Ice rinks switch to ammonia to ensure compliance with legislation and save money

With many European ice rinks built between the 1970s and 1980s designed to use R22, a refrigerant damaging to both the ozone and the climate and now subject to strict EU HCFC regulation, many ice rinks are now being refurbished with ammonia to ensure compliance with legislation.

As a result of the 1 January 2010 ban on the use of virgin hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) in the maintenance and servicing of refrigeration and air conditioning systems, ammonia is becoming more and more popular as a refrigerant for ice rinks. For example, in 2011 the Arago ice rink in Roche-sur-Yon in France, Alexandra Palace ice rink in the UK and the two Slovak ice rinks hosting the 2011 international ice hockey championships were all refurbished with ammonia systems.

New legislation requires change to natural refrigerants

Like many of the ice rinks built in the 1980s, prior to refurbishment the Arago ice rink used the refrigerant R22, which has a high ozone depletion potential (ODP) and high global warming potential (GWP). To comply with the R22 phase out, the ice rink had the choice between modifying the compressors and changing refrigerant.

The latter option was chosen and ammonia was selected as a new refrigerant, in part because of cost savings. The R22 phase-out, planned in France for 1 January 2015, has caused the cost of Freon refrigerants to increase by up to 5 times. Consequently, refurbishing an ice rink like Arago with R22, which costs €10,000 per ton and requires at least 8 tons of refrigerant, would be extremely costly.

The selected ammonia cooling system will be installed by a Finnish company, and snaking beneath the concrete will be an extensive network of tubing to ensure cooling to -10°C. Following the renovation, a 3cm layer of ice will rest on a slab measuring 58m x 28m, which will require 250m³ of concrete.

The work is anticipated to take 4-6 months, and the ice rink is due to reopen on the 4 November. The project, which will cost €1,6 million, and also includes in a new roof.

Alexandra Palace ice rink reopens after £2.3 million (€2,6 million) refurbishment

Already opened this year after extensive refurbishment is the iconic Alexandra Palace ice rink in London, UK. The ice rink, located in the East Hall of Alexandra Palace measure 56 by 26 metres, and is home to local figure skating and ice hockey teams, as well open to the public.

After a 9-month closure for renovation, the ice rink reopened earlier this year. At a cost of £2.3 million (€2,6 million), the ice rink overhaul included the replacement of the old ice and chiller plant system with a more environmentally friendly ammonia-glycol cooling system, and a low emissivity ceiling. In addition, 77 substructure piles were constructed to support the almost 6 tons of ice.

Newly renovated ammonia arenas in the Slovak Republic host IIHF 2011 World Championships

Two newly renovated ice arenas in Bratislava and Kosice in the Slovak Republic played host to the 2011 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHC) World Championships in May. The ice rinks were both refurbished with ammonia cooling systems. The Bratislava ammonia machine room now has 5 refrigeration compressors and uses 3200 kg of ammonia to produce 6 cm of ice, cooled to -6°C.

Background

Artificial ice rinks first appeared in the 1870s, and one of the very first buildings ice rinks was constructed in New York and used ammonia as the refrigerant. The second refrigerated ice surface was constructed in Charing Cross, London. Then, in the 1880s and 1890s several rinks were constructed in other European cities like Paris, Nice, Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich.