Experimental investigation of frosting process on ice surface in ice rink

Abstract Ice rink is a special kind of public building with high energy consumption, in which frost would occur on ice with high humidity ratio. Frost on ice would substantially affect the quality of ice, which needs to be avoided in high level competition. In this paper, the basic process and characteristics of frost formation on ice are obtained by means of experiment. At the same time, the relationship between frosting time and humidity ratio for different stages are discussed. The feasibility of frost thickness growth model is also validated by experiment. Based on the comprehensive consideration of time and grade requirements, the control range of surrounding air humidity ratio could be discussed and expanded. The upper limit of humidity ratio could be extended by 0.5∼0.9g/kg higher than the saturated value corresponding to the ice surface temperature when the target is no obvious condensation droplets on ice for 4 hours. The upper limit could be extended by 1.0g/kg when the target is no obvious frost crystals on the ice for 4 hours. This research also reduces the difficulty of humidity control in ice rink with a wider range. It also provides a theoretical basis for reasonable and energy-saving air parameter control requirements in ice rink.