Case studies

Scotland’s Favorite Ice Rink


conversion to environmentally-friendly ammonia refrigerating system

 

Supplier:

Star Refrigeration

Refrigerant:

Ammonia

Cooling capacity:

300 kW cooling 40% ethylene glycol to -10degC

System start-up:

November 2016

 

Requirements

The East Kilbride ice rink is one of Scotland’s best known and most popular ice rinks, with over 120,000 visitors per year taking part in a wide range of events, including curling and ice skating parties. The ice rink previously used a refrigerating system with R22 as the refrigerant. The system was installed in 1989 and had been in operation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week ever since. However, there was a problem. R22 refrigerants (HCFC) fall under the F-gas Regulation, which decrees that from 2015, no procedures can be carried out on refrigerating systems which use R22. This meant that should the system need repairing at any time, the ice rink would have had to be shut down for good. The operators therefore looked into a future-proof and sustainable refrigerating system which complies with the stricter environmental regulations within the scope of the F-gas regulation, while simultaneously reducing the energy consumption and operating costs.

 

Solution

Star Refrigeration designed and installed the majority of the permanent ice rinks in Great Britain, including the current R22 system at East Kilbride Ice Rink. Thanks to their wealth of experience, Star Refrigeration was to implement the new refrigeration system as well. The company decided to use their air-cooled, modular Azanechiller 2.0 (AA415MT-2 model), which is operated as a stand-alone solution and is equipped with high-performance energy-saving technology. The Azanechiller, which uses ammonia as a refrigerant, was developed specifically for use in medium temperature ranges. The system is equipped with two compressors to provide extra resilience and is installed alongside a run/standby pump set. The high level of efficiency is particularly impressive. The Seasonal Energy Performance Ratio (SEPR) of the refrigerating system is 4.32, which surpasses the specifications of the EU Ecodesign Directive by 71 percent and other comparable high-performance refrigeration systems by 20 percent. The implementation and installation of the system proved to be particularly challenging. The initial step involved removing the floor, the old system and the access barriers around the ice rink. The new air-cooled, ammonia refrigerating system and pump systems were then installed, alongside a new ice rink floor, the access barriers and a storage room for curling stones. This upgrade also required extensive and complex piping and wiring. As the installation was scheduled to be conducted as part of extensive construction work around the ice rink and the Olympia Mall, the work was carried out in close collaboration with the general contractor at the planned times. The result is impressive: The new refrigeration system is characterized by its low energy consumption and reduced maintenance requirements, while its use of ammonia as a refrigerant means the system is extraordinarily environmentally-friendly.

technical data:

Client:

East Kilbride Ice Rink

Location:

East Kilbride

Equipment:

Azanechiller 2.0

Refrigerant:

NH3

Capacity:

Temperature:

200 kW - 1200 kW

-10degC - +10degC

contact:

Dr. Robert Lamb PhD FInstR MCIBSE

Group Sales & Marketing Director

Start Refrigeration Ltd

T: +44 (0)1332 756041

M: +44 (0)7979 705802

www.star-ref.co.uk