Energy analysis in ice hockey arenas and analytical formula for the temperature profile in the ice pad with transient boundary conditions

TL;DR

This paper investigates heat transfer in ice hockey arenas, providing an analytical formula for the ice pad's temperature profile under transient conditions, validated through practical application and numerical comparison.

Contribution

It introduces a new analytical formula for the ice pad temperature profile during transient heat conduction, validated with real data and applicable to various engineering contexts.

Findings

Good agreement between analytical and numerical solutions

Quantified impact of heat sources on energy efficiency

Validated formula applicable to practical resurfacing processes

Abstract

The energy efficiency of ice hockey arenas is a central concern for the administrations, as these buildings are well known to consume a large amount of energy. Since they are composite, complex systems, solutions to such a problem can be approached from many different areas, from managerial to technological to more strictly physical. In this paper we consider heat transfer processes in an ice hockey hall, during operating conditions, with a bottom-up approach based upon on-site measurements. Detailed heat flux, relative humidity and temperature data for the ice pad and the indoor air are used for a heat balance calculation in the steady-state regime, which quantifies the impact of each single heat source. We then solve the heat conduction equation for the ice pad in transient regime, and obtain a generic analytical formula for the temperature profile that can be used in practical applications. We then apply this formula to the resurfacing process for validation, and find good agreement with an analogous numerical solution. Since it is given with implicit initial condition and boundary conditions, it can be used not only in ice hockey halls, but in a large variety of engineering applications.