Method and apparatus for heat exchange, where channels, e.g. tubes, are secured in recesses in heat-isolating boards

A heat-exchange method for making artificially frozen ice areas in the form of ice-rinks, comprising:

• advancing an energy-carrying medium through a channel system comprising hose-like channel parts;
• providing a base for the frozen ice area comprising at least one pre-fabricated flat slab of heat insulating material with a pair of opposed end edges and with a plurality of parallel, spaced-apart supporting grooves for the channel parts;
• said supporting grooves being made integral with the slab and having open tops and concave, curvature cross sections, extending along the upper surface of the flat slab between the opposed slab end edges;
• providing, on the upper surface of the slab, within the supporting grooves, a plurality of locking groove units with locking grooves, structurally integral with the slab and spaced-apart along each supporting groove, the locking grooves of the locking groove units being made with a partially circular cross-section, the upper portion being open and the lower portion being coextensive with the lower most curved surface of the associated supporting groove;
• extending, disposing, supporting and holding the channel parts in lengths disposed in mutually parallel side-by-side relationship on said at least one pre-fabricated slab of heat-insulating material;
• and, when disposing the channel parts on the slab, inserting the lengths of channel parts into the supporting grooves and into the spaced-apart locking grooves associated with the supporting groove formed in said slab, each of said locking groove units having a short length in the direction of extension of the channel part when placed in the locking groove so the locking grooves engage only a minor part of the total length of the channel parts;
• the open upper part of said supporting grooves being wider than the cross-sectional dimension of the hose-like channel part;
• making each locking groove unit (3) resilient so it is widened against a resilient spring-like biasing force when the channel part (1) is inserted and forced into the locking groove, to thereby firmly hold the channel part in the locking groove, axially as well as radially, and forming a water-retaining damming construction between the channel part and the bottom of the associated supporting groove, to thereby provide a sealed fit of the channel part (1) along the associated locking groove units and the associated supporting groove;
• placing moisture-retaining filler material (9) selected from material including sand and gravel, around the channel parts and covering the slab;
• and substantially saturating said filler material with water.