On-site measurement and numerical investigation of thermal environment with different air distribution systems in ice arenas

Abstract

Abstract It is important to strictly maintain the indoor thermal environment in ice arenas which have very different features to other commercial buildings. Separated air distribution system is widely used to create a dry and cold environment near the ice and a comfortable environment in the view stand. The warm and humid air from the view stand may lead to uneven temperature and humidity distribution in the rink, leading to extra energy consumption, even fog and frost on the ice. Unreasonable air supply in the ice rink zone will also make the spectators feel too cold and uncomfortable. Jet ventilation system is the most extensively used system in the ice rink zone. An innovative ground displacement ventilation system is proposed in the National Aquatics Centre, which will serve as the venue for the curling competition in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. On-site measurement in the arena is carried out and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation method is adopted in the present research. Measured thermal environment above the ice with different ventilation systems are compared and analysed. Result shows that the displacement ventilation system features a more obvious vertical stratification than jet ventilation system in this kind of large space buildings, and thus is more energy-efficient. A CFD model of the ice cube is setup and verified by measured data. The thermal environment in the ice rink with displacement ventilation under extreme condition is studied using the simulation method. The temperature and humidity in the ice field increases by 10.1 °C, 4.5 g/kg without air supply in the view stand, proving that the spectators in the view stand have a great impact on the thermal environment in the ice field.