Trade press release
"Cool Runnings" with GEA
11 Oct 2022
For bobsleigh and skeleton racers as well as lugers, it's a matter of thousandths of a second that make the difference in the fight for a podium position. The operators of ice rinks as well as bobsleigh and luge tracks also have to face challenges with a cool head. How can the "perfect ice" be created? How can environmental regulations be met and the goal of climate neutrality in the overall operation of the icy high-speed facility be achieved? GEA's technological solutions for refrigeration on numerous bobsleigh tracks ensure that athletes can achieve top times and operators can show top performance in climate-friendly and efficient operation.
GEA equipped the Veltins EisArena Winterberg with three GEA compressors with a cooling capacity of 315 kW each and an ammonia dryer (NH₃ dryer). (Photo: GEA)
One example is the VELTINS EisArena in Winterberg. The path clearly shown by the operators towards a climate-neutral facility was a criterion for the decision of the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation (IBSF) to award the 2024 World Championships to Winterberg. Three GEA compressors with a cooling capacity of 315 kW each and an ammonia dryer (NH3 -Dryer) ensure constant ice conditions and competition conditions on the high-speed track.
We meet operations manager Stefan Knipschild in the heart of the Winterberg bobsleigh track, the refrigeration plant room in the lower section of the track directly at the final curve. The three impressive GEA screws of the GEA Grasso LT series, each with an output of 250 kW, make it possible to generate enough cold to ice the track's concrete tube even when the outside temperature is as high as +20°C. Two large collection tanks each hold 20,000 liters of ammonia. By way of comparison, the capacity of the refrigeration machines is equivalent to that of around 15,000 refrigerators.
The operations manager of the Veltins EisArena, Stefan Knipschild, in front of the control system in the refrigeration plant room of the VeltinsArena. (Photo: GEA)
The GEA Grasso LT series – full of advantages
The compressors of the GEA Grasso LT series have an extremely long life span and low noise and vibration levels due to the combined sleeve and roller bearing of the rotors. All components are designed for long operating life, high availability and easy maintenance. GEA screw compressors can be provided according to the API 619 standard and ISO 10440.
High-speed line wants to be maintained - and the team around operations manager Stefan Knipschild already has the dates for competitions and training courses in mind
The start of the ice season at the beginning of October each year is a highly interesting and exciting challenge for Stefan Knipschild, ice master Ingo Götze and around a dozen helpers. Throughout the year, the VELTINS EisArena team has maintained all the equipment and machinery and repaired the rink track and buildings as necessary. Given the long break from competition in the spring and summer, that sounds relaxed - but it's not. The track is a total of 1,609 meters long, of which exactly 1,315 meters is the competition track. The rest is the start and run-out area. 15 curves make the track very demanding. Around 140 kilometers per hour can be reached.
Since the ice arena has a height difference of 110 meters from start to finish, the line system is divided into 43 segments. Each segment can be controlled individually from the plant room. In addition, there are 23 functional, office and technical buildings for the team, whose technical condition must also be controlled throughout the year.
"Sure, there is a somewhat quieter phase after the season from mid-February. But we can't just let the work on and around the track and in the machine room rest for the many months until September or October," says Stefan Knipschild. Because only with regular checks can we then start again "ice cold" in October. Only optimally maintained will the Winterberg bobsleigh run remain one of the fastest tracks and most popular with all athletes worldwide. And the year races by: How quickly spring and summer have passed and the athletes are getting more and more impatient to feel ice under their feet and the runners of their sports equipment again at training courses and competitions.
The Veltins-EisArena Winterberg is one of the world's best-known, fastest and most challenging high-speed rinks. (Photo: GEA)
How web icing works: triad of GEA technology, physical properties and craftsmanship
In the first step, the web is cooled down to minus nine to twelve degrees by the GEA refrigeration system with the compressors. The cooling liquid ammonia is forced through the ammonia line system and, due to a chemical-physical process, transforms into a gaseous state and detracts the heat.
The web is cooled down to minus nine to twelve degrees during this time. The result is the formation of hoarfrost. The hot phase of icing begins. Water connections are installed every 100 meters. Water mist is applied with hoses that have fine nozzles. The applied water is degassed, otherwise normal tap water and the oxygen and carbon dioxide it contains would cause inclusions. This would negatively affect the subsequent ice quality. The hoarfrost in the concrete channel absorbs the degassed water and freezes into ice.
For three days, the fine water mist is applied many times around the clock - but always enough so that the water can be completely absorbed by the hoarfrost and thus freeze and not run down into the gutter. A layer of ice gradually forms from the frost. In the end, it is about three centimeters thick.
The weather also plays an important role. The warmer the weather, the more frost forms on the ice. This must be avoided as much as possible during operation, frost makes the ice slow. The greater the temperature difference from the ice and the air, the more frost will form. On the other hand, warm weather makes the "ice run away," as Knipschild calls it. "However, since the rink is largely covered, we practically have a closed weather shelter to keep the necessary cold in the rink. The worst thing, though, is warm wind, which is deadly to the ice."
Once the ice layer has been applied, the manual work begins, which requires a lot of strength, patience and sure instinct. The ice is smoothed and profiled by hand with a plane - piece by piece, centimeter by centimeter. For four days. The curved profiles are a particular challenge. Here, help is provided by the Iserlohn ice rink, which is not far away. From here, a small truck will pick up snow and ice planed from the ice surface. This material is then used with the help of a special template, which resembles a runner, to model in particular the entrances and exits of curves on the Winterberg bobsleigh run and to fill in any holes. After about a week, the ice is ready.
But this does not mean that the preparation of the ice rink is over. From now on, every day during the season, the rink must be prepared with water mist and then manually. Only in this way can the perfect ice be obtained for all athletes.
The perfect complement to the GEA refrigeration plant in Winterberg: the GEA ammonia dryer
As critical as push is in bobsledding, GEA technology is critical in helping to provide the ice arena operator with a long operating life and low operating and maintenance costs for the refrigeration system. The GEA Ammonia Dryer removes water from the refrigerant circuit and, like filters and deaerators, is a valuable addition to the ammonia refrigeration system. The ammonia dryer removes water from the refrigerant circuit while the plant is running. It keeps the refrigerant circuit dry and clean and ensures efficient operation of the refrigeration system.
"On Track" towards climate neutrality
Stefan Knipschild sees the VELTINS EisArena on a good path towards climate neutrality. The GEA refrigeration system and the NH3 dryer are one building block on this path. "We use them to obtain regeneratively generated regional electricity that comes to us without any major detours," reports Knipschild. "Overall, we have a big goal: We want to be as CO2 -neutral as possible," says the plant manager. And he adds: "With GEA as our partner, we hope to achieve the decisive steps towards climate-neutral operation and plant."
GEA as a technology pioneer
GEA Heating & Refrigeration Technologies is a market leader in industrial refrigeration systems, specializing in the development, construction, installation and maintenance of key components and technical solutions. Applications include cooling processes for food and beverage, marine, oil/gas, building services and leisure facilities such as indoor ski slopes and ice skating centers. In many countries, GEA ammonia refrigeration systems are used for ice production and air conditioning in sports facilities.
Ammonia
The ammonia formula is NH₃. Ammonia does not contribute to ozone depletion or global warming - the so-called Global Warming Potential (GWP) is zero. The TEWI balance (Total Equivalent Warming Impact) is favorable due to the high efficiency (COP) of ammonia plants.
The invention of bobsleigh
Bobsledding was invented in the Swiss Alps. To entertain a few bored Englishmen on their winter vacation, a resourceful hotelier simply had two sleds welded together at the end of the 19th century. And since the crazy tourists shouldn't always sled on the streets, an ice rink was built for the first time in 1904 between St. Moritz and the neighboring village of Celerina.
Contact
Dr. Michael Golek
Media Relations
GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft
Peter-Müller-Str. 12
40468
Düsseldorf
Germany
+49 211 9136-0
About GEA
GEA is one of the world’s largest suppliers of systems and components to the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. The international technology group, founded in 1881, focuses on machinery and plants, as well as advanced process technology, components and comprehensive services.
