WORLD's OLDEST 400 m ARTIFICIAL SKATING RINK, THE 'JAAP EDEN BAAN' AT AMSTERDAM

摘要

The third artificial frozen 400 m speed skating rink in the world was realized in Amsterdam. It was called "Jaap Eden Rink" after the first Dutch World Champion speed skating in 1893, 1894 and 1895. Opened by his grandson at 9 December 1961 and last year during the 50 years jubilee festivities this grandson was there again only 50 years older! The former two rinks do not exist anymore, so the Jaap Eden rink is now also the oldest one in the world! It was a highly unconventional and unique construction! For the first time evaporating ammonia was used in the rink tubes of a 400 m skating rink! Several technical delegations from all over the world have been visiting the rink during the first years and everywhere new big skating rinks started to use now this direct NH3 system, the best solution as well for the energy consumption as for the ice quality! Designed and constructed by the Dutch company Grasso. Because of the direct NH3 system the energy consumption was about 20% less comparing to the other two with indirect R 22 systems! Quite important at an outdoor 400 m skating rink with 2.4 MW capacity! One of the designers Ir J. van Male (over 90 years old now) gave a lot of interesting information about the ideas behind this project, the design and working etc. Very interesting to listen to all this, of course all done without using computers, spread sheets, pocket calculators etc! We have it easy now, but I think in these days the technicians were much closer to the roots of the refrigeration technology.