Chilling Out Sports Media

The University of Phoenix Stadium is the centerpiece of a promotion center that includes a media center with unique cooling demands.
The University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., has been subject of media hype since its opening in 2006 with equal events as the Super Bowl, NCAA National Championship, Fiesta Bowl, National Football Cooperative games, and its proper name seeing one of the “10 Mightily Telling Sports Facilities on The Globe” by BusinessWeek magazine.

To aid with the contribute, the nearby Glendale Media Center was created with wraparound windows and outdoor rooftop platforms for backdrops of mountains, the nearby stadium, and its neighboring National Hockey League arena. There is up to 40, 000 condone feet of space to berth hordes of media types.

One challenge was to perform the comfort cooling at the center in a part of the county with workaday 100°F or warmer days. Those involved in the project also had to meet key deadlines for startup, ensure upright cooling, take take of the Phoenix area’s low wet bulb to reduce energy consumption, and minimize the footprint of the mechanical equipment.

“There were several design considerations that we needed to incorporate into the manufacture of the Media Center’s packaged central plant, but most important was punch — from brain wave to startup, ” said Sam Macrane, product manager for Chil - Pak, which built what he described as a “fully integrated packaged inland cooling plant” for the project.

He oral the company was chosen for its skill to “bring whole-hog the variables associated with the engineering and construction of a hackneyed central base into a clashing cost - and space - efficient cabinet, where full electrical, pumps, warm, controls, chillers, and cooling tower could be all in a controlled ISO 9001 factory environment. This unitary container plant slant provided a complete chilled water solution at the lowest possible cost to the building owner in just a few months. ”

Macrane noted that the transaction draws all its components from a variety of manufacturers, an approach he called “brand neutral — application specific. ” In the plight of the Media Center, the 440 - ton packaged homely plant integrated two Carrier 30HXC screw chillers, redundant Armstrong Lineup 4280 chilled - water ( CHW ) condenser water ( CW ) pumps, ABB ACH550 variable - frequency drives ( VFDs ), a Mueller Accu - Therm plate and frame heat exchanger ( HX ), Carrier Control Network ( CCN ) controls, and a demounted Evapco AT dual - cell cooling tower.

“The Carrier screws made a favorable choice for the chillers true to the multiple compressors and dual circuit evaporators. This attribute ensured sufficient cooling qualification would be available matching if a compressor went down. Additionally, the stacked hogshead design reduces chiller width, which is a key packaged plant design consideration. The width of the unit is important correct to over - the - approach shipping constraints, ” said Mark McKee of Sigler & Reeves, who provided the chillers for the packaged inaugurate.

“A redundant pump plot was crucial to fit out the availability germane. Should a pump animation down, the standby pump automatically comes on - line. Further, the unneeded CW pump is used to drive the precise economizer when the wet bulb conditions allow the HX to pre - cool the returning CHW.

“The use of outdoor temperature and humidity sensors allow the control system to calculate when the cooling tower ( CT ) can make water brumal enough to pre - cool the returning CHW, accounting for the delta T across the HX. Pre - cooling the returning CHW effectively reduces the mechanical cooling responsibility, reducing energy consumption and improving chiller part load performance.

“This facility has numerous ton - hours available for ‘economizing’ well-timed to the stretched operating hours and low Phoenix douse bulb conditions, so the HX was sized to take about 160 tons of load, ” said Chil - Pak’s chief engineer, Daniel Dominguez.

Facility personnel throughout the season observed the economizer benefit. “We love the savings from the continuous economizer, ” said Mark O’Brian, maintenance supervisor for the facility.

This packaged central cooling install is described as “brand neutral—application specific. ”
Regarding the selection of a dual cell - cooling tower, Macrane said the purpose was “to provide a level of diversity by having two separate cells instead of one. Choosing a demounted CT design allowed integral the interconnecting CW pipe spools and CT / VFD wiring in to be made at the factory, and so fracture for shipment simplifying the installing contractor’s task, ” uttered Mike Dill, project administrator for Miller Bonded Inc., headquartered in Albuquerque, N. M.

“The divergent nib of participation for project coordination and factory - prepped connections saved a lot of go and made this one of the easiest plants I have unusually installed. ” The packaged domiciliate is “about one - third the footprint of a comparable field - constructed originate and eliminated the owner’s expense of building a specialized room, ” Dill vocal.

As a command, Macrane said the Chil - Pak Central Plant Solution™ reduces the engineering plot stretch, reduces the cost of field exertion, and simplifies project management versus trade - constructed technical residence. He distinctive that the Chil - Pak “easy button” approach might not be honorable for every project, which is why the company has an application support team to cooperation engineers and owners evaluate different packaged plant design options.

The “brand mushroom — application specific” concept allows a degree of product flexibility for 100 - to 3, 600 - ton applications, he vocal. Component selection depends on the application, including such options over water - cooled R - 134A screw, centrifugal, or Turbocor chillers, various pumping configurations, cooling tower arrangements, and HX economizing capabilities. In general Macrane verbal, “The market demand for packaged central plants seems to be expanding with a shrinking skilled labor force, more engineering firms without central secure design expertise, and ever tightening converse constraints. ”