26 Energy Efficient Equipment An ice job in Guildford C
OUNCILS ACROSS THE UK are in the process of ensuring
their ice rinks are refrigerant compliant by the end of this year when the ban on recycled and virgin HCFC comes into force.
Guildford Spectrum in Surrey has already successfully completed its own migration away from R22 plant by replacing its aged refrigeration plant with an ammonia chiller from J&E Hall.
Home to the Guildford Flames Ice Hockey team, the Olympic sized ice rink is part of a multi-use complex which includes ten-pin bowling, swimming pools with wave machines, slides, diving facilities and several squash
courts. Guildford Spectrum is the largest leisure complex of its type in the UK and welcomes 1.6m customers every year.
The ice rink alone generates revenue in excess of £2m. So when Freedom Leisure which manages the facility on behalf of Guildford Borough Council started planning a replacement for an aged chilling plant that was incurring substantial maintenance bills, legislative compliance, sustainability, energy efficiency and longevity were key drivers.
“We were well aware of the R22 ban and had been devising a strategy for quite some time in preparation for the refrigerant ban,” says Alan
Hankin, ice and bowl manager at Guildford Spectrum. “Freedom Leisure was keen to address its own as well as the council’s environmental objectives while taking advantage of the energy saving and environmental properties a modern refrigerant system could offer.”
A dual circuit 350kW ethylene glycol ammonia chiller designed and manufactured by J & E Hall was specified, with optional Permanent Magnet Variable Frequency Drives (VFD) for capacity control to enhance the performance of the chiller at part load.
The VFD option can help reduce running costs by as much as 25% with an attractive 18-month payback. “Ammonia is one of the most efficient refrigerants,” says Alan. “We have seen other rinks benefitting from the energy savings and the zero GWP (Global Warming Potential) and ODP (Ozone Depletion Potential) satisfies any environmental concerns.” Ammonia’s excellent thermodynamic properties, a high COP (Coefficient of Performance), low energy requirements ensures that it is the refrigerant of choice for a wide range of industries including food processing and preservation industries, chemical, pharmaceutical industries, as well as hospitals. As a ‘natural’ refrigerant, Ammonia is readily available,
ACR News February 2015
inexpensive, and capable of absorbing large amounts of heat when it evaporates. Ammonia’s absorption capabilities makes it possible to use smaller drive motors, pipes and refrigeration components compared to other chiller systems while providing the same amount of cooling which delivers further cost savings.
Benefits
Ammonia offers several advantages over other widely used refrigerants: ■ Environmentally compatible refrigerant with an ODP of zero
■ Global warming potential of zero
■ High thermodynamic properties requires less energy than other refrigerants when used in large industrial systems
■ Proven safety record, in part as a result of its physical properties – a well- recognised and detectable odour.
ASHRAE and the
International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR) consider ammonia to be a cost- effective, efficient alternative to HCFCs that is safe for the environment.
But Mr Hankin was also looking for a degree of ‘future proofing’ as far as refrigerants were concerned. “Ammonia is not subject to the Montreal Protocol or F-Gas regulations
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