Keeping Cool
For more than 20 years Aggreko has been a key partner in the impressive infrastructure development that has taken place across the Gulf region. Known primarily for its power rental business, the company is the world leader in the supply of rental temperature control solutions. Bill Kearns, Head of Temperature Control at Aggreko Middle East, explains why.
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For more than 20 years Aggreko has been a key partner in the impressive infrastructure development that has taken place across the Gulf region. Known primarily for its power rental business and long association with the Dubai Rugby Sevens (which includes sponsorship of the Aggreko Dynamos team), the company is the world leader in the supply of rental temperature control solutions.
Aggreko has come a long way since opening its first regional offices at Sharjah in 1991. The company now operates from 11 service centres in the wider Middle East/Central Asia region (its geographical reach extends to Kazakhstan), and inaugurated its latest, Istanbul office in 2012.
"We have grown the business and expanded our temperature control fleet exponentially to meet industry demand", explains Bill Kearns, Head of Temperature Control at Aggreko Middle East; before adding that the company supplies solutions to a wide range of industries and identifying manufacturing, food processing, oil and gas, construction, facilities management and event-related industries as the heaviest users of rental temperature control equipment.
Because of its proximity to customers through its Middle East depot network and sizeable locally-based fleet of vehicles, typical jobs can range from supplying emergency chillers for commercial buildings following air conditioning failure, to providing temporary cooling towers at manufacturing plants to enable production to continue despite equipment failure.
In a region that experiences sweltering summer heat, temperature control within indoor environments is a major consideration for all businesses.
Case Study: Hamad International Airport (HIA)
During the construction of Hamad International Airport (HIA) in Doha, Aggreko supplied a turnkey cooling package that utilised high ambient, air-cooled, chillers to provide a cooling solution to the cargo hangar.
"Our customer, C.A.T. International, required the main cargo hangar to be air-conditioned whilst a team worked to complete the fit-out against an extremely tight schedule", says Mr. Kearns.
Working closely with the contractors from the initial design brief through to project approval, installation and commissioning, Aggreko supplied a 2,500 metric tonne (MT) chiller package together with 5 megawatts (MW) of auxiliary power generation.
The project was staffed by a dedicated team of engineers and technicians throughout its 13-month lifespan.
When air conditioning systems shut down temperatures soon become unbearable forcing both residents and commercial tenants to find cooler, more comfortable surroundings.
"By supplying this solution to the project we were able to assist the client in effecting a smooth transition between temporary and permanent cooling systems, and dramatically minimised any downtime in construction activity", recounts Mr Kearns.
Rental temperature control equipment is often used to provide additional cooling capacity during the summer months. At major public events, the focus is on "comfort" cooling.
Aggreko also supports the majority of facilities management companies in the region with power and temperature control offerings.
Kearns says: "When air conditioning systems shut down temperatures soon become unbearable, forcing both residential and commercial tenants to find cooler, more comfortable surroundings."
