What keeps the ice on a skating rink frozen?
The answer is a very efficient system because the ice, as you may have noticed, stays frozen even when the sun shines and the temperature borders on the balmy. The method they use to achieve this often has something in common with the process of producing pickles: brine. When you lace up and balance yourself on a blade, you are literally skating on thin ice–about two inches worth. That sits on top of a concrete base. Within the concrete are thin pipes, about an inch thick, through which flows brine at temperatures as low as -15 degrees F. or a similarly cold glycol solution (yes, that’s antifreeze!). The cold concrete keeps the ice frozen. It’s that simple. Isn’t that cool? (Source: HOW DO THEY DO THAT? by Caroline Sutton) FAST FACTS: Ancient Egyptians slept on pillows made of stone. That’s actually what caused many of their deaths…pillow fights. 97% of the world’s water is in the ocean. The other 3% is in my basement after every rainstorm.
