Comunicado de prensa comercial

Crossing the finish line in record time and scoring the decisive goals: GEA and partners take refrigeration to new level at Erfurt Ice Sports Center

11 Oct 2022

Speed, precision and experience are success factors in speed skating and ice hockey as well as in project management. GEA Heating and Refrigeration Technologies and its project partners, the Gesellschaft für Kälte- und Klimatechnik (GfKK) and the engineering firm Möller & Meyer, Gotha, achieved a cool feat.

Photo 1: GEA renewed the refrigeration system of the Erfurt Ice Sports Center with the latest technology. (Photo: GEA)

GEA renewed the refrigeration system of the Erfurt Ice Sports Center with the latest technology. (Photo: GEA)

During the short summer break from the beginning of May to the end of August 2021, all parties involved succeeded in refurbishing the refrigeration system at the Erfurt Ice Sports Center in record time. GEA supplied three SP1 SB-5A single-stage screw compressors for the ice sports center. They replaced three of the four old compressor stages of the old plant. The existing plant was built in 1999 by the plant engineering company ILKA MAFA, Schkopau, today a manufacturing site of GEA Refrigeration Germany.

Those responsible at the Erfurt Ice Sports Center have high hopes and expectations of the newly installed technology. Operating and maintenance costs are to be noticeably reduced. Initial evaluations of the figures since commissioning until May 2022 show that this has been achieved. Furthermore, the use of 30 tons of the natural refrigerant ammonia (NH3) with a global warming potential (GWP) of zero has always been a fundamental component of refrigeration technology in Erfurt and reduces the CO2 footprint of the entire plant.

In search of the perfect ice: professional and amateur athletes find what they are looking for at the Erfurt Ice Sports Center

On Arnstädter Straße at the entrance to Erfurt, amateurs and professionals, but also schoolchildren and all citizens in general have found a true ice sports paradise since 1957.

Today, the Erfurt Ice Sports Center consists of the speed skating hall (Gunda Niemann Stirnemann Hall), the ice hockey hall, two functional buildings and the ice technology building. The speed skating hall (length 190 m, width 90 m, height 17 m, hall floor area approx. 15,000 m²) houses the 400m speed skating rink (two competition and one warm-up rink, each four meters wide, totaling 4,760 m² of ice surface) and a standard 60x30m ice rink. Up to 4,000 enthusiastic spectators cheer on the speed skaters at top national and international competitions.

The ice hockey hall from the 70s has a standard ice field 60x30m and has 1,500 spectator seats. Training and competitions in figure skating, ice hockey and curling are held here. Also affectionately known as the "Kartoffelhalle", the ice hockey arena is home to the Black Dragons Erfurt, top club of the Oberliga Nord in Germany.

Photo 2: The Gunda Niemann Stirnemann Hall, the Erfurt Ice Sports Center, features a 400-meter rink for exciting, international ice skating competitions. (Photo: GEA)

The Gunda Niemann Stirnemann Hall, the Erfurt Ice Sports Center, features a 400-meter rink for exciting, international ice skating competitions. (Photo: GEA)

Important component of the Erfurt-Süd sports center

The ice sports center is part of the Erfurt-Süd sports center. In the immediate vicinity are other sports facilities (Steigerwald Stadium, athletics hall, 2 sports halls, swimming hall south) as well as the Thuringian Parliament and the South Park.

A cool marvel: The technical equipment of the Gunda Niemann Stirnemann Hall

The hall interior temperature can be heated to 10°C via 77 ceiling air heaters. A ventilation system consisting of ten decentralized units with an air flow rate of 8,000 m³/h each ensures good fresh air quality in the hall even when the maximum spectator capacity is utilized. Air dryers are integrated in the ventilation units. This prevents condensation from forming on the supporting structure and "raining" onto the ice surfaces.

The ice machine house is located next to the southeast curve of the circular rink. All three ice surfaces are cooled from this location. Ammonia is used as the coolant. In total, cooling pipes with a length of almost 100 km are installed under the ice surfaces. The cooling capacity of all cooling units is 3,068 kW. The heat generated during ice preparation is extracted from the coolant by a heat recovery system and used to heat the speed skating rink.

Each of the three ice surfaces can be iced separately and cooled to the desired ice temperature. If required, the osmosis plant can be put into operation for ice preparation. This makes it possible to remove almost all salt components from the water and significantly improve the ice's sliding properties.  

Ice cold planned and implemented

In 2019, the engineering office Möller & Meyer from Gotha was commissioned by the city of Erfurt to develop a renovation concept for the refrigeration system in the ice sports center in Erfurt and to break down the corresponding costs of the individual trades and services. The aim of the project was to replace the screw compressors that had been in operation since 1997, as maintenance and repair costs had risen sharply in recent years. In addition, energy costs were to be saved by the sum of all measures in the end.

Several variants of the refurbishment and their dependencies were then examined and compiled in terms of costs and schedule dependencies. An important point here was the operator's objective that the refurbishment be carried out during the operational break in May/July 2021. By September 2019, the planning could be completed in this respect and handed over to the client. With the documents, explanatory reports were written for the requested funding sources in order to transparently present the conversion measures. The state of Thuringia and the federal government then reviewed the documents and approved the corresponding funding in 2020.

With the release of the funds, the specifications for the conversion measures compressor replacement and new construction of control technology could be drawn up and published in the fall of 2020. The contract was then awarded to Gesellschaft für Kälte- und Klimatechnik (GfKK), Cologne, in a public tender in February 2021.

In mid-February 2021, the concrete implementation began. In the course of work preparation and ordering, it was possible to quickly start clarifying all relevant boundary conditions for a smooth rebuild. This was done with a clear project schedule, drawn up and followed up by the engineering firm Möller & Meyer.

On May 4, 2021, the old cooling generation plant of the Erfurt Ice Sports Center was decommissioned. However, this did not happen at the push of a button on an immediate date, but with many intermediate dates and a corresponding coordination of all companies and third-party trades involved.

Thanks to the targeted efforts of all the companies, planners and builders involved, the complete conversion of the facility was completed on August 23, 2021, with expert acceptance and handover to the builder. As of this date, a new and energy-efficient refrigeration system will be available to amateur, professional and school sports. It will "faithfully provide its service" for the coming decades.

GEA with a cool performance

GEA supplied three SP1 SB-5A single-stage screw compressors for refrigeration at the Erfurt Ice Sports Center. The GEA Grasso SP1 series of single-stage screw compressors is designed to meet highly individual needs from medium to the largest cooling capacity ranges. The SP1 series consists of 16 models ranging from 524 kW to 7,721 kW (R717 | -10 / +35 °C | 3,600 rpm) cooling capacity. The GEA Grasso SP1 series is particularly attractive because of its versatility, whether in the food industry or in a high-pressure version for CO2 in a heat pump system or in an explosion-proof version for chemical applications. GEA customers can choose from a wide range of options and tailor packages to meet all individual needs. And here, the choice of the Erfurt Ice Sports Center and all project partners fell on the use of three SP1 SB-5A single-stage screw compressors.

Photo 4: GEA supplied three SP1 SB-5A single-stage screw compressors for the ice sports center. (Photo: GEA)

GEA supplied three SP1 SB-5A single-stage screw compressors for the ice sports center. (Photo: GEA)

Reliable plant control through the GEA Omni Control Panel

The "command center" of the refrigeration plant at the Erfurt Ice Sports Center also relies on GEA technology. The GEA Omni Control Panel is designed as an open system. This means that it can be used to monitor and control not only the relevant components from GEA, but also components from other suppliers.

As a universal command center, the customized GEA Omni system works closely linked to the S7 control system. The control panel displays operating statuses not only for main components, but also for auxiliary equipment. Operators at the Erfurt Ice Sports Center can control the entire cooling system from a single control panel - whether for monitoring and managing primary equipment such as compressors, condensers, vessels and evaporators, or the position of individual valves and pumps. The GEA Omni System Control Panel also has integrated energy management functions.

For the operators and users at the Erfurt Ice Sports Center, GEA Omni offers everything operators expect from a control panel: maximum efficiency and reliable operation of their facility. This advanced, industrial control panel optimally integrates and coordinates all necessary system components, resulting in a demand-driven, highly energy-efficient operating plant.

Photo 3: The ice hockey rink at the Erfurt Ice Sports Center can look back on a long tradition. The new GEA refrigeration plant ensures optimum conditions here as well. (Photo: GEA)

<p><strong xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Development of the Erfurt Ice Sports Center</strong></p><p><strong xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">1957:</strong> The standard ice rink in the current ice hockey hall is built.
<br xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" /><strong xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">1981/82:</strong> Construction of a 333m ice speed skating rink, followed by roofing over the standard ice rink as the second construction phase.
<br xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" /><strong xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">1996:</strong> Conversion of the 333m rink into a 400m rink with construction of an additional standard ice field inside the speed skating rink. Complete renewal of the ice technology.
<br xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" /><strong xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">2000/01:</strong> Roofing of the 400m track with the construction of the Gunda Niemann Stirnemann Hall.
<br xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" /><strong xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">2021:</strong> Renewal of the refrigeration system</p><p>For more details, visit <strong xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><a href="www.stadtwerke-erfurt.de" title="Stadtwerke Erfurt" target="_blank">www.stadtwerke-erfurt.de</a></strong>.</p><p>Internet: <strong xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><a href="www.gunda-niemann-stirnemann-halle.de" title="Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann Hall" target="_blank">www.gunda-niemann-stirnemann-halle.de</a></strong></p>

Contact

Dr. Michael Golek

Phone: 49 211 9136 1505

Media Relations

GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft

Peter-Müller-Str. 12


40468

Düsseldorf


Germany

+49 211 9136-0

About GEA

GEA es uno de los mayores proveedores para la industria alimentaria y para muchos otros sectores de la industria. En 2019 generó unos ingresos consolidados de 4.900 millones de euros aproximadamente.

El grupo tecnológico internacional se especializa en maquinaria y plantas, además de tecnologías de procesos y componentes. GEA proporciona soluciones de energía sostenibles para procesos de producción sofisticados en distintos mercados de consumo, además de ofrecer una amplia gama de servicios. El grupo genera aproximadamente un 70 por ciento de sus ingresos del sector de alimentos y bebidas, un sector que disfruta de un crecimiento sostenible a largo plazo. A 31 de diciembre de 2018, la compañía contaba con unos 18.500 empleados en todo el mundo. GEA lidera el mercado y la tecnología en sus áreas de negocio. La compañía cotiza en el índice bursátil alemán MDAX (G1A, WKN 660 200), en el índice STOXX® Europe 600, y en los índices MSCI globales de sostenibilidad.
Recibir noticias de GEA

Mantente al día de las innovaciones e historias de GEA suscribiéndote a las noticias GEA.

Contacta con nosotros

Deseamos ayudarle Solo necesitamos unos pocos datos para responder a su consulta.