Hybrid ac – the cool solution for Qatar 2022?

An air cooling system which uses a combination of indirect, direct evaporative cooling or traditional DX cooling technology is being tested for use at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

UK company Air2O has just installed its air cooling systems in the Fan Zone at Qatar’s Doha Aspire Track Zone, a multi-purpose soccer training stadium and fan zone for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The open-air fan zone, which is the size of a full sized football pitch, will be used to test the cooling technology ‘s potential use for training facilities across Qatar for the World Cup.

Despite outdoor temperatures that can reach 50ºC in Qatar, a total of 120 Air2O hybrid units will deliver 10,000ft³/m and 175kW of cooling to maintain temperatures of 26ºC, whatever the external weather conditions.

Air2O’s technology is unique in that it uses a combination of indirect, direct evaporative cooling technology or traditional DX (Direct Expansion) air conditioning. Energy savings of some 47% are said to be achievable against a conventional air conditioning approach.

How it works

Outdoor air is first passed through an evaporative cooling section. As the warm air is cooled, so is the water. This cool water is then transferred to a high efficiency heat exchanger (over which the primary outdoor air is passed) to deliver the first stage of cooling with no additional moisture, providing indirect evaporative cooling. The air is then further cooled as it passes the second cooling stage, providing direct evaporative cooling.

Air2O has a unique ability to adapt and become a hybrid cooling system, incorporating traditional refrigerant or chilled water-cooling coils.

Air2O’s intelligent control system can automatically respond to external weather conditions, switching its cooling strategy from evaporative cooling to air conditioning when needed. This ensures consistent performance, high efficiency and significant energy savings.

Mike Sullivan of Air2O comments, “We were delighted to win the Aspire Track project which presents huge challenges in terms of cooling a large area with formidable external temperatures and high humidity levels and it has given us the chance to show what our innovative technology is capable of. We are installing  Air2O cooling systems all over the world, providing energy efficient cooling without compromise, at locations such as Universal Studios in Singapore, factories and schools in Dubai and even in Jay Leno’s garage.”