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| Fayad al-Khatib addresses the seminar |
Delegates from various segments of the district cooling industry as well as individuals involved in project management, facility management, engineering associations, and the hospitality industry attended.
Welcoming the delegates, Qatar Cool’s CEO Fayad al-Khatib highlighted the need for information sharing among key partnerships and industry professionals to service the community better and added that ‘this would be a major element behind successful projects in the country.’
Introducing the speakers and agenda, Qatar Cool’s senior business development officer Wael Ayoub explained that efficient district cooling companies rely on a variety of technologies to ensure system optimisation.
“Qatar Cool, Installation Integrity 2006, CoolTech Qatar and MMG Qatar work hand in hand to ensure that each part of the district cooling process is managed efficiently on both the supplier and customer’s side,” he said.
Qatar Cool’s projects manager Issa Qandeel began the morning session with a presentation titled, ‘District Cooling, Making It Work For You.’
He discussed how Qatar Cool had evolved as a company over the past two years, which has seen it experience growth in many aspects as well as receiving peer and international recognition through several prestigious awards.
The same period also saw the successful operation of two new plants, one in the West Bay area and one a bespoke build for The Pearl-Qatar - the Integrated District Cooling Plant (IDCP) - which is currently the largest in the world.
Qandeel’s presentation highlighted the importance of collaboration and co-ordination between a district cooling provider and its customers to ensure the complete success of the project; starting from the planning stage through to the construction and operation phases.
He presented data that showed several areas where the customer might experience system inefficiency, and the unique reliability measures installed within each plant, throughout the network and on the client’s premises to ensure a continuous, reliable and energy efficient service.
“Balanced Air and Water Systems” was the theme of i2i’s presentation by general manager Gerard McGeoch. i2i began operation in Doha in 2006 specialising in ‘greening’ heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems (HVAC).
“A well performed testing, adjusting and balancing (TAB) of an HVAC system is essential for the proper performance of that system and can enhance indoor air quality and efficiency” he said.
CoolTech Qatar area manager Kevin Fernandez shared ‘Bio Manage’ – a presentation outlining common problems in water such as corrosion, scaling and fouling.
Pointing out that clean water is key, he explained that microbiological infestation affects efficiency of the plant as well as the environment.
“In this case, prevention vastly outweighs cure, where system maintenance will ensure a significant increase in the equipment’s life span.”
The seminar also tackled a fourth angle of District Cooling - the customer’s perspective. MMG’s operations manager Richard Jowsey presented “Effective Management of Cooling Systems.”
He highlighted the benefits of using a facilities management company by observing that it optimises the best functionality of the facility under management in the most cost
effective way.
“Our integrated approach builds efficiencies throughout the asset or project life cycle, and should be seen as a must in any serious building project,” he added.
