Rheem technology maintains temperatures at Port Moresby’s Taurama Aquatic and Leisure Centre
The maintenance of water temperature standards was behind the success of Port Moresby’s Taurama Aquatic and Leisure Centre as a competition venue for the 2015 Pacific Games.
An outdoor facility consisting of an Olympic-size 50-metre and 25-metre pool, the achievement of prescribed temperatures at the Centre was based on overcoming the water’s high degree of solar gain, imparted courtesy of an incessant tropical sun.
Rheem Pool Heating was approached to assist with the project in November 2012, quickly identifying the need to provide 500 kilowatts of cooling capacity and 300 kilowatts of heating capacity.
Explaining the challenge of keeping pool water cool in the tropical heat, Rheem Sales and Marketing Manager Mark Crowther explains “for a swimming pool to have a higher cooling load than a heating load is quite unique (as) given how hot it is in Port Moresby, the pool actually requires more cooling than heating.
“Our task was to bring all that water down to 27 degrees Celsius so that the Pacific Games could be successfully run and, most importantly, that the times swum in that meet could be recognised by FINA as internationally valid.”
In order to meet that critical cooling requirement, Rheem dispatched three custom manufactured Accent 250 kilowatt nominal output heating units via ship in mid-2014. The necessary commissioning work was carried out by the company in May 2015.
The system was ready well in time for the Games, which ran from 4th to 18th July 2015.
Crowther added “our task in commissioning was to get the units working at their optimal efficiency, and to put them into cooling mode so that the games could be successfully run.
“Needless to say, the swimming events all went off without a hitch, and we’re very excited to have been able to play a part.
“This project completes the trifecta for Accent Air in the heating-cooling of major regional aquatic centres for big international meets.
“In addition to the 2015 Pacific Games in PNG, we undertook the Asian Games in Bangkok in 1998 and will be doing the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in 2018 - having already trialled the Commonwealth Games heat pumps for the 2014 Pan Pacs.
“Having undertaken this work over a 20-year spread with Australian-designed and built product makes us very proud.”
Click here to contact Rheem Pool Heating via their entry in the Australasian Leisure Management Supplier Directory.
Images show Port Moresby’s Taurama Aquatic and Leisure Centre.
26th July 2015 - MYRTHA POOLS EQUIP 2015 PACIFIC GAMES VENUE IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA
26th March 2015 - SGL CONTINUES EXTENSIVE WORK IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA
19th June 2015 - NEWLY BUILT TAURAMA AQUATIC CENTRE SET FOR PRE PACIFIC GAMES TEST
5th September 2014 - AUSTRALIAN FIRST FOR NEW GOLD COAST AQUATIC CENTRE RECOVERY POOL
