Business & Money | Tuesday 5 June, 2018 2:37 pm |

Coinciding with the opening of the new King Abdulaziz International Airport, Al Salem Johnson Controls, a leading provider of integrated solutions in HVAC, building management and smart energy solutions, revealed today its cooling and security solutions for Saudi’s newest major Airport.

“One of the unique aspects of this mega project is that it leverages a wide range of integrated solutions offered by Al Salem Johnson Controls”, the Company’s CEO, Dr. Mohanad Al-Shaikh, pointed out.  He then added “we feel great to be part of this massive 105 km2 airport, which required customized ventilation, cooling and air conditioning solutions to suit every use, while ensuring cooling efficiency under all operating and climatic conditions, particularly during peak times and seasons. The fact that the expected capacity of this new airport is 30 million passengers per year only highlights the magnitude of this challenge”.

In terms of ventilation, air-conditioning and cooling, Al Salem Johnson Controls has established three cooling stations that are located in different areas of the airport, with a total of 54 YORK Chillers with overall cooling capacity of 135,000TR (equivalent to 13,500 medium sized apartments).  Additionally, there are 21 YORK Chillers with a cooling capacity of up to 7,000 TR, designed to cool critical facilities, such as data centers, the mosque and the air traffic control tower, one of the highest in the world. There are also six YORK Glycol Chillers dedicated to supply aircrafts with cooled air while refueling and loading passengers and luggage.

To provide the most comfortable environment for passengers and employees alike, YORK chillers cool water to 5-6 °C and pump it through underground pipes to the Air Handling Units. Cold water then passes through these units to release cold air throughout buildings and facilities. To cool the main terminal building, YORK Air Handling Units were installed, including more than 1,000 Saudi-made units manufactured at the YORK Jeddah factory. Many of these units’ features and cooling capacity have been designed and engineered in the Jeddah factory to meet the special cooling requirements of some of the more complex systems at the airport, including the Baggage Handling Systems (BHS) which stretches to 34.6 kilometers.

Dr. Al-Shaikh noted that the new airport has also been equipped with integrated control, security and safety systems to improve the energy efficiency – a top objective of Vision 2030. He also highlighted that the Building Management System (BMS) used is expected to enhance energy efficiency by 30%, while contributing to the smooth operation of airport’s equipment and systems at all times, including seasons and peak hours. 

The Building Management System (BMS) controls all supporting facility buildings and covers the ventilation, conditioning, cooling, energy consumption and operation efficiency of a total of 40 buildings distributed around the airport. This is in addition to a total of 7 kilometers of passenger traffic tunnels.

Further, Al Salem Johnson Controls has provided a total of 2736 surveillance cameras, a central control room, supervising and controlling 3163 inspection gates, 46 passenger passageways and 94 boarding bridges. The air traffic control tower’s latest and most cutting-edge air traffic control technology is equipped with advanced security and safety systems.

Dr. Al-Shaikh, concluded by stressing the importance of the integrated solutions provided to King Abdulaziz International Airport, saying that it will give passengers and visitors a very comfortable experience.

 

Cooling and air conditioning of King Abdulaziz International Airport

• Total cooling capacity of the airport is 135,000 TR
• The cooling capacity is equivalent to 13,500 medium size apartments
• 3 cooling stations with 54 chillers
• 6 glycol chillers designed to supply aircraft with cool air while fueling and loading passengers and luggage
• 1000 Saudi-made Air Handling Units (YORK factory in Jeddah)
• Baggage Handling System customized cooling solution
• 21 chillers (YORK) with a cooling capacity of up to 7,000 TR, designed to cool vital facilities vital

Security and Control Systems

• The Building Management System (BMS) controls all major buildings and supporting facilities
• BMS contributes to streamlining energy efficiency by 30%, especially during operational peak times.
• The Building Management System (BMS) controls the ventilation, air conditioning, cooling, energy consumption and operation efficiency of 40 buildings
• Building Management System (BMS) controls ventilation, air conditioning, cooling, energy consumption and operating efficiency of 7 km of passenger traffic tunnels
• The central control room overlooks 46 control gates for travelers
• The central control room overlooks 94 bridges for boarding passengers
• The air traffic control tower is equipped with state-of-the-art control technology with advanced security and safety systems
• 2736 Surveillance Camera (CCTV)
• 3163 control gates for individuals
• 34.6 kilometers along the tracks and baggage belts