Electrical engineering, systems integration and installation specialist MizCo had the challenging task of providing the HVAC controls system for the billion dollar-plus Optus Stadium in Perth.
The stadium was a mammoth build which involved 36 months of construction to create the third largest stadium in Australia capable of seating up to 70,000 people.
More than 5,800 workers were directly employed during construction of the stadium which took more than 21 Olympic sized pools of concrete to build.
It officially opened earlier this year and is one of the largest commercial projects undertaken by MizCo who were engaged by stadium builder, Multiplex.
MizCo director, Greg Mizza, said the focus was on ensuring the venue featured the latest in innovation, design and technology.
“We were encouraged to break away from tradition and introduce cutting edge technology,” he said.
MizCo considered several unique factors when designing the HVAC control system for its maiden stadium project.
“The key challenge was understanding the complex communication protocols and technical requirements of the converged network/ICT,” Mizza said.
“The HVAC control system needed to operate seamlessly with this network and as a standalone.
“With more than 400 variable speed drives to be installed and integrated within the backbone network, we invested a significant amount of time finding a product that would work into the control system and allow the team to deliver the project with maximum efficiency.”
Prior to selecting Eaton as the drive partner, MizCo tested several different variable speed drive products and measured them against the following stadium scenarios: Conductivity at an Ethernet, BACnet/MS/TP and BACnet/IP level and serviceability.
“The Eaton H-MAX series of drives, with BACnet/IP communications onboard was selected based on its strong capability and cost benefit,” Mizza said.
Working closely with Eaton’s local team and US-based experts, MizCo was able to enhance the H-MAX drives by developing new software configurations and product changes that helped streamline the physical installation.
“We were impressed by Eaton’s flexibility and responsiveness during this phase. These enhancements have now become normal practice at Eaton,” Mizza explained.
The MizCo team installed 410 Eaton H-MAX variable drives across the stadium infrastructure. This is the largest single install of this product anywhere in the world.
With Eaton’s Max Connect drives software, the HVAC control system was setup to display the parameters of all drives in real-time from one location.
Eaton’s built-in Active Energy Control software provides management capabilities that reduce the input voltage and current requirements to maintain system speed and torque demands – setting a new standard in energy optimisation and stability, while delivering additional cost savings.
The HVAC control system designed by the MizCo team also featured multiple access points across the stadium in the form of touch screens for local/remote control management giving the maintenance and service team capabilities to access live information.
While MizCo expects it to take a little while before the technology and systems are operating at optimum efficiency and productivity, initial feedback shows that the HVAC drive system is working as designed and delivering the client’s requested outcomes.
Contracted for three-years to support the ongoing service and maintenance of the HVAC control system at Optus Stadium, MizCo is keen to maximise the benefits of Eaton’s integrated software to deliver more efficiencies and minimise running costs.
After the success of this project, Eaton has also appointed MizCo as an Eaton drives integration partner.