Moisture handling mechanisms in ice rinks

Abstract

The paper addresses the moisture handling function in ice rinks. Dehumidification has an important role in ice rinks to avoid structural damages and maintain a sustainable indoor environment. Field measurement analysis in a number of ice rinks in Sweden is performed, showing the indoor climate dependency on the ambient conditions. Indoor temperatures vary between +5°C to +10°C and humidity ratio between 2.5 to 6.0 gH2O/kg of air. [1] Moisture source evaluation shows that the most critical load is imposed by air leakages, while internal loads such as people can generate peaks but have a short-term nature. Control strategy of the dehumidification equipment has a significant impact on the appropriate humidity level and moreover poor controls can easily lead to a 30% energy penalty. [2] [3] In ice rinks it is concluded that the acceptable setpoint is in the range of 0°C to 2°C dewpoint temperature.