WO2011065823A2

WO2011065823A2 - Mobile ice rink comprising headers positioned outside the rink

Info

Publication number: WO2011065823A2
Application number: PCT/NL2010/050789
Authority: WO
Inventors: Wilhelmus Adolfus Johannes Marie Hoeks
Original assignee: ICE-WORLD INTERNATIONAL BV
Current assignee: ICE-WORLD INTERNATIONAL BV
Priority date: 2009-11-25
Filing date: 2010-11-25
Publication date: 2011-06-03
Anticipated expiration: 2012-05-25
Also published as: WO2011065823A3; NL2003866C2

Abstract

Mobile ice rink provided with at least one cooling element having a supply distribution line and a discharge distribution line which extend in a first direction and close to one another, a number of cooling lines with a first cooling line part which extends from a supply location near the distribution lines of the supply distribution line to an end coupling piece and a second cooling line part which extends from the end coupling piece to the supply location and is connected there to the discharge distribution line, characterized in that the supply distribution line and the discharge distribution line extend substantially in the direction of the cooling lines and are connected to the cooling line parts via a bend line with a first transverse bend line part which is arranged at right angles to the distribution lines and a second longitudinal bend line part which is arranged in the direction of the cooling lines.

Description

Mobile ice rink comprising headers positioned outside the rink Field of the invention

The invention relates to a mobile ice rink provided with at least one cooling element having a supply distribution line and a discharge distribution line which extend in a first direction and close to one another, a number of cooling lines with a first cooling line part which extends from a supply location near the distribution lines of the supply distribution line to an end coupling piece and a second cooling line part which extends from the end coupling piece to the supply location and is connected there to the discharge distribution line.

The invention also relates to an assembly of bend lines and to a cooling element for use in a mobile ice rink.

Background of the invention

An ice rink of this type is known from EP 1 462 755 in the name of the Applicant. The known ice rink is composed of cooling elements with mutually parallel cooling lines which are hingedly connected via flexible couplings. The cooling lines extend at right angles to the supply and discharge distribution lines, via which glycol is supplied from a condenser or discharged, respectively. By placing several cooling elements next to one another and coupling the supply and discharge distribution lines to one another via a clamping member, the width of the rink can be increased as desired. By placing two cooling elements against one another by the end coupling pieces ("end headers"), the length of the rink can be doubled.

Using the known mobile ice rink, a mobile ice rink is obtained which can quickly be constructed and the dimensions of which can be readily adjusted so that it can be used in many locations.

PCT/NL20087050579 in the name of the Applicant discloses a long-distance ice rink which is composed of straight elements and wedge-shaped elements by means of which bend pieces can be formed. The known ice rink can be several to tens of kilometres in length. The cooling lines extend at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the rink and the distribution lines extend in the direction of the rink, on the inside or outside of the rink.

Due to the fact that the coolant is supplied via distribution lines having a relatively large diameter, these distribution lines form a thickening which may be problematic when constructing the ice rink. The distribution lines are either fitted near the head end of the rink, or can be recessed into the ground, so that an ice layer can be formed thereon. The ice is not homogeneous at the location of the distribution lines and this is where uneven structures may occur in the ice. Furthermore, it has been found that when constructing closed contours, the formation of ice by the cooling lines in the outside bends differs from that by the cooling lines in the inside bends, so that this can lead to undesired inhomogeneities. If the distribution lines are arranged next to the rink, the orientation of the cooling lines can no longer be chosen freely, which may cause problems when constructing the rink from hinging and folding mobile segments.

It is an object of the invention to provide a cooling element for a mobile ice rink by means of which the dimensional limitations resulting from the relatively large dimensions of the distribution lines are eliminated. It is a further object of the invention to provide a mobile ice rink by means of which a large number of ice rinks of different dimensions can be constructed. It is also an object of the invention to provide a cooling element by means of which the formation of uniform and homogeneous ice is possible. It is also an object to provide a cooling element which can be folded up, together with the supply and discharge distribution lines, in a compact manner to form a flat stack.

Summary of the invention

To this end, a cooling member according to the invention is characterized in that the supply distribution line and the discharge distribution line extend substantially in the direction of the cooling lines and are connected to the cooling line parts via a bend line with a first transverse bend line part which is arranged transverely to the distribution lines and a second longitudinal bend line part which is arranged in the direction of the cooling lines. By placing the distribution lines next to the cooling lines, the head end parts of the cooling lines remain free and these head end parts can be placed against one another so as to form a continuous ice rink without any significant differences in height. Due to the fact that the supply and discharge distribution lines are situated outside the rink area, the cooling lines are able to form ice in a homogeneous manner which is not affected by the differences in cooling power in the rink.

In the case of great lengths, the cooling member according to the invention can be constructed efficiently from hinging segments, thus making it possible to place a long ice rink segment (for example having a length of 50m and a width of lm) in one operation.

The supply and discharge distribution lines are readily accessible for the supply hoses of the coolant and are easy to reach for maintenance and inspection.

Furthermore, the transverse bend line parts for the cooling lines are longer in an inside bend piece than the transverse bend line parts which belong to the cooling lines in an outside bend piece, so that the difference in length between the total inside and outside bend cooling line is reduced, resulting in a more uniform cooling action.

The width of an ice rink which is composed of cooling elements according to the invention can be doubled in a simple manner by placing two elements next to one another in mirrored fashion so that a supply distribution line and a discharge distribution line are arranged on every longitudinal side. It is also possible to adjust the width of the rink by nesting a number of adjacent bend line parts and coupling two or more distribution lines to one another in the longitudinal direction.

The cooling lines are in liquid communication in pairs, preferably via a coupling piece, such as a curved line or a hollow end header. This results in a flow in which the mean temperature is virtually constant along the length of pairs of adjacent cooling lines, due to the outgoing coolant flow and the return coolant flow. In an embodiment of a mobile ice rink according to the invention, each cooling element is delimited in the initial position by an outer transverse bend line part which extends along the width of the element, wherein the end coupling piece or the transverse bend line part of the first element bears against or lies at a small distance from the transverse bend line part of the second element, wherein the height of the end coupling piece is substantially equal to that of the end bend line part.

An ice rink of the desired length can be constructed by placing the cooling elements "end to end", with the transverse bend line part of the first element being situated against the end coupling piece of the first cooling element. Each set of supply and discharge distribution lines can be connected to a respective condenser, but it is also possible to connect the supply and discharge distribution lines of the elements to one another using a single refrigeration source for the combined elements. In another embodiment of a mobile ice rink according to the invention, the transverse bend line part of the first element bears against or lies at a small distance from the transverse bend line part of the second element, wherein the supply and discharge distribution lines of the first element are subsequently coupled to the respective supply and discharge distribution lines of the second element via a coupling member. By means of such an arrangement, the two elements can be connected to a single refrigeration source and be operated in an opposite direction of flow.

A further embodiment of a mobile ice rink according to the invention is provided with at least two cooling elements, wherein each cooling element is delimited in the initial position by an outer transverse bend line part which extends along the width of the element, wherein the elements are arranged next to one another and wherein the supply and discharge lines of the elements are connected so as to bear against one another and wherein the inner transverse bend line part of the second element runs along the outer transverse bend line part of the first element.

By nesting the bend line parts, the width of the rink can be increased as desired.

Differences in the length of flow between the cooling lines in the inside bend and in the outside bend are compensated for by the transverse bend line parts. In an embodiment, the bend lines provided with a hinge member by means of which the bend lines can hinge at an angle of approximately 45° in the direction of the supply and discharge distribution lines. As a result thereof, the line parts can hinge with respect to the bend lines, so that, together with the distribution lines, a compact stack can be produced which can be readily transported and stored.

An effective corner part is formed by an assembly of bend line parts with a first holder comprising the spaced-apart first ends of series of bend lines, and a second holder, transverse to the first holder, comprising the spaced-apart second ends of series of bend lines, wherein each bend line is provided with a curved tine part. The holders provide the strength of the bend line parts and consistency in the distance between the lines. The curved line part may be flexible, for example in the form of a rubber hose, so that the corner parts can be folded at an angle of 45 degrees. The cooling elements are preferably made from a number of elements which is such that, when the elements are folded up, the height of the stacked elements is virtually equal to the height of the distribution lines. As a result thereof, a flat and readily stackable parcel is formed. Some embodiments of a mobile ice rink according to the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a diagrammatic view of a mobile ice rink according to the prior art, Fig. 2 shows a diagrammatic view of a mobile ice rink according to the invention, Fig. 3 shows an embodiment of two cooling elements, which have been placed against one another by means of an end coupling piece and a bend line part,

Fig. 4 shows an embodiment of two cooling elements, the bend line parts of which have been placed against one another,

Figs. 5a and 5b show a diagrammatic view of five nested straight foldable cooling elements,

Figs. 6a and 6b show a diagrammatic view of five nested curved cooling elements, Fig. 7 shows an embodiment of two cooling elements which are connected to a single cooling member, Fig. 8 shows an embodiment of two cooling elements, each of which is separately connected to a cooling member,

Fig. 9 shows a number of differently shaped segments of a cooling element according to the invention,

Figs. 10a- 10c show different embodiments of an assembly of bend lines,

Figs. 1 la-1 If show different configurations of ice rinks which can be constructed using a cooling member according to the invention,

Figs. 12a and 12b show a diagrammatic side view and top view of a cooling member according to the invention, the hingedly connected segments of which are folded to form a stack, and

Figs. 13a - 13c show a diagrammatic view of the steps according to which the hinge for connected segments is made into a stack.

Fig. 1 shows a prior-art mobile ice rink 1 which is composed of a number of mutually coupled cooling elements 2,3. A cooling element 2 contains a supply distribution line 4 and a discharge distribution line 5. These lines have, for example, a length of 2 m and a relatively large diameter of, for example, 10 cm. From a cooling member or "chiller" 8, a coolant, such as glycol, is circulated at a temperature of, for example, -10° via the distribution lines 4,5 through cooling lines 6,7. The distribution lines 4,5 of the cooling element 2 are connected in a liquid-tight manner to the distribution lines of adjacent cooling element 3 by means of clamping rings, as is described in more detail in EP 1 462 755.

The cooling lines 6,7 extend at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the distribution lines 4,5 along a length of, for example, 50 m. Each cooling line 6,7 may be made from aluminium and may have a diameter of, for example, 1 cm. The cooling lines 6,7 comprise a first cooling line part 9 which is connected to the supply distribution line 4, at a supply location 12, a second cooling line part 10 which is connected to the discharge distribution line 5 at the supply location 12 and an end coupling piece 11 which connects adjacent cooling line parts to one another at a distance from the supply location 12. The end coupling piece 11 may comprise a curved line part, but is preferably made from a single continuous tube with a round or rectangular cross section into which several cooling lines 6,7 open. The end coupling pieces 11 or "end headers" may have a diameter of, for example, one to a few centimetres. In order to increase the surface area of the mobile ice rink 1 according to the prior art, it is possible to use two cooling members, as illustrated, in which case their end coupling pieces are arranged against one another. Furthermore, the ice rink 1 can be extended in the direction of the distribution lines by coupling cooling elements 3 thereto and also to the distribution lines 4,5.

Fig. 2 shows a diagrammatic view of a cooling element 15 according to the invention. The cooling element 15 comprises supply distribution line 16 and discharge distribution line 17 which are connected to a cooling member 40. Cooling lines 18, 19 extend in the direction of the distribution lines from supply location 20 at the location of the distribution lines to an end coupling piece 21. Via the end coupling piece 21, the cooling line parts 22,23 and 24, 25 are coupled to one another in counterflow in order to produce a flow according to the Tichelman-principle, so that the mean temperature of each pair of cooling line parts 22,23 and 24,25 is virtually constant in the longitudinal direction of said lines.

At the supply location 20, the cooling line parts 22,23,24 and 25 are connected to the distribution lines 16,17 via bend lines 26,27,28 and 29. Each bend line has a longitudinal bend line part 30,31,32,33 which extends in the direction of the cooling line parts 22-25, and a transverse bend line part 34,35,36,37 which extends at right angles to the direction of the cooling line parts 22-23 and the distribution lines 16,17. The length of the bend line parts 30,34 of the bend lines 26 near a closed end of the distribution lines 16,17 is smaller than that of bend line parts 33,37 or bend lines 29 which are situated nearer the supply opening of the distribution lines 16,17 and can increase from, for example, 5 cm to 2 m.

By using the bend lines 26-29 according to the invention, it is possible to construct an ice rink having a freely selectable shape and length from cooling elements 15 by placing the cooling elements "end to end" with the end coupling piece 21 of an element lying against the outer transverse bend line part 37 of a successive element, or with the transverse bend line parts 37 of two elements being placed against one another and several elements can be used next to one another. It is also possible to use bend pieces in which the length of the cooling lines varies in the longitudinal direction of the rink. In this case, the distribution lines 16,17 are placed outside the rink surface area so that their large diameter does not have an adverse effect on the homogeneity and uniformity of the ice formation.

Fig. 3 shows a first cooling element 41, the end coupling piece 42 of which is placed against the outer transverse bend line part 43 of adjacent cooling element 44. The supply distribution lines 45,46 and the discharge distribution lines 47,48 of the cooling elements 41,44 are connected to one another via flexible hoses 49, 50 and are connected to cooling member 51. By way of example, 18 cooling line parts may be connected to each distribution line 45-48. The length L of each cooling member 41,44 is, for example, between 5 m and 50 m and the width B is, for example, between 1 m and 5 m.

Fig. 4 shows an embodiment in which the outer transverse bend line parts 43,52 of the cooling elements 41,44 are placed against one another, while the supply distribution lines 45,46 and the discharge distribution lines 47,48 are connected to one another, for example by means of clamping rings 53,54 which are described in more detail in EP 1 462 755.

Figs. 5a and 5b show an ice rink part constructed from 5 cooling elements

55,56,57,58,59, the outer cooling line parts of which have been placed against each other in the longitudinal direction. Each cooling element 55-59 is provided with hinge elements 60,61,62,63, for example in the form of flexible line parts, as described in EP 1 462755. Thus, segments are formed, having a length of, for example, 10 m, which can be folded onto one another by means of the hinge elements in the cooling line parts for storage and transportation purposes. The end coupling pieces 74,75,76,77 and 78 of the adjacent elements 55-59 are placed in line with one another.

Via bend lines 65,66,67,68, each set of cooling line parts is connected to the respective distribution lines 69,70,71,72,73 which are coupled to one another and which are connected to cooling member 79. The longitudinal bend line parts and the transverse bend line parts of a successive cooling element 56 in each case increase in length with respect to the preceding cooling element 55. The increase in length corresponds to the length of the longitudinal bend line parts and of the transverse bend line parts. Thus, the length of the bend line parts of the element 56 is twice that of element 55 and the length of the bend line parts of element 59 is five times that of the length of the bend line parts of element 55.

Figs. 6a and 6b show that by using segments which run at an angle to one another and hinge elements 60-63 which are arranged at an angle, a bend part of a mobile ice rink can be formed.

Fig. 7 shows an embodiment in which the outer transverse bend line parts 80, 80' of the bend lines 68,68' of two sets of cooling members 55-59,55'59' are placed against each other, and in which the distribution lines 69-73 and 69'-73' are connected to one another and are connected to a cooling member 79.

Fig. 8 shows an embodiment in which the outer transverse bend line parts 80 of the set of cooling members 55-59 bears against the end coupling pieces 74'-78' of the set of cooling members 55'-59\ Each of the distribution lines 69-73, 69^* -73' of each set of cooling lines may be connected to a respective cooling member 79 or may be connected to each other, for example via flexible hoses, and be coupled to a single cooling member. Fig. 9 shows different shapes of segments 85, 86 from which a cooling element according to the invention can be constructed. All the cooling lines 87,88 of the segment 85 are equal in length. The cooling lines of the trapezoid element 86 increase in length from the inner side line 90 to the outer side line 91. The inflow openings and outflow openings of the side lines 90,91 and of cooling lines 93 situated in between are provided on respective straight lines 92 and 94 along which the segments can readily be coupled or can be hingedly connected to one another. Two holders 95,96 connect the outer cooling lines 90,91 and the intermediate cooling lines 93 to form a relatively stiff assembly which can be transported and installed as a unit. Fig. 10a shows a bend part of the cooling element 59 from Fig. 5a - Fig. 8. The bend part comprises the bend lines 68, with longitudinal bend extension lines 97 and transverse bend extension lines 98 which are connected to the distribution lines 73. As is illustrated in Fig. 10b, the bend lines 68 comprise a series of longitudinal bend line parts 100,101 of decreasing length, and a series of transverse bend line parts 102,103 of decreasing length- The line parts 100-103 in Fig. 10b may be made from aluminium and be provided with a curved line part 104,105. At the location of the curved line parts 104,105, the bend lines are connected to a diagonal holder 106, while the transverse bend line parts 102,103 are connected to a holder 107 and the longitudinal bend line parts 100,101 are connected to a holder 108. By means of the holders 106,107,108, the bend line parts are connected to one another to form an assembly which can be stored, transported and fitted as a unit.

In the embodiment from Fig. 10c, the curved line parts 104,105 are made from a flexible plastic, so that the bend lines can be hinged at an angle of 45 degrees and the holders 107,108 can be placed on top of each other.

Figs. 1 la- 1 If show various configurations of a mobile ice rink according to the invention, in which an uninterrupted ice surface 110 is connected to a contour made up of cooling elements 112-117 according to the invention. In the embodiment from Fig. 1 la, the distribution lines 120, 121 of adjacent cooling elements 113,114 and distribution lines 121, 122 of adjacent cooling elements 114,115 are connected to one another via flexible lines 126, 127 which extend along an outer periphery of the rink. For the concave bend piece 116, flexible lines 128 extend from the distribution lines 129 situated on the inner side and pass under the cooling element 116 in order to be connected to the lines 130 which are connected to distribution lines 122 of cooling element 115. All distribution lines 120,121,122,129, 131 are connected to one another in this manner and are coupled to a cooling member which is not shown in this figure. Fig. 13a and Fig. 13b diagrammatically show a side view and top view of a cooling element 150 according to the invention which has been folded to form a stack, in which the segments 142,143 and 144 are folded on the bend lines 141 via flexible tube parts 137,138, 139 and 140 in the cooling line parts. Via flexible lines 134, 135, the bend lines are connected to the supply and discharge distribution lines 130,131. The latter are coupled to one another via rectangular plates 132, 132' comprising a handle 133 in order to form a unit. The height H of the plates 132 substantially corresponds to the height of the segments 141-144 folded to form a stack, so that flat parcels are formed which can readily be stacked in a stable manner and to a relatively great height for storage and transportation purposes. Fig. 13a shows a cooling element 160 with distribution lines 161, a corner segment 162, 162' and straight segments 163,164,165 which are hingedly connected thereto. The segments are hinged along hinge lines 166,167,168 and 169. As is illustrated in Fig. 13b, the cooling element 160 is folded to form a flat stack by placing the segments 164,166 in line with the segment 163 and folding along the hinge line 167 of the corner segment 162 running at an angle of 45 degrees. Fig. 13c shows a side view of a stack 172 formed by the folded segments, in which the top segment 172 is connected to end coupling piece 171. The height H_s of the stacked segments 162-170 is not greater than twice the height H_v of the distribution lines 161.

Claims

1. Mobile ice rink provided with at least one cooling element having a supply distribution line and a discharge distribution line which extend in a first direction and close to one another, a number of cooling lines with a first cooling line part which extends from a supply location near the distribution lines of the supply distribution line to an end coupling piece and a second cooling line part which extends from the end coupling piece to the supply location and is connected there to the discharge distribution line, characterized in that the supply distribution line and the discharge distribution line extend substantially in the direction of the cooling lines and are connected to the cooling line parts via a bend line with a first transverse bend line part which is arranged transverely to the distribution lines and a second longitudinal bend line part which is arranged in the direction of the cooling lines.

2. Mobile ice rink according to Claim 1 , wherein adjacent cooling line parts are in liquid communication with one another via the coupling piece.

3. Mobile ice rink according to Claim 1 or 2, provided with at least two cooling elements, wherein each cooling element is delimited at the supply location by an outer transverse bend line part which extends along the width of the element, wherein the end coupling piece or the transverse bend line part of the first element bears against or lies at a small distance from the transverse bend line part of the second element.

4. Mobile ice rink according to Claim 3, wherein the height of the end coupling piece is substantially equal to that of the transverse bend line part.

5. Mobile ice rink according to Claim 3 or 4, wherein the end coupling piece or the transverse bend line part of the first element bears against or lies at a small distance from the transverse bend line part of the second element, wherein the supply distribution lines and the discharge distribution lines of the first and second elements are connected to one another by a flexible line.

6. Mobile ice rink according to Claim 3 or 4, wherein the end coupling piece of the first element bears against or lies at a small distance from the transverse bend line part of the second element, wherein the supply distribution lines and the discharge distribution lines of the first and second elements are each connected to a refrigeration source.

7. Mobile ice rink according to Claim 3, wherein the transverse bend line part of the first element bears against or lies at a small distance from the transverse bend line part of the second element, and wherein the supply and discharge distribution lines of the first element are subsequently coupled to the respective supply and discharge distribution lines of the second element via a coupling member.

8. Mobile ice rink according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the cooling line parts are provided with a liquid-tight hinge element.

9. Mobile ice rink according to Claim 1 or 2, provided with at least two cooling elements, wherein each cooling element is delimited at the supply location by an outer transverse bend line part which extends along the width of the element, wherein the cooling lines of the elements are arranged substantially parallel to one another and wherein the supply and discharge lines of the elements are connected so as to bear against one another and wherein the inner transverse bend line part of the second element runs along the outer transverse bend line part of the first element.

10. Mobile ice rink according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the bend lines are provided with a hinge member by means of which the bend lines can hinge at an angle, preferably of approximately 45 degrees, in the direction of the supply and discharge distribution lines.

11. Assembly of a series of bend lines with a first holder comprising the series of transverse bend line parts which are connected thereto at a mutual distance therefrom, and a second holder, at right angles to the first holder, comprising the series of longitudinal bend line parts which are connected thereto at a mutual distance therefrom, wherein each bend line is provided with a curved line part which connects the bend line parts.

Assembly according to Claim 11, wherein the curved line parts are flexible.

13. Cooling element for a mobile ice rink with a number of cooling lines comprising a first cooling line part which extends from a supply location to an end coupling piece and a second cooling line part which extends from the end coupling piece to the supply location, characterized in that each of the cooling lines, near the supply location, is connected to a bend line with a first transverse bend line part arranged at right angles to the cooling lines and a longitudinal bend line part arranged in the direction of the cooling lines.

14. Cooling element according to Claim 13, wherein the transverse bend line parts and the longitudinal bend line parts are each connected to a respective distribution line, wherein the cooling lines each have a number of hinge elements which is such that the cooling lines can be folded along the bend lines by hinging about the hinge elements to form a stack, adjacent to the distribution lines, the height of which stack is virtually equal to that of the distribution lines.

15. Cooling element provided with a first side line having a relatively short length LI and a second side line having a relatively great length L2, and a number of intermediate lines extending parallel thereto and between the side lines having inflow openings and outflow openings which are substantially situated on a first straight connecting line between the inflow openings of the first and the second side line or a second straight connecting line between the outflow openings of the first and the second side line, respectively.

16. Cooling element according to Claim 15, wherein the side lines and the intermediate lines are connected to one another by at least one holder which is at right angles to the lines.