In Fontenay-sous-Bois, the Salvador Allende ice rink heats the swimming pool pools
Using the cold generated by the ice rink to heat the swimming pool is innovative—both economically and environmentally—and meets the needs of hundreds of people. Jean-Philippe Gautrais, Mayor of Fontenay-sous-bois
The ice rink at the Salvador-Allende Municipal Sports Complex now features a new, innovative, and energy-efficient cooling system.
The more efficient equipment installed by teams from MCI, a subsidiary of Equans, enables the City of Fontenay-sous-Bois to achieve significant energy savings while reducing its carbon footprint.
Amid an energy crisis, a heat recovery solution has been implemented to help control the sports complex’s energy consumption. As a result, the heat generated by the ice-making process is recovered to heat the water in the adjacent swimming pool, further reducing energy consumption.
Innovative, Energy-Efficient Refrigeration Plant
The refrigeration systems have been replaced with a new modular system designed to support the operation of the ice rink. The system is equipped with variable-frequency drives and eight compressors, enabling the City of Fontenay-sous-Bois to achieve significant energy savings while reducing its carbon footprint.
This refrigeration plant is linked to an energy monitoring and remote control system to limit cooling output based on the ice rink’s specific needs.
Several months after installation, MCI obtained conclusive results measured using the Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER). The Energy Efficiency Ratio is a coefficient that measures a piece of equipment’s energy performance at a specific moment. The higher it is, the more efficient the equipment is and the less energy it consumes.
4.72
EER result (performance commitment)
A virtuous cycle thanks to sustainable facilities
The team also installed a heat recovery system. It recovers the heat released by the refrigeration equipment when cooling the ice rink and transfers it for use in other facilities. In the case of Val de Fontenay, this energy is used to provide hot water for the ice rink and the swimming pool pools.
Refrigerants account for 5% of greenhouse gas emissions in France. The ice rink’s new refrigeration systems operate using transcritical CO2. This refrigerant has a global warming potential (GWP) of virtually zero and excellent thermodynamic properties, making it an excellent choice in terms of energy efficiency.
Energy Optimization Results
30% energy savings
The ice rink achieves 30% in energy savings thanks to these four key features:
- Use of transcritical CO2
- The ability to deliver cooling capacity exactly as needed
- A monitored system that allows data to be transmitted
- Heat recovery via the refrigeration system
The teams are very proud to have participated in this project, and we are proud to support our customers in their energy transition. Cyril Bezet, Regional Director for Île-de-France and Central France
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Do you have a need? Let's talk about it.
