Company:
Makmax Australia Eagle Farm Old,

Project Details

Fabric 1

OTHER
Producer: Mehler Texnologies GmbH
Supplier: Innova International


Engineer Name 1
Martin Eddleston

Engineer Company 1
MakMax Australia

Architect Company
Wilson Architects

Fabrication Company
MakMax Australia

Subcontractor Company
Kane Construction

Project Manager Name
Brian Vandervelde

Project Manager Company
MakMax Australia

Installation Company
Ozrig


Please describe the project specifications

A steel and pvc fabric cooling tower that has a flexible design allowing operation across the range of dry, wet, and hybrid cooling modes. This tower has a modular construction that is easily deployable to remote sites and dramatically cheaper than concrete cooling towers, particularly at small scales. The demonstration unit, built at the UQ Gatton Campus is large enough to contribute to the efficient supplyof power for up to 1000 people.


What was the purpose of this project? What did the client request?

The Queensland Geothermal Energy Centre of Excellence requested a one of a kind research facility for improving cooling tower technology suitable for geothermal, solar thermal and biomass power plants.


What is unique or complex about the project?

The University of Queensland’s (UQ) Geothermal Centre (QGECE) has developed an innovative new cooling tower technology to reduce water consumption and the cost of generating electricity in regional Australia. Remote Australian communities need cost effective small scale power generation options. Small scale thermal power plants (1-10 MW) using renewable sources (geothermal, biomass and solar thermal) could meet this need, and these technologies require cooling towers that work efficiently at small scale without consuming excessive amounts of water.
This project is the first of its kind, developed by the University of Queensland to facilitate the research into enviromentally friendly heat exchange processes.


What were the results of the project?

The QGECE has developed a polymer-steel cooling tower that has a flexible design allowing operation across the range of dry, wet, and hybrid cooling modes. This tower has a modular construction that is easily deployable to remote sites and dramatically cheaper than concrete cooling towers, particularly at small scales.
The QGECE hybrid cooling tower at Gatton is a world first research facility with profound implications for power generation.


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