Qingdao Haier Carrier Refrigeration Equipment Co., Ltd., won the bid for the transcritical carbon dioxide (CO2) ice making system for the National Speed Skating Oval, the “Ice Ribbon” in Beijing, China. Haier Carrier is a joint venture established in 2001 by Haier Group and Carrier, a leading global provider of innovative heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, fire, security and building automation technologies.
The venue’s ice making system will consist of Carrier CO2 racks with 4 MW max cooling capacity running on the natural refrigerant CO2, which has a low Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 1. The modularized semi-industrial system uses Carrier’s state-of-the-art multi-climate transcritical CO2 technology to achieve the best energy efficiency possible.
The "ice ribbon" covers an area of about 12,000 square meters, almost equal to the size of a track and field. The divisional control of the ice surface meets the competitive requirements of five major categories of ice sports such as speed skating, short track skating, figure skating, curling and ice hockey.
In an effort to reduce carbon emissions, the National Speed Skating Oval adopted CO2 transcritical ice making technology, a historic first for the Olympic Games. It is the most environmentally responsible ice making technology in the world with a direct carbon emissions close to zero, thanks to the low GWP of the refrigerant. The advanced technology can control ice temperature variances within 0.5 degrees. In post-Olympic operation, it can save nearly 2 million kWh of electricity each year, which makes the venue sustainable long term.
