We spend a lot of time talking about the latest technologies to keep your plant up and running, but I recently stumbled upon a story that exemplifies how these tools can be used to keep a track up and running. With the winter Olympics in mind, I share with you the story of the maintenance crew at Park City’s Utah Olympic Park, the home for racing bobsled, luge, or skeleton.
The Utah crew is dedicated to maintaining ideal conditions for racers and trainees who flash down its $25 million race course at more than 60 miles per hour. One of the most important conditions is the temperature of the track. To keep their measurements precise, the crew uses responsive thermometers and takes readings every fifteen minutes.
The heart of the track is the refrigeration plant, which is located at the bottom of the track. According to the article, it pumps 110,000 pounds of liquefied ammonia refrigerant up through 54 miles of piping along the course. The plant can keep the track cooled to -26 °C (-14 °F), and the track surface is normally held slightly below freezing at about -6 °C (21 °F).