Regeneration energy analysis on desiccant wheel system in curling arena for the Winter Olympics

Abstract

Excess moisture is an important problem for the curling arena, since the moisture can condense onto the ice surface, destroying the smoothness and flatness of the ice surface. So far, air dehumidification and desiccant regeneration issues in ice rinks, such as curling arenas, are relative unknown and poorly reported in previous studies. Thus, on-site test and numerical simulation were carried out in this study to investigate the regeneration energy performance of a desiccant wheel system applied in the Winter Olympic curling arena. Results reveal that using the low-temperature and low-humidity outdoor air as the regeneration air (Strategy I) will perform better than using the high-temperature and high-humidity indoor air as the regeneration air (Strategy II) during the 2022 Winter Olympics. In the basic case, the coefficient of regeneration performance of the system can be improved by 41.2% and the carbon emission for the regeneration process can be reduced by 42.0% by Strategy I, compared to Strategy II. During the entire Winter Olympic month, the carbon emission for desiccant regeneration can be reduced by 19.4% by Strategy I. Moreover, a quick and approximate method without iterative processes is developed for regeneration air selection in similar ice arenas.