Drain Box Assembly With Coolant Pipe Routing to Prevent Ice Warm Spots
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large drain boxes in convertible splash pad/ice rink structures disrupt the coolant pipe layout, creating 'warm spots' on the ice surface due to diversion of pipes and acting as cooling sinks, which are hazardous and undesirable.
Innovation Solution
A drain box assembly with a housing and coolant pipe segments that maintain the regular spacing of coolant pipes across the surface, using a housing with a vertically directed water flow channel and connectors to secure the assembly to the drain pipe, minimizing disruption and preventing warm spots.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If larger drain boxes are used to reduce the number of drains and lower construction costs, then construction cost is reduced, but the coolant pipes must be diverted around the drain boxes creating warm spots on the ice surface
Solution Approach 1:
The drain box is designed with a hollow interior that accommodates the coolant pipes within its structure. This nesting allows the pipes to pass through the drain box rather than requiring diversion around it, maintaining the regular parallel spacing of coolant pipes across the entire surface including over the drain location, thereby preventing warm spots while using fewer, larger drain boxes
Solution Approach 2:
The drain box structure serves as an intermediary element that bridges the conflicting requirements of large drainage capacity and coolant pipe routing. By incorporating pipe accommodation features directly into the drain box design, it mediates between the need for few large drains and the need for continuous coolant flow paths
2Productivity
If larger drain boxes are used to facilitate quick drainage, then drainage efficiency is improved, but the pipes must be diverted creating harmful warm spots
Solution Approach 1:
The drain box is designed with a hollow interior that accommodates the coolant pipes within its structure. This nesting allows the pipes to pass through the drain box rather than requiring diversion around it, maintaining the regular parallel spacing of coolant pipes across the entire surface including over the drain location, thereby preventing warm spots while using fewer, larger drain boxes
Solution Approach 2:
The solution moves the pipe routing from a two-dimensional surface level (where pipes would need to divert around the drain box footprint) into the three-dimensional space of the drain box itself, allowing pipes to pass through the vertical dimension of the hollow structure without disrupting the surface layout
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively eliminates warm spots on the ice surface while allowing for efficient drainage, reducing construction costs and maintaining even cooling across the ice rink.
Implementation Method 1
In order to provide the necessary cooling for the formation and maintenance of ice atop the concrete base during the skating season, coolant pipes having a diameter of about a half inch (0.5′′) to about one inch (1.0′′) are typically put in place during construction of the concrete base.
Implementation Method 2
The planar surface may be entirely flat, but is more typically sloped slightly towards a plurality of drains formed in the concrete base to assist with water flow to the drains.
Data Source
AI summary
A drain box assembly for a convertible splash pad/ice rink structure comprises a housing having an open top and a closed bottom, sidewalls connecting the top and bottom of the housing in fluid sealing relation to form within the housing a vertically directed water flow channel that connects a water ingress port and a water egress port in fluid communication one with the other. Connectors operatively secure the housing at the water egress port to a drain pipe. A plurality of coolant pipe segments each have an axis of symmetry extending between a first open end and a second open end. The coolant pipe segments are mounted on the housing to extend through the vertically directed water flow channel adjacent the open top, in substantially transverse relation to the vertical water flow channel. The first and second open ends of each coolant pipe segment extend beyond the one or more upright walls.