Skating rink at the Arena Centro in Oberhausen

Planning / Implementation / Main components

YORK Deutschland GmbH

Refrigerant

ammonia (NH₃)

System start-up

1996

The Centro Oberhausen shopping centre was built on the site of a former coalmine in the north-western part of the Ruhr industrial area. The modern complex includes an attractive multi-purpose event hall for an audience of 13,000, which YORK upgraded with an ice-skating rink.

Demands

As the building needs to be used for a variety of events without lengthy conversion times, it called for a refrigeration system that would be able to reliably produce different consistencies of ice in the shortest possible time.

Solution

Refrigeration is achieved using two liquid chillers with screw compressors. Ammonia-cooled glycol water circulates in the pipe network within the concrete foundation slab. This ensures maximum safety, environmental compatibility, economy and availability. Special plate heat exchangers ensure that the facility is highly efficient while requiring a relatively small charge of ammonia.

Type of facility

indirect cooling system

Refrigerant

NH₃

Refrigerant volume

160 kg

Secondary refrigerant

ethylene glycol / water

Refrigeration

2 liquid chillers with 2 ammonia-screw compressors each, Model SAB 128 HF, at -16/40 °C refrigerating capacity 220 kW,
2,960 RPM

1 brine cooler plate heat exchanger 405 kW

1 condenser plate heat exchanger 550 kW

1 common evaporative cooler

for both units (closed system recirculating glycol / water) 1,100 kW

Cold glycol cycle

for 30 x 60 m rink with 21 km of rink piping in DN 20, recirculation volume 280 m³/h

Warm glycol cycle

for condensing and underfloor heater to prevent substrate freezing, recirculation volume
220 m³/h

Cooling consumers

1 defrosting system for the rink sole with heat exchanger 1,000 kW

1 water treatment unit

for the indirect condenser cooler and for icing the rink*

Surface area of the ice

1,800 m²

Stadium capacity

13,000

Special features / Comments

* top-quality ice through fully desalinated water