Perfect training conditions for Tilburg Trappers

New climate system overcomes fogging on ice floor Ice Sports Center Tilburg

IJssportcentrum Tilburg is located in sports and recreation area Stappegoor and has been the home of the Tilburg Trappers for many years. This ice hockey club has won the Dutch national championship fifteen times and the Dutch cup fifteen times. For several years, the club has also been very successful in Germany. To ensure that the players can train under the best conditions, the climate system of the ice sports center has recently been tackled. Not only has the air handling unit been renewed, but also all inlet grilles have been replaced by the high inducing Jet nozzle grilles of Smitsair Jetsystemen B.V.

The involvement of Smitsair Jetsystemen B.V. in the new climate system goes back to the advisory phase, says Rick Duifhuis, Technical Support/Sales at Smitsair Jetsystemen B.V. "Consultancy firm W-inst asked us to think along with them about a ventilation solution that would overcome the formation of mist above the ice floor. The idea was and is that the formation of condensation is reduced to a minimum when the moist room air is mixed better with the dry air from the air handling unit. Together we devised an efficient Jet system with high-induction Jet nozzle diffusers for this, which was installed by BAM Bouw en Techniek Eindhoven branch just before the construction vacation."

Jet gratings with servomotors 

The existing air duct system in the ice sports center was maintained as much as possible, Duifhuis says. "However, a new 50,000 m3/h air handling unit was installed. Also, all standard vane grilles on the ducts were replaced with our high-induction SPR Jet nozzle grilles including manually adjustable or motor-controlled control dampers. A special feature is that some of the Jet nozzles are equipped with servomotors. The main wish of the consultant and end user was to reduce the air handling unit to at least 15,000 m3/h if the number of spectators in the hall is limited. With the standard grilles, this would mean that the air would 'swirl' out, as it were, which would negate the good room flushing. By equipping a number of Jet grilles with servomotors, this is cleverly overcome. The servomotors are controlled by the control box. This makes it possible to close a number of Jet grilles at low occupancy, while the remaining grilles continue to blow in at the same speed and pressure." The grilles are coated in a two-layer powder coating, in the color matte black (RAL9005).

No draft complaints

The ice sports center has a stadium layout with the ice hockey floor in the middle and the stands around it. "The duct system has a U-shape, with Jet nozzles placed on both the inside (ice hockey floor) and outside (bleachers). The inner grilles are slightly angled, allowing the air to be blown well in the direction of the hockey floor and cleverly overcome fogging. The air diffusers on the outside blow out at a slightly lower velocity and are designed so that spectators do not experience drafts."

From 52 to 40 rosters

Thanks to the sophisticated design of Smitsair Jetsystemen B.V., fewer air diffusers are needed in the new situation, Duifhuis says. "Where 52 grilles were present in the old situation, 40 grilles are now sufficient. The empty positions have been closed by us with a blind plate." Besides supplying grilles and blind plates, Smitsair Jetsystemen B.V. also took care of the commissioning. "Part of this included aligning the nozzles and measuring speed and air pressure. In addition, we performed a smoke test, to check if the room air is purged in exactly the right way. All findings are conveniently presented in a measurement report, which is handed over to the end user upon delivery."