Qatar 2022: how does the air conditioning system work in the World Cup stadiums? | [VIDEO]

Qatar is the venue for the 2022 World Cup. The Asian country is located in a desert area with high temperatures. For this reason, the stadiums that have been built to host this great sporting event have a cooling system that allows the development of football and a pleasant experience during matches. how does this work technology?

It is the first time that a soccer World Cup is held outside its regular season, which is usually between June and July. The reason is simple: Temperatures in Qatar reach 50°C during this time, so they have chosen to do so in the months considered “winter” in this part of the world, where the average is 30°C during the day..

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How does the cooling system work in the Qatar 2022 stadiums?

FIFA and Qatar turned to air conditioning to ensure a good experience for attendees and footballers. To do this, pthey used their trust in Saud Abdulaziz Abdul Ghani, a Sudanese engineer with a PhD in this subject. Nicknamed ‘Dr. Cold ‘(Dr. Cool), he used his studies on this technology in cars to translate it into stadiums.

“These refrigeration technologies use the same tools, but on a much larger scale.”, says the engineer in an interview with FIFA. “When we were preparing our submission for the World Cup in 2022, we wanted a unique offer that would stand out among other candidate countries. Most of the countries tend to present their stadiums as a design idea and not as a technology. We present our stadiums in a new way: as a technology”, he adds.

The Sudanese team uses a technology that is estimated to be 40% more sustainable than the rest. This is called “targeted or spot cooling”, which is based on the idea that only areas where there are people at those times should cool. For it, use the same stadium as a bubble that redirects the air inside. In addition, the design of the stadiums allows sunlight to enter so that the grass can be maintained in a healthy manner.

With the use of grilles in the stands and large-scale nozzles on the pitch, air is circulated, then withdrawn, re-cooled, filtered and expelled once more. “We’re not just cooling the air, we’re cleaning it. We are purifying the air for the spectators. For example, people who have allergies will not have problems inside our stadiums. We have the cleanest and purest air that exists”, says Dr. Saud.

Saud Abdulaziz Abdul Ghani shows the grids in the stands of the Qatar 2022 stadiums. (AFP /)

Dr. Saud shows the air conditioning nozzles that are on the sides of the fields in the Qatar 2022 stadiums. (KARIM JAAFAR /)

This method means that stadiums only need to cool down two hours before games or other events. This significantly reduces the energy consumption of the enclosure. “The most important thing for effective cooling is that you don’t want outside wind blowing into the stadium. That is why the size and layout of the stadium must be studied and modified accordingly so that they block the entry of hot air.”, he adds.

In this way, the players on the court and the attendees will be at a temperature between 18° and 24°C, which allows the game to be played without inconvenience and the public to enjoy the show without problems. In addition, solar energy is used to run the system, making it more environmentally friendly.

Source: Elcomercio