Experimental and numerical study of zonal heat and moisture migration inside artificial ice rinks

Ice rinks feature typical non-uniform indoor environment with evident vertical and horizontal parameter differences. A validated CFD model established based on the on-site measurement is utilized to investigate the indoor environment along with the zonal heat and moisture transfer characteristics in a recreational ice rink. It is demonstrated that there are both cooling and heating demands inside the ice hall due to different control standards for various functional regions. Zonal mixing induces a large amount of additional load with 53.5% of the heat brought by the dehumidifiers eventually flowing into the ice sheet and carried away by the refrigeration system. The ice sheet cooperates with the dehumidifiers to dislodge the indoor moisture gain. The importance of proper design of ventilation systems and adequate physical separation is emphasized. Zonal migration coefficients are proposed, and the variation range influenced by different factors are investigated. The migration coefficients between the near-ice zone and the occupied ice field are around 4 W/(m2.K) and 5 g/(s.m2), and those between the occupied and unoccupied ice field are around 14 W/(m2.K) and 18 g/(s.m2). The findings provide a simplified calculation method for regional heat and moisture flow, and are beneficial for the optimization of system design and energy conservation in ice rinks.