How a Qatar University professor helped the country secure hosting rights for the 2022 FIFA World Cup 2022 Lusail Stadium, the jewel in Qatar’s crown at the home World Cup

Qatar is growing rapidly to become the hottest place on Earth for a number of reasons, including its geographical location near the Persian Gulf, its high level of per capita carbon dioxide emissions and the rapid construction of avant-garde super skyscrapers. .

The Supreme Commission on Shipping and Legacy – which oversees the country’s FIFA World Cup preparations – was aware that other nations with more experience in organizing international sports tournaments were overtaking and securing the rights to host a four-year show in one country. , once it recorded a temperature of 50.4 degrees Celsius, it would be hard work. He had to do something amazing; For the 2022 WC now in line with the slogan – ‘Amazing Hope’.

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Lusail Stadium, the jewel of Qatar at home to the World Cup

Then Dr. Saud Abdul-Aziz Abdul-Ghani, a professor at the University of Qatar, came to the rescue. Dr. Abdul-Ghani, an expert in the field of air conditioning engineering, was tasked with examining a sustainable mechanism for heat dissipation in the Middle Eastern national desert. After extensive research and testing, Abdul-Ghani first created a solar-powered hull for all workers who would have to work in dry conditions before going on to develop plans for seven of the eight sites for outdoor air conditioning systems. .

Explaining the mechanism for selecting the media, he said: “The inside is like a micro bubble. If the outside air is 52 degrees (Celsius), I can give it 22 in the stadium. No problem.”

He then went on to compare it to a fish tank that had oil on top of the open stadium. “Hot air is lighter than cold air. So it will always be upstairs while there will be cold air at the bottom. We recycle that cold air. So even though it’s an open space, it acts like a closed space. It’s like oil. And water. Stadium. in this you are sitting like a fish in water and you will never change to a piece of oil.While we test the kit we close all the service doors and build a small layer of cold air at the bottom.It is like hot air at the top.oil, but we keep recycling cold air, never move to oil or part of the hot air. The measure of our success is that we minimize the mixing of hot air with cold air. “

Entering the system at Khalifa International Stadium was the biggest challenge, because unlike other halls that had to be built from scratch, this hall on Al Waab Street was built in 1976. The 2006 Asian Games, the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, some of the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup matches and the World Athletics Championships in the same year, among others.

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“In stadiums like Lusail we have ventilation under the seats. It’s better. In Khalifa, we have nozzles that blow air from a higher level. The maintenance cost therefore goes up a bit. implications, ”he said.

The 40,000-seat Khalifa Stadium has 2,013 nozzles, which boost the cold air level and propel the pitch. “The tunnels have large slate risers that recycle air. We pump air into this large gap but we suck it back, cool it again and throw it out again. We make the loads lower. It costs more than 10, ”he explained.

The 40,000-seat Khalifa Stadium has 2,013 nozzles, which boost the cold air level and propel the pitch. – Santadeep Dey

The refrigerators were tested for the first time among 35,000 people for the 2017 Emir Cup final. Abdul-Ghani said: “What we did in Khalifa is better than moving with a temperature sensor. We wanted to see how people perceive normal comfort and weather changes. Everyone had to fill out a small survey on their phones to describe clothes., Age, sex, where they sit and what they feel on a scale, very hot, hot, neutral and cold and very cold. Then we controlled the entrance to our computer room and set the stadium in motion. that base. “

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Artificial cooling technology also doubles as a filtration system, Abdul-Ghani reported. “If there is dust in the air, we remove everything along with the pollen and the suspended particle. So we also clean the air. The mechanism is the same as in a car. There are filters. When we wet. The outside air passes through a filter like a sieve with very small holes. They are trapped when dirt particles only pass through clean air. “

Earlier it was reported that the stadiums were getting cooler than necessary. Abdul-Ghani, however, explained how it could have been the only event that could have happened. “Our stadiums got too cold for a reason. These were made for a big heat load and fans weren’t allowed during COVID-19, so maybe the players felt a little cold. We actually have the best controlled system. We don’t measure the temperature for the players. we, we measure thermal stress, the ability of the skin to give off the sweat that evaporates, ”he said.

(The writer is in Qatar invited by the Supreme Commission on Delivery & Legacy)