How does an ice rink stay frozen? The most common method of refrigeration used in keeping an ice rink frozen is an indirect refrigeration system. This is where a liquid refrigerant (often ammonia) absorbs heat from a secondary liquid (often brine) which has absorbed heat from the source.
How do icerinks not melt?
The water is warmed to about 140-145 degrees. It doesn't melt the ice because it freezes pretty quickly. But the hotter the water the smoother the surface it creates.
How do hockey rinks keep ice frozen?
At the beginning of the hockey season, the arena uses an advanced refrigeration system that pumps freezing "brinewater" (salt water) through a system of pipes that run through a large piece of concrete known as the "ice slab." When the "ice slab" gets cold enough, layers of water are applied to it.
What is under the ice in an ice rink?
In ice rinks, the refrigerant cools brine water, an anti-freezing agent, which goes through pipes underneath the ice. A level of insulation is set beneath the concrete slab so that the ice can shrink and expand as needed.
What chemicals are used in ice rinks?
What is ammonia? Anhydrous ammoniaAnhydrous ammoniaA typical modern ammonia-producing plant first converts natural gas, liquified petroleum gas, or petroleum naphtha into gaseous hydrogen. The method for producing hydrogen from hydrocarbons is known as steam reforming. The hydrogen is then combined with nitrogen to produce ammonia via the Haber-Bosch process.https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Ammonia_productionAmmonia production - Wikipedia is a toxic gas recognizable by its pungent odor. Anhydrous ammonia compressed into a liquid form is commonly used in mechanical refrigeration systems for indoor icerinks and other facilities. It becomes a gas when released into the ambient air.
Why is ammonia used in ice rinks?
Ammonia refrigeration is an economically and environmentally efficient option for icerinks and other refrigeration facilities. Of the many types of refrigeration systems used in the U.S., ammonia is one of the most energy-efficient. Unlike some refrigerants, ammonia does not cause damage to the ozone layer.
How does ice rink refrigeration work?
In ice rinks, the refrigerant cools brine water, an anti-freezing agent, which goes through pipes underneath the ice. These steel pipes are typically embedded into a concrete slab and kept at 32 F / 0 C, so that any water placed on top of the slab freezes and becomes the skating surface that we see.
How deep is the ice in an ice rink?
Ice is approximately 3/4" of an inch thick and is usually chilled at 16 degrees fahrenheit. The thicker the ice, the softer and slower it becomes.
What is ice ammonia?
At moderate pressures and temperatures, ammonia ice is a molecular crystal where strong covalent bonds coexist with weaker hydrogen bonds, as in water ice. By compressing this solid above ~60 GPa and by annealing above ~750 K, a new form of ammonia ice has been discovered, called the α phase (Figure 1).Aug 6, 2012
What refrigerant is used in ice rinks?
HCFC-22 is used as a refrigerant in many applications, including ice rinks.
What color is ammonia ice?
light blue
How do you make an ice rink refrigerated?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iwmz_q-gIg8
Is ammonia a cooling agent?
Ammonia has a good volumetric cooling capacity and is a very effective refrigerant due to a heat of vaporisation of 1368 kJ/kg. Only a small amount of ammonia needs to be moved in the system approx. 13 to 15 percent compared to fluorocarbons, to generate a high refrigeration capacity. This makes NH3 very economical.
Why is ammonia used for cooling?
Ammonia, frequently used commercially in large freezing and refrigeration plants is also called “anhydrous ammonia” because it contains almost no water (it is 99.98% pure). Ammonia is a 3-10% more efficient refrigerant than CFCs, so an ammonia-based system requires less electricity, resulting in lower operating costs.
How does ammonia cooling work?
The cold ammonia cools the air around it, the inside of a refrigerator in many cases. While the ammonia begins to warm, the air gets colder. The ammonia continues to travel through the refrigerated area slowly becoming warmer as it goes.Feb 1, 2017
How thick is figure skating ice?
Short track speed skating ice requires a thickness of 1 to 1.25 inches (2.5–3cm), compared to figure skating where the ice is 1.5 to 2 inches (3.8–5cm) thick.