An innovative heating and cooling solution is being employed at the $290 million Revitalising Dandenong Project, which is the largest urban renewal project to be undertaken in Victoria since the Melbourne Docklands development.
The project includes the construction of a reticulation network for a co-generation facility in Dandenong.
The company constructing the network is CLMI, a Zinfra Group Company.
Its project delivery manager Alan Lew said the 1.2 km pipeline is a greener solution for heating and cooling as it takes thermal energy, a byproduct of the electricity-generation process, and carries it through the reticulation network.
"This thermal energy is being used to heat buildings in the central Dandenong precinct in winter and drive the heat-driven chillers for cooling throughout summer," he said.
CLMI is also using the Logstor piping system which was sourced from Denmark.
"This is the first time is has been used in Australia," Lew said.
"It self-diagnoses maintenance issues and also enables efficiency of up to five times that of conventional air-conditioning systems – providing a long-term cost saving to the building owners as well as reducing carbon emissions.
“The reticulation pipework also communicates maintenance issues through sophisticated telemetry systems.
"Built-in surveillance wiring and pipeline sensors send an electronic message to the cogent maintenance engineers enabling them to quickly rectify any issues.
"This also reduces the risk of interruptions to the building's heating and cooling systems."
In an interview with the Australian Pipeliner, Lew said he is impressed by the system and the CLMI team working on the project.
"They had never worked with this piping system before and after three days of training they were exceptionally competent and highly efficient in the wiring and coating requirements,” he said.
“The whole team has gone above and beyond to source an innovative solution – delivering it ahead of schedule, within budget and in an efficient and professional manner.”