T
he use of HCFC-22 in the U.S. will end in 2020,
so ice rinks across North America will be looking for
alternative refrigerants.
The Harry J. McDonald Center in Eagle River,
Alaska reopened this past January with a new CO
2 direct refrig-
eration system. This technology is the first of its kind in the
U.S. The McDonald Center, built in the 1980s with a Freon-
based system, was in dire need of a new refrigeration system and
facility transformation.
Their new system, the Advansor CO
2 Refrigeration System for
ice rinks, by Hillphoenix, eliminates the use of synthetic or cor-
rosive refrigerants by using carbon dioxide.
32 / JULY.AUGUST.2015 RINKMAGAZINE.COM
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF RINK AND HILLPHOENIX
by CORY
PORTNER
Harry J. McDonald
Center the first
U.S. rink to use
sustainable CO
2
refrigeration
The Future of
Refrigeration?