Air Distribution and Air Handling Unit Configuration Effects on Energy Performance in an Air-Heated Ice Rink Arena

Mehdi Taebnia,Lauri Leppä,Sander Toomla,Jarek Kurnitski

doi:10.3390/en12040693

Mehdi Taebnia, Lauri Leppä + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/en12040693

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Abstract

Indoor ice rink arenas are among the foremost consumers of energy within building sector due to their exclusive indoor conditions. A single ice rink arena may consume energy of up to 3500 MWh annually, indicating the potential for energy saving. The cooling effect of the ice pad, which is the main source for heat loss, causes a vertical indoor air temperature gradient. The objective of the present study is twofold: (i) to study vertical temperature stratification of indoor air, and how it impacts on heat load toward the ice pad; (ii) to investigate the energy performance of air handling units (AHU), as well as the effects of various AHU layouts on ice rinks’ energy consumption. To this end, six AHU configurations with different air-distribution solutions are presented, based on existing arenas in Finland. The results of the study verify that cooling energy demand can significantly be reduced by 38 percent if indoor temperature gradient approaches 1 °C/m. This is implemented through air distribution solutions. Moreover, the cooling energy demand for dehumidification is decreased to 59.5 percent through precisely planning the AHU layout, particularly at the cooling coil and heat recovery sections. The study reveals that a more customized air distribution results in less stratified indoor air temperature.

Highlights

The reduction of energy use in buildings is a strategic research challenge, due to the significant contribution of the building sector in CO2 emissions
The energy consumptionofofthe thesame sameice icerinks rinks has has been been measured measured to setset airair stratification intensity for the simulation is based on experimental measurements conducted in three stratification intensity for the simulation is based on experimental measurements conducted in three iceice rink arenas inin subsequentlydescribed, described, and rink arenas
Thethe more significant result of the study are the impacts of indoor air temperature gradients on energy demand

Summary

Introduction

The reduction of energy use in buildings is a strategic research challenge, due to the significant contribution of the building sector in CO2 emissions. The reduction of energy use and the improvement in energy efficiency is strongly linked to the operations and performance of passive and active systems in buildings [1]. The potential for the reduction of energy demand has to be evaluated through the prioritizing solutions based on their energy efficiency [2]. Indoor ice arenas among the building sector are an enormous consumer of energy, due to their unique indoor conditions. The yearly energy consumption of a standard single ice rink arena is typically estimated to be between. The range of individually measured energy consumptions is even larger, within 500–3500 MWh/year, which provides a great potential for energy savings [5]. The ice pad refrigeration and hall space heating are two major contributors to the energy use of the ice rinks

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