Projects
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C. Block A consists of accommodation and ablution facilities
on the second level, and offices, laboratories, and a medical
facility with operating theatre on the first floor. Block B
consists of accommodation, entertainment, and ablution
facilities on the second level, with the kitchen, dining room,
stores, and waste room located on the first floor. Part
of Block C consists of a double-volume hangar area and
helipad for the helicopters; the balance of Block C houses
plant rooms for the generators and heat recovery systems,
wastewater treatment plant, workshop, stores, offices, and
a gymnasium located on the second level.
The base is kept at 18°C and includes a walk-in freezer
and cold room. Each block has its own fan coil units (FCUs)
serving each of the two floors, with an extra one for the
braai and one for the plant room. The FCUs were built
locally in Cape Town by Air Options.
The base has been in continuous operation 24 hours
a day, seven days a week since 1997; that is, the base had
been in operation around the clock for 14 years when DPW
commenced with the planning of the refurbishment in 2012
(18 years when the refurbishment commenced at the end
of 2015). The operational period can really be appreciated
by comparing this period with a similar local facility that
typically operates 8–12 hours a day, weekdays only. By
comparison, it can be said that the SANAE IV facility and
systems had the equivalent runtime of 45 years.
Antarctica is a continent with weather extremes:
winter temperatures in the region of -50˚C (dry bulb) and
hovering just below zero on the very best of summer days
www.hvacronline.co.za
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Heat exchangers in the new generator plant room.
Central heating buffer tank.
New generator plant room on completion.
RACA Journal I January 2019
45