ice plant thus reducing the amount of heat which normally has to be generated and which normally would be wasted by using an outside discharging condenser only.
Finally, the system can be used in summer to air condition the building with no piping or duct work to restrict other activities.
` 1057~69 Since various modifications can be made in my invention as hereinabove described, and many appa-rently widely different embodiments of same made with-in the spirit and scope of the claims without depart-ing from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification -~ :
shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense. .
, , 1, ", ,,, , , , , . ! ,., ~'. ~ :
~ ,, ' . : ` '
This invention relates to new and useful improvements in methods and apparatus for artificial ice rink plants contained within an enclosure and normally used for winter activities such as curling, ... ~ ......... .. . . .
.
. . . :
.. .... : . . . . . .
~, . : , ~ . , .
. - . . ~ . .
: .. .: . : . . : ~ .
~05'7069 . .
ice skating, ice hockey and the likeO
Conventionally, such systems include a relatively thin ice surface below which are a series of pipes operatively connected to a heavy duty re-frigeration unit which circulates a refrigerant such as brine, throughout the pipes in order to form and maintain the ice surface, In order to maintain the ice surface, it is essential that a relatively thin layer of ice be formed otherwise it is difficult for the refrigerant within the pipes to form a new sur-face on the ice surface when desired, Such units are extremely heavy in energy consumption and, when the air within the enclosure becomes relatively warm, and high in humidity, fogging often occurs with the resultant deposition of frost on the walls and ceilings of the enclosure.
Another method of forming and maintaining an artificial ice surface is shown in UOS. Patent No: 3636725 dated January 25th, 1972, in which air is refrigerated to a temperature in the range below 10F and preferably below 5F and supplied at low velocity from multiple outlets spaced around the 10~;7069 . . ~
periphery of the skating area at a level closely adjacent to the surface of the ice thereby creating an abruptly stratified blanket of cold air, However, when considerable activity is taking place upon the ice surface, it is difficult to maintain this str.ati-fied blanket of cold air and furthermore, the feet of the people upon the ice often become extremely chilled due to the relatively low temperature of this air layer. Furthermore, it also is extremely heavy in energy consumption.
SUMM~RY OF THE INVENTICW
The present invention overcomes all of these disadvantages and one aspect of the invention is a system for making and holding ice in an artificial ~.
ice rink plant, situated within an enclosure which in-cludes a roof, and an ice surface for winter activities and the like, comprising in combination a source of refrigeration and cold air discharge ducts adjacent the roof of said enclosure operatively connected with ~.
said source of refrigeration whereby cold air dis-charging from said ducts mixed with the air within said enclosure and maintains all of the air within said enclosure within a pre-determined temperature range below the freezing point of water.
1~7(~69 ... .
A further aspect of the Invention is to provide a method of making and holding ice in an artificial ice rink plant situated within an enclosure having a roof comprising the steps ~ t of flooding said surface with water, cooling the air within said enc:losure to within a temperature range of between 25 F and 30 F and maintaining said air within said range.
Another advantage of the present invention is the fact that it is extremely low in the consumption of energy and yet maintainS ice with an enclosure temperature within the range of approximately 25F and 30F with the desired range being between 26F and 28F temperatures at which normal winter activities can be undertaken with comfort.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a system and method of the character herewithin described which lS is simple in construction, economical in manufacture and other-wise well suited to the purpose for which it is desiyned.
A principal object is to provide a system for making and holding ice in an artificial ice rink plant situated within an -enclosure which Includes a roof, and an ice surface for winter activities and the like; comprising dual sources of cold air in combination with a cold air discharge duct and a warm air return duct operatlvely connected with said sources of cold air wherein one source of cold air may be natural atmospheric cold air and the other source refrigerated air, the cold air discharge duct extending substantially from end to end adjacent the upper central portion of the roof of the enclosure and having outlets uniformly spaced therealong to direct cold air towards the ice surface, and a .'' lE 4 . .
warm air return duct extending at least partly along the upper portion of the roof adjacent the discharge duct and having inlets uniformly spaced therealong, whereby cold air discharging from said cold air outlets mixes with the air within said enclosure and maintains all of the air within said enclosure within a pre-determined temperature range below the freezing point of water.
With the foregoing objects in view, and other such objects and advantages as will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates as this specification proceeds, E
.. . . ~ , . . . .. . . .... . .
my invention consists essentially in the arrangement and construction of parts all as hereinafter more particularly described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:-DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a partial schematic cross sec-tional view of an artificial ice rink showing the refrigeration system and air duct system schematic-ally.
Figure 2 is a schematic top plan view of one embodiment of the duct system that may be used with the invention.
Figure 3 is a schematic view showing a heat exchanger incorporated within the compressor and condenser circuit.
Figure 4 is an isometric view showing one method of connecting the outside air with the duct systemO
Figure 5 is a schematic view of alterna-~OS7069 tive condenser circuitry.
Figure 6 is a schematic block diagram showing the entire system, ;
' i :
In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the differ~nt figures, DETAILED DESCRIPTIoN
Proceeding therefore to describe the inven-tion in detail, reference should first be made to Figure 1 but it should be understood that the struc-ture shown in Figure 1 is as an example only and should not be considered limiting.
Reference character 10 illustrates generally, an enclosure such as an ice rink encloisure having an ice surface 11 formed on the base 12 thereof.
This enclosure, when utilized in the pre-sent invention, should preferably be insulated as indicated by reference character 13 in order to con-serve energy and also to assist'in the maintaining of a constant air temperature within the enclosure.
Situated externally of the main enclosure . :
lO is a further enclosure 14 which contains the refrigeration unit consisting of a conventional com-pressor 15, a condenser unit 16 and an evaporator or ~.
cooling coil component 17 all of which are connected .:
together in an operative manner which is well known ~
and which is indicated by the schematic connections 18. ~.
Normally, the condenser includes a fan unit :
19 forcing air passed the conventional cooling coils -;
tnot illustrated) in order to lower the temperature of the refrigerant within the condenser coils.
However, as thi~ portion of the invention is conventional, it is not believed necessary to ex-plain same further except to state that with this particular invention, because of the temperatures .
utilized, a refrigerant such as that known as Refri-gerant 22 may be utilizedO
one embodiment of the invention incorporates a plurality of cold air discharge ducts 20 ~ituated within the roof area 21 of the enclosure and extend-ing from end to end to give a good distribution of -cool air being discharged by these ducts as will hereinafter be described and these ducts are opera-:: , ... . . .. -. ~ ... . , ........ . . . - , . . ': ' :
. , . ... . ~ ~ ~
tively connected by means of a main duct 22, to the evaporator or cooling unit 17 in the usual manner so that air passes through the cooling unit and is cooled thereby and then into the main duct 22 for the afore-said distribution within the roof area of the enclosure.
Figuresl and 2 also show air return or air pick-up ducts 23 also situated within the roof area and adjacent the discharge ducts. These pick-up ducts may also extend part way along the roof area as shown in Figure 2 and are connected to a main return duct 24 which also is operatively connected to the eva-porator.
In this particular embodiment, air is with-drawn from the roof area of the enclosure, passed through the evaporator thus cooling and lowering the humidity thereof whereupon it is then discharged back into the enclosure once again in the roof area so that any turbulence takes place well above the activity level of the enclosure. The cooled air gradually settles towards the ice surface 11 so that the over-all temperature of the air within the enclosure is maintained within a pre-determined range.
This range is preferably between 26F and 11057069 .:~ ' 28F, but of course it can vary above or below these limits within reason so long as it stays below the freezing point of water in order to maintain the ice s urf ace O : ; ' ' . .
':
When between 26 F and 28 F, the ice surface may be reformed by flooding and maintained without difficulty, One of the advantages of maintaining the temperature within the enclosure within the ranges mentioned above, is the fact that the humidity of the air is relatively low so that when the ice sur-face is flooded, rapid evaporation takes place thus assisting in the formation of the new ice surface and a good bond between the old and new surfaces, Furthermore, it will be appreciated that the thickness of ice is immaterial and in fact it is preferable to build up a relatively thick surface :
under certain circumstances, When the temperature outside the enclosure is below 20F, and preferably below 14 F, this cooler outside air may be drawn in through the system and lOS7069 ~:
discharged into the roof area through the discharge ducts 20 thus eliminating the necessity for the re-frigeration unit. This reduces the power consumption and conserves energy. ~.
The overall temperature of the air within the enclosure may be controlled by a conventional temperature control such as an adjustable thermostat 25 conveniently located, to control the refrigeration unit, A similar thermostat illustrated schematically ;
in Figure 6 by reference character 26, may also con-trol the opening and closing of a louver system shown :
in Figure 4 and identified by reference character 27, This is operated by a louver motor 28 operatively con-nected to the temperature control 26 and is situated within a connection to the main duct 22 so that when the louvers are opened, the conventional air circula-tion fan (not illustrated) within the duct system, will draw air from the outside and discharge it into the enclosure until the pre-determined temperature range is reached when once again, the thermostat 25 will switch off this motorO Inasmuch as the various connections and wiring of such a system are well-known, it is not believed necessary to show same further~
The condenser normally discharges to the l~D57069 , ::
outside of the enclosure, but if desired, a further heat exchanger 27 may be incorporated within the system between the compressor 15 and the condenser 16.
A pair of solenoid valves 28 and 29 are con- ~.
nected as shown with the heat exchanger being parallel with the main line 18 between the compressor and the ~.
condenser.
~. ' Hot gas which is discharged from the com-pressor is supplied to the heat exchanger through the solenoid valve 29 which is opened when heat is called for from the automatic temperature controls in the , area to be heated by the heat exchanger. When sole- -noid 29 is opened, solenoid 28 is automatically closed and as hot gas continues to travel through the heat exchanger, it pa-qses through a one-way valve 30 and .
thence to the condenser in the usual way~
This hot gas which is by now somewhat cooler, continues to the roof condenser 16 where further con-densation takes place~
When heat is not required, solenoid valve 29 closes and solenoid valve 28 opens thus automatically closing off the heat exchanger 27 which is by-passed so that the gas travels directly to the condenser 16.
This heat exchanger may be used to heat ad-ditional areas of the rink or plant such as club rooms or the like and once again enables a saving in energy to take place.
The condenser system may be further modified so that it either takes in outside air and discharges this air to the outside or alternatively, discharges this now warmed air to an inside area which may re-quire heating. Alternatively, air inside the area to be heated may be picked up, passed through the conden-ser and returned to this area once again resulting in a saving of energy. A schematic representation of this portion of the system is shown in Figure 5.
Summarizing then, inasmuch as energy has become expensive, the system provides the formation and maintenance of an ice surface at a fraction of the cost of present systemsO This is achieved in a number of ways and it is of course preferably that the rink or enclosure be insulated not only because of energy saving, but also because the temperature ~ 1057069 is maintained at a more constant level readily and easily.
With this sytem, a much higher temperature within the enclosure is possible than has ~een achie-ved with other rinks because the air is de-humidified automatically as it is cooled. Fog is no problem and no expensive de-humidity equipment is required to remove excess moisture or to pre-heat air which in turn must be refrigerated. Because of the rela-tively high temperature design of the system, a unit using what is known as Refrigerant 22 is employed with a very high B.T.U. to horsepower rating.
Furthermore, another reason for a large energy saving which cannot be achieved at lower tem-peratures, is the fact that when outside ambient air temperatures of approximately 14~F are reached, out-side air may be used to bring the inside temperature of the enclosure down to the preferred design tempera-ture of between 26F and 28F, In other words, the unit will automatically refrigerate by shutting re-frigeration unit off and opening louvers for the intake of cold air plus exhausting warm air until the design temperature is reached.
~0570~;9 :-The ceiling ducts are used so that normal waxmupper air makes available temperature differen-tials thereby making it possible to use smaller eva-porator coils and more efficiently humidifying warm air, ;
All air turbulence takes place at upper air levels thus allowing the colder air to slowly settle to the ice level and the design temperature of 26F to 28F makes it quite comfortable for normal winter activities.
A further conservation of energy i9 possible with this sytem inasmuch as the relatively large amounts of heat, which are normally exhausted to outside air, may be diverted to a heat exchanger in the club rooms or waiting rooms or other ancillary rooms of an ice plant thus reducing the amount of heat which normally has to be generated and which normally would be wasted by using an outside discharging condenser only.
Finally, the system can be used in summer to air condition the building with no piping or duct work to restrict other activities.
` 1057~69 Since various modifications can be made in my invention as hereinabove described, and many appa-rently widely different embodiments of same made with-in the spirit and scope of the claims without depart-ing from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification -~ :
shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense. .
, , 1, ", ,,, , , , , . ! ,., ~'. ~ :
~ ,, ' . : ` '
Claims (3)
1. A system for making and holding ice in an artificial ice rink plant situated within an enclosure which includes a roof, and an ice surface for winter activities and the like; comprising dual sources of cold air in combination with a cold air discharge duct and a warm air >e?urn duct opera-tively connected with said sources of cold air wherein one source of cold air may be natural atmospheric cold air and the other source refrigerated air, the cold air discharge duct extending substantially from end to end adjacent the upper central portion of the roof of the enclosure and having outlets uniformly spaced therealong to direct cold air towards the ice surface, and a warm air return duct extending at least partly along the upper portion of the roof adjacent the discharge duct and having inlets uniformly spaced therealong, whereby cold air discharging from said cold air outlets mixes with the air within said enclosure and maintains all of the air within said enclosure within a predetermined temperature range below the freezing point of water.
2. The system according to claim 1 in which said source of refrigeration Includes a compressor, a condenser and an evaporator operatively connected together, and a heat exchanger selectively engageable in circuit between said compressor and said condenser.
3. The system acco
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA267,055A CA1057069A (en) | 1976-12-02 | 1976-12-02 | Method and apparatus for making and holding ice in an artificial ice rink |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA267,055A CA1057069A (en) | 1976-12-02 | 1976-12-02 | Method and apparatus for making and holding ice in an artificial ice rink |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1057069A true CA1057069A (en) | 1979-06-26 |
Family
ID=4107417
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA267,055A Expired CA1057069A (en) | 1976-12-02 | 1976-12-02 | Method and apparatus for making and holding ice in an artificial ice rink |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1057069A (en) |
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO1989012793A1 (en) * | 1988-06-22 | 1989-12-28 | Clulow Malcom George | Snow making equipment |
| WO2003036198A1 (en) * | 2001-10-23 | 2003-05-01 | Acer Snowmec Limited | Snow making |
-
1976
- 1976-12-02 CA CA267,055A patent/CA1057069A/en not_active Expired
Cited By (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO1989012793A1 (en) * | 1988-06-22 | 1989-12-28 | Clulow Malcom George | Snow making equipment |
| GR890100412A (en) * | 1988-06-22 | 1990-05-11 | George Malkom Clulow | Snow production equipment |
| US5230218A (en) * | 1988-06-22 | 1993-07-27 | Clulow Malcolm G | Snow making equipment |
| WO2003036198A1 (en) * | 2001-10-23 | 2003-05-01 | Acer Snowmec Limited | Snow making |
| US7062926B2 (en) | 2001-10-23 | 2006-06-20 | Acer Snowmec Limited | Snow making |
| US7269959B2 (en) | 2001-10-23 | 2007-09-18 | Acer Snowmec Limited | Snow making |
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