In indirect refrigeration systems, brine is pumped through evenly spaced pipes in the rink floor. A liquid refrigerant absorbs heat from the brine and then pulls the heat out of the rink floor. Brine pump efficiency upgrades can improve the efficiency by 10-15% or even more. Often, these upgrades yield significant savings on pump maintenance and repair as well, which translates into less downtime and reduced environmental risks.
Upgrading pumps include custom coatings for internal and external parts, shaft and seal modifications, bearing isolators and bearing-housing breathers.
Some resources suggest installing dual-drive brine pumps, which allow for significant reduction in pump horsepower by stopping the large main brine pump and starting a lower-horsepower pony pump. In addition to the energy savings, there is the added security of a backup brine pump in the event of a failure.
Of these, custom surface coatings typically provide the fastest return on investment.
Benefits:
- Boost efficiency of 10% – 15%
Savings:
- Electricity
- CO2
