Optimal Operation of Climate Control Systems of Indoor Ice Rinks

I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. ii Ice rinks are large commercial buildings which facilitate various activities such as hockey, figure skating, curling, recreational skating, public arenas, auditoriums and col-iseums. These have a complex energy system, in which an enormous sheet of ice is main-tained at a low temperature while at the same time the spectator stands are heated to ensure comfortable conditions for the spectators. Since indoor ice rinks account for a sig-nificant share of the commercial sector and are in operation for more than 8 months a year, their contribution in the total demand cannot be ignored. Thus, there is significant scope for energy savings in indoor ice rinks through optimal operation of their climate control systems. In this work, a mathematical model of indoor ice rinks for the implementation of Energ