What is the magic of the ice-making scheme of the Beijing Winter Olympics?

The Beijing Winter Olympics will open tomorrow. During the Winter Olympics, the National Speed Skating Hall "Ice Ribbon" will host various events. To hold a top event, there must be no flaws on the ice, otherwise it will affect the athletes' performance. Therefore, it is very important to ensure that the ice surface is smooth and smooth, and the temperature is balanced. To do this, the ice refrigeration system is very critical. It is reported that the Beijing Winter Olympics is the most environmentally friendly ice-making program in the history of the Olympic Games. So, where is the magic of the ice-making scheme of the Beijing Winter Olympics?

In order to make the venues of the Beijing Winter Olympics more environmentally friendly and sustainable, the Beijing Winter Olympics actively studied the development trend and practical technology of refrigerants, and discussed with well-known experts in the refrigeration industry at home and abroad for many times, and confirmed that two refrigeration systems could be selected.

One is the carbon dioxide transcritical direct refrigeration system, which is suitable for perennial ice-making venues, such as the National Speed Skating Hall; the second is the traditional refrigeration system, which is suitable for venues that do not need perennial ice making, such as the Water Cube and the National Stadium.

The Beijing Winter Olympics use a transcritical direct cooling system for carbon dioxide in large ice venues. Carbon dioxide refrigerant ODP (Ozone Depletion Potential) is 0, GWP (Global Warming Potential) is only 1, using the same amount of conventional refrigerant carbon emissions, 3985 times that of carbon dioxide refrigerant. After the waste heat generated by carbon dioxide refrigeration is recovered, hot water of 70 degrees Celsius can be provided for domestic hot water and dehumidification regeneration. Compared with the traditional refrigeration method, the national speed skating hall uses carbon dioxide to make ice to improve the energy efficiency by 30%, which can save about 2 million kWh of electricity a year.

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics built and rebuilt 7 ice venues with a total of 9 ice surfaces, all using environmentally friendly refrigeration systems and refrigerants, of which 5 ice surfaces use carbon dioxide (R744) transcritical direct refrigeration systems, and 4 ice surfaces use R449A refrigerants.

Compared to traditional refrigerant options, R449A replaces R507, which is now commonly used worldwide. The GWP value of R449A is 1282, which is 68% lower than R507. The choice of R449A refrigerant has demonstrated environmental protection and sustainability for the world, making the Beijing Winter Olympics the lowest GWP value of refrigerant in ice venues in the history of the Winter Olympics.

Yangcheng Evening News reporter Zhao Liangchen Zhan Shuzhen

(Yangcheng Evening News)