DOHA: The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) said yesterday that it is developing innovative and environment-friendly cooling technologies that will allow football to be played in the country throughout the year.
The SC is developing and fine- tuning ten cooling methods as part of an integrated approach in the design of different facilities and the proposed venues for the FIFA World Cup that Qatar will host in 2022. Many countries with similar climates could benefit from these technologies once the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar is over, the committee said yesterday.
Solar shading is one of the cooling technologies in which buildings are designed to be not exposed to direct sunlight. It is possible to reduce heat absorbed by a structure by 85 per cent. This can be achieved by planting suitable vegetation around buildings to selecting special materials that limit solar transmission.
Another method, natural ventilation, utilises natural forces, such as differences in pressure caused by wind, which draws air towards low pressure areas, and/or thermal buoyancy which causes hot air to be displaced by cooler air. Natural ventilation can serve two functions that would otherwise have to be provided by mechanical systems, namely reducing the temperature of an area and improving indoor air quality by ventilation. The other methods are:
Night-time ventilation: This process relies on the walls, floors and other surfaces being cooled at night when temperatures are lower. The cooled surfaces are then able to absorb heat during the day thus allowing people to enjoy a cooler environment.
Evaporative cooling: This method utilises the cooling effect generated by water as it absorbs heat to change state to a vapour in the process of evaporation. Just as sweat evaporates to cool body by absorbing heat, a water spray near a building or space absorbs heat and evaporates to create a cooler local environment.
Passive Cooling: It is the process of cooling a space or building without using energy. Some of walkways outside the 2022 stadiums will be passively cooled. Passive cooling can be used in combination with other methods and leads to reduction of energy-intensive cooling systems. For some spaces inside buildings, passive cooling may be sufficient for achieving the desired air quality and comfort levels.
Mechanical ventilation: Mechanical ventilation involves the supply of outdoor air to, or removal of room air from, a building using electrically powered fans. There are three basic types of mechanical ventilation systems: one that relies on outdoor air brought into the building, one which discharges indoor air, and a balanced system which uses both.
Hybrid ventilation: This two-mode system combines the best aspects of natural and mechanical ventilation at different times of the day or season of the year to provide a comfortable indoor environment and good air quality.
Refrigeration: This involves moving heat from one location to another. This cycle is used in most household refrigerators, large commercial and industrial refrigeration systems. Heat is taken from the space that needs cooling and dispersed outside with electrically driven compressor systems.
District cooling systems: Any group of buildings with large cooling needs normally requires a district cooling system. This means the centralised production and distribution of cooling energy. Chilled water is delivered via an underground insulated pipeline to office, industrial and residential buildings to cool the indoor air of the buildings within a district.
Air Conditioning: Allows the control of air flow and temperature precisely. Cooling units will be incorporated into stadiums. However, air conditioning will mainly be used in conjunction with more energy-efficient cooling methods as part of a hybrid solution. The Peninsula
