It is now July and although ice is out at The Forum, much is currently happening in preparation for the upcoming ice season. This past winter was the second year in a row we have had a significant issue with the refrigeration system, this time causing the loss of nearly a week of ice.
The current system is original with the building, circa 1978, is clearly showing its age and is impacting our ability to provide ice. It is now time for an updated system, one that will allow us to provide quality ice to the area for many years to come.
A recent Request for Proposals was put out to replace our refrigeration system with several companies responding. In determining which system to go with, many factors were considered, including; the company’s ability to provide a quality product, initial cost, annual costs, durability, life of system, type of refrigerant, as well as environmental impact.
After careful review of the proposals with consideration of these factors, a 110-ton, 480-volt, ammonia, industrial grade, refurbished system was selected. I won’t bore you with every detail in our decision making, but wanted to highlight a few points of interest.
Freon or ammonia? These are two of the more widely used refrigerants for ice arenas. Our current ice system utilizes a freon called R-22 as the refrigerant. Unfortunately, this particular freon has been phased out, creating obvious limit to supply. There are other types of freon on the market, as presented in some of the proposals. However, according to the EPA, there is a risk that any of the freon gas-type refrigerants may be discontinued in the near future as well. There is no concern with the future of ammonia, as it is a natural refrigerant that produces no greenhouse gases and has no impact on global warming.
Although not brand new, the selected system is ammonia-based, industrial grade and the life of the unit is significantly better than commercial grade and/or even the freon-based industrial grade units. Commercial grade units are more commonly seen in grocery stores. This particular system is also slightly larger then the other options and utilizes two condensers. This means the plant can be staged and other than on start up, run with only one compressor and one condenser at a time. This can extend the life of the system even further.
Cost is most often the principal factor, not only to complete the project, but the impact on the operating budget from year to year. Purchase price and installation is $375,000 for this unit. Compare that to a new, industrial freon system with an additional condenser at nearly $500,000 or a new ammonia system nearing $600,000.
Regardless of which system was selected, all would provide some level of improved efficiency. However, ammonia has a smaller refrigerant charge then freon and has proven more efficient in creating low temperatures. It is estimated the facility will enjoy nearly 30 pecent improvement in annual savings in electricity, equaling $15,000-$20,000. With these annual savings as well as a modification in the facilities maintenance contract, the entire project can be funded over the next several years, all without impacting the annual budget.
In the end, with the assistance of this new refrigeration system, The Forum will be able to continue to provide a very valuable service to our community and the surrounding area from now and into the future.
Chris Beaulieu is director of Presque Isle Recreation & Parks. He can be reached at 764-2545 or via email at cbeaulieu@presqueisleme.us.
