Room Air Conditions for Preventing Water Mist Formation in Roofed Skating Facilities

It is known that water mist occasionally fonns near ice surfaces in roofed skating facilities depending on the indoor environmental conditions. The mist can lead to problems such as decreased visibility during skating competitions. The objective of the present paper is to clarify the relationship between indoor air conditions and water mist formation and to provide a useful design method for preventing mist formation in roofed skating facilities. In the first section, studies concerning the indoor air conditions for preventing water mist formation near the ice surface are described. The boundary layer theory is used to determine the criteria of mist formation. The criteria can be expressed by a psychrometric chart. This paper also describes the results of measurements made in an existing skating facility. According to visual observation, water mists were formed when the indoor relative humidity was high. The measured air temperatures and relative humidities prove that the proposed criteria for mist formation are useful for designing HVAC systems in skating facilities.