Tech Talk - Issue #93

Sydney’s stunning stadium

Located on the site of its predecessor at Moore Park, the new Sydney Football Stadium opened in late August 2022 and is now home to the Sydney Roosters, the New South Wales Waratahs and Sydney FC.

In 2017, the NSW Government announced the former stadium –which had been home to rugby league, union and football (soccer) for 30 years – would be replaced by a new, world-class facility.

Following demolition works, builder John Holland was awarded the contract by Infrastructure NSW to build the new stadium in 2019 with works commencing on site in early 2020.

Building services specialist A.G. Coombs was engaged to deliver mechanical services on the project following its involvement during the Early Contractor Involvement period. To meet a compressed construction program, A.G. Coombs prefabricated as much HVAC plant as possible off site, including the Level 5 mechanical services main plant.

Fantech supplied a number of fans for the project that met the stringent requirements of the mechanical services specification. These included single-width single-inlet (SWSI) and double-width double-inlet (DWDI) centrifugal fans, PowerLine Ultra Series mixed-flow fans, AP Series axial fans and TD Mixvent Series fans.

“Fantech was approached by A.G. Coombs

“Working with the A.G. Coombs engineering team, we provided product selections and the required technical data. We are proud to have our products installed in many areas of the stadium including recovery rooms, bathrooms, kitchens, the Members’ Reserve and everywhere in between.”

One of the advantages Fantech was able to offer A.G. Coombs was that over 50% of the fans selected were manufactured in Sydney, resulting in quick lead times to further assist in meeting the construction program.

In some instances where axial fans were originally designed to be installed horizontally, changes on site required them to be installed vertically instead. Fantech was able to reconfigure these fans quickly, making last minute modifications to the fan casings to suit the installation.

“Fantech has been a trusted supplier of fans to the HVAC industry for over 40 years, and A.G. Coombs has had a working relationship with Fantech for all of that time,” says Barry Agnew, Sales and Estimating Manager (NSW/ACT) for A.G. Coombs.

“Their staff are knowledgeable of their products, easily contactable and very responsive.”

Completed in mid-2022, the new 42,500-seat Sydney Football Stadium now offers sports and entertainment fans in Sydney with a world-class venue providing unrivalled views of the field and a 360-degree concourse for easy access both inside and outside the stadium.

Image Credit - A.G. Coombs

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Fantech has been a trusted supplier of fans to the HVAC industry for over 40 years

with Kerry Dumicich

How to use the Fantech COVID-19 Airborne Risk Calculator

In the previous Technically Speaking we introduced the concept of an Airborne Infection risk calculator.

The Fantech COVID-19 Airborne Risk Calculator is a simplified calculator based on the Airborne Infection Risk Calculator

Version 3.0 Beta by A. Mikszewski, G. Buonanno, L. Stabile, A. Pacitto and L. Morawska, April 2021. The Fantech tool is limited to simulating simple scenarios where there is only one infectious individual who has a variant of COVID-19. For more advanced scenarios, or for different airborne viruses, the above-mentioned calculator is likely to be more appropriate.

Since the Quanta Emission Rate (QER) is dependent on an infected person’s breathing rate, the calculator requires information on the activity level of the infectious person. Conversely, the breathing rate of the susceptible people in the room will determine the amount of virus inhaled. Therefore, the more active the infected and susceptible people are, the more likely the virus will be transmitted. It can be observed that mask wearing can reduce a percentage of viruses from being exhaled or inhaled (depending on the effectiveness of the mask and fitment of the mask).

The event time is very important as the longer susceptible people are exposed to a virus, the more likely it is they will receive a large enough dose to become infected.

Lastly, different variants of SARS-CoV-2 display different amounts of transmissibility, so using the relevant virus strain is important and can have a great impact on results. Fantech regularly updates the calculator as transmission data on new variants becomes available.

Results

After entering all the inputs and pressing the calculate button, the individual risk, maximum number of susceptible occupants (before a COVID-19 case will arise), and the probable number of cases is determined.

The Individual Risk field shows the likelihood of a single person being infected, while the Max Occupancy field estimates the maximum number of susceptible people allowed in the room (for the calculated duration) before it is likely that a COVID-19 case will arise.

As an example, if we had a maximum occupancy of 10 people before it was likely that a COVID-19 case would arise, and 11 susceptible people were present in the room, it is likely that a susceptible person would become infected. If only 9 susceptible people were in the room, it is not likely that someone would become infected.

www.fantech.com.au/covid-19-risk-calculator

TheoryThis tool models a single event (where an event is a gathering of people in an environment for a set period of time). The event could be a 45 minute lesson in a classroom, a 3 hour meeting in a conference room, or 20 minutes waiting at a doctor’s surgery.

To determine airborne transmission risk, a concept called Quanta (or infectious dose) is used. One Quanta is the dose of virus that will infect 63% of susceptible people. The calculator uses the Quanta emission rate (which is the infectious dose exhaled by an infected person) and the removal rate of the virus from the room to determine the amount of virus present in the area.

The removal rate of virus from the area is based on the sum of the air change rate, the viral inactivation rate (the rate at which the virus decays per hour), and the particle deposition rate (the rate at which the virus impacts surfaces).

A susceptible person is a person who is susceptible to catching Covid-19. The assumption is that the room is well mixed, that the virus levels have reached an equilibrium state, and that the dose of Quanta received by a susceptible person is integrated over the total time.

(Note - as these numbers are probabilities, even though it may be unlikely that someone becomes infected, there will always be a chance of this occurring.)

The goal of the calculator is to provide a means to reduce the risk of transmission to an acceptable level. It is impossible to bring the risk of transmission to zero, even with extreme measures in place.

For more detailed information on the Fantech COVID-19 Airborne Risk Calculator, please consult the help file at www.fantech.com.au/covid-19-risk-calculator

The next edition of Technically Speaking will focus on the concept of Clean Air Delivery rates and what strategies can be used to reduce the amount of airborne virus in an area.

Disclaimer: While the calculator is based on the latest information, several assumptions are made which mean that the results will not be exact. This tool is designed to simulate changes in environment/behaviour and then show whether these changes have a positive or negative effect on the airborne transmission risk. It is not designed to predict an absolute risk of transmission.

A lifetime of service

35 years

John Webster

Fantech VIC: Operations

Personnel

A qualified sheet metal worker, John joined Fantech in 1987 and recalls Jack and Glen (Fantech’s founders) being of great inspiration to him. A long-time stalwart of Fantech’s assembly team, John has contributed greatly to the business taking on extra responsibilities as a first aid officer and providing advice on assembly best practice. At home, John spends time with his children and grandkids, attends Sydney Swans matches and enjoys camping, having recently bought a camper trailer.

25 years

Samuela Ika

Fantech

NSW – Operations Personnel

His first job after moving to Australia from Tonga, Samuela started with Fantech as a fan assembler travelling to work by train. He enjoys the production role, working with his hands and tools and the assembly team. On weekends, Samuela spends time with his family’s sports events, and runs a lawn mowing business.

15 years Philip Clements

Fantech QLD: Sales Engineer - Applied Technology

With a sales and supply background, Philip originally joined Fantech in an internal sales position. 15 years later, he enjoys working in a team with a similar work ethic, and is impressed with the quality of the Fantech management team. Philip is a lifeguard and vice patrol leader at Redcliffe Surf Lifesaving.

Frank Cosentino

Fantech VIC: Elta

Group Marketing Manager

Sensing a great culture, Frank joined Fantech to apply his passion in marketing and advertising. He enjoys the collaboration between staff from different departments and Group businesses – all pulling in the same direction. At home, Frank tends to his veggie patch and fruit trees.

Chris De Silva

Fantech VIC: Senior Sales Engineer – Applied Technology

Prior to moving to Australia, Chris spent many years in refrigeration and air conditioning and uses this experience in his role. He enjoys the culture and management style at Fantech. At home, Chris works on his classic car when time permits.

Ben

Lowerson

Fantech VIC: Fantech Engineering Manager

Following a 12 month university placement, Ben worked part-time at Fantech while completing studies. Having held a number of positions since, he appreciates the opportunities Fantech provides for professional development. Away from work, Ben enjoys motor racing with his sons and family.

Kalvin Nicholls-Harrison

Fantech VIC: Operations Manager

After completing high school Kalvin joined Fantech at its Mulgrave facility working as an Assembler. The highlight for Kalvin has been his role in the design and implementation of Fantech’s new Vision Street facility in Victoria. Kalvin is a member of Fantech’s basketball team, and has two young children.

Ashvin Sookaram

Fantech VIC: Senior Graphic and Multimedia Designer

From Mauritius, Ashvin was awarded a scholarship from Swinburne University, and joined Fantech while still studying. He enjoys working on a diverse range of creative projects, including information design, user interfaces and animations. Away from work, Ashvin enjoys reading, drawing and surfing.

Mark Van Heeckeren

Fantech QLD: External Sales Representative

Owning a Sydney-based commissioning company, Mark worked closely with Fantech before joining the company when he moved to Queensland. Now, Mark looks after Fantech Trade and HVAC customers north of Brisbane to Central Queensland.

20 years 10 years

Fantech recognises the important contribution of its staff to the success of the company and thanks them, particularly those who have reached 10 or more years of service.

Samantha Calvert Fantech QLD: Senior Customer Service, Purchasing and Logistics Officer

At 17 years old, Samantha commenced a traineeship with Air Design before moving into other roles at Fantech. Her most memorable moment is receiving a call at work from her doctor advising of her first pregnancy with daughter Celeste. Molly followed two years later. Samantha loves taking them dancing, swimming and camping with husband Scotty.

Mark Flynn

Fantech NSW: Operations

Manager

Mark originally joined Fantech as a fan assembler before progressing to Production Manager –fondly recalling being told of his promotion. He says it’s the people in the business, from top to bottom, that makes Fantech a great place to work. On weekends, Mark can be found golfing or with grandson Charlie.

Tracee Francis

Burra Steel VIC: Office Manager

After farming for 15 years, Tracee joined Burra Steel as Office Manager and has enjoyed the role ever since. Managing accounts and payroll among other tasks, she enjoys staying busy all the time. Living close to the beach, Tracee enjoys walks after work, as well as travelling and cooking.

Philip Nevill

Fantech VIC: Victorian Project Coordinator

Philip joined Fantech after 22 years in HVAC - firstly as an electrician then as a commissioning technician. He says he likes the culture at Fantech and working in a team environment where support is available if required. Away from work, Philip enjoys movies, musicals, dining out and spending time with family.

Allen Astfalck

Fantech VIC:

Senior Controls Systems Engineer

After working with a motor manufacturer, Allen joined Fantech’s design engineering team. Working with customer-focused colleagues, he enjoys contributing to innovative solutions for customers. Away from work, Allen’s interest in fitness, family and community leads him to spend time with lifesaving and scouts.

Michael Bodnar

Fantech VIC: Internal Sales Representative

After spending 10 years in the valve industry, Michael joined Fantech in sales and became an all-rounder specialising in VSDs. He says the company’s moral compass matches his own, and values the friendships made. At home, Michael owns and races remote control cars.

Luke Bullock

Fantech QLD: Senior Sales Representative

With a mechanical and sales background, Luke joined Fantech Plus before taking an external sales role.

He loves the Queensland team that get along so well and work efficiently together. At home, Luke is into hot rods, fishing and competitive shooting.

Derek Helsby

Fantech VIC: Operations Personnel

A qualified cabinet maker, Derek was seeking a change when he joined Fantech. He enjoys the relaxed and friendly workplace, and the move to the new Vision Street facility in Victoria. Away from work, Derek likes to fish and watch AFL.

Peter Henry

Fantech VIC: Fantech

Group Intelligent Ventilation Product Manager

A control engineer with a business degree, product manager of demand control ventilation products seemed a good fit when Peter joined Fantech. He loves the company’s commitment to innovation and development. Away from work, Peter keeps busy with sea scouts, camping and scuba diving.

From left to right, front row: Ashvin, Frank, Chris, Michael From left to right, back row: Phil, Ben, Peter, Kalvin, Derek, Allen

In-line fan range expands

A new addition to Fantech’s in-line fan range, the fully adjustable TD EVO VAR will sit alongside the popular Jetline product when it arrives in 2023. It provides an innovative and energy efficient solution that is ideal for domestic and commercial ventilation applications, and includes integrated variable speed control, analogue input signal and run-on timer.

Continual increases in energy costs have created a greater demand for products and systems that minimise energy usage. Available from early 2023, the new TD EVO VAR in-line fan has been designed with these demands in mind.

Achieving highly efficient performance with low energy consumption, the TD EVO VAR takes advantage of an integrated variable speed controller that can be adjusted locally on the fan, or remotely via a 0-10V or 4-20mA analogue input signal. The new TD EVO VAR also comes standard with an onboard, adjustable run-on timer (1, 5, 15 and 30 minutes), allowing steam and odours to be exhausted even after the room has been vacated.

Optimised impeller

The low-profile, compact design of the new TD EVO VAR makes it well suited for ventilation applications where space is limited, such as hotel rooms and residential apartments.

The optimised impeller design, guide vanes and outlet diffuser assist in increasing air flow performance, while the silent block between the motor and the guide vanes help to reduce motor vibration and lowers the TD EVO VAR’s sound level.

Easy installation

Installation of the TD EVO VAR is simple, with an easy to remove fan body allowing the support bracket to be easily screwed into place first and the ductwork then attached.

The design features airtight construction with double injection sealing between the main body and the support bracket to avoid air leaks. Rubber gaskets added to the flanges improve airtightness with the attached ducting.

Count on Jetline

The new TD EVO VAR will sit alongside Fantech’s popular Jetline range of high performance, low profile in-line fans available in AC and electronically commutated (EC) variants.

Jetline and Jetline Ecowatt (EC) fans have been aerodynamically designed to deliver efficient performance with low sound levels. The innovative centrifugal impeller maximises air flow while the integrated guide vanes increase pressure development.

The compact, low-profile design makes the Jetline range ideal for commercial and residential applications including hotel rooms and apartments where ceiling space is limited.

Both TD EVO VAR and Jetline in-line fans are available in six sizes to suit 100mm, 125mm, 150mm, 200mm, 250mm and 315mm duct diameters.

Visit www.fantech.com.au for more information and specification details.

Fans by Fantech Product Selection Program

with Stuart Bryson

Hints and Tips

BCA2019 compliant selections

BCA2019 Volume 1 J5.4 (and the H1/VM3 2021 for New Zealand) sets targets for overall fan efficiencies and duct system pressure drops. The 2019 standard is very different to all previous versions and requires an efficiency target to be met, rather than a W/(L/s) value as previously used.

When you search for fans in the Fantech Product Selection Program, the latest version will use the 2019 standard by default (this can be changed if required). Fans with green W/(L/s) values meet the efficiency target; the actual W/(L/s) value is for reference and has no relevance to the BCA2019.

By clicking on any of the fans found, you can view the NCC/BCA information panel that displays the calculated and target efficiency values. For reference, previous BCA compliances will be shown in the Motor information panel.

If you have calculated the BCA efficiency requirement value across the whole system using the ABCB calculator or similar, this value can be entered in the NCC Allowable System Pressure field. The difference between the duty pressure and the Allowable System Pressure will be used to offset the Fan Target Efficiency.

Version 5.7 of the Fantech Product Selection Program can be downloaded from our website. Remember to use the auto-updater to make sure you’ve got all the latest features.

“ ” … an innovative and highly energy efficient solution

“It’s pretty straight forward really - we value our employees and our customers,” says Managing Director, Mark Beatton. “We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice and everyone does their bit, and more, to exceed our diverse range of clients’ expectations.”

Many employees have been with Seasonair since its inception, with the company proud to promote from within. Earlier this year, a succession plan was put in place with long-term staffer Adam Cooper becoming a company Director.

employees

Seasonair, South Australia

Established in 1972, Seasonair has grown to become one of South Australia’s most respected and trustworthy commercial air conditioning providers.

Based in Adelaide’s Melrose Park, Seasonair’s modern facility houses its contracting division, preventative maintenance and breakdown repair department, and fully equipped sheet metal ductwork fabrication workshop.

The company’s success is built on an ever-increasing number of loyal customers and the company’s commitment to work together to achieve their desired outcomes. A professional team of over 50 full-time staff are well-versed in providing clients with comprehensive design, installation and service involving all aspects of air conditioning, heating and ventilation.

Adam commenced his career with Seasonair in his teens and recently celebrated 19 years with the company, having held various positions during that time including Contracts Manager.

“It’s been on the cards for a while and something Mark and I have been working towards for some years,” says Adam. “Seasonair is like family and I’m very passionate and excited to be able to continue building and developing on such strong foundations.”

Among Seasonair’s projects was a new air conditioning installation at Bridgestone’s new office building at 210 Greenhill Road. The company is also well known for its work in retail, aged care and supermarkets.

From one industry stalwart to another, Fantech congratulates all at Seasonair on their 50 year milestone.

Fantech Revit Plugin simplifies tasks

Fantech has released a purpose-built plugin for Autodesk Revit software that enables designers and architects to import BIM-MEPAUS compliant Revit models of Fantech products into their projects. These models are pre-loaded with parameters specific for the project.

Previously, in order to add Fantech models into your Revit project, you were required to select each one from a list of all the Fantech models. This method imported models with generic information only that is not specific to the project. This was tedious on large projects and adding the wrong model by mistake was not uncommon. These shortcomings have been solved with the Fantech Revit Tools Plugin.

When installed, the Fantech Revit Tools Plugin pulls information from the Fantech Product Selection Program (version 5.6 or newer) which also needs to be installed.

Using the Fantech Revit Tools Plugin is easy. With the project open in Revit, go to the Add-Ins tab and click the Fantech logo with the “Load Fans” label. This will prompt you to select a Fantech Fan Schedule (file with .fanx extension) that is available from your Fantech Sales Representative.

Once opened, the Plugin loads details from the Fan Schedule, including project specific requirements such as performance, power and designations. To load the fans into your Revit project, click the “load” button for each designated fan model.

Fantech’s Revit models are compliant with BIM-MEP AUS specifications which standardise Revit parameters and modelling across the industry. Fantech’s Revit models have also been designed to display varying degrees of 3D detail (fine, medium or coarse), from intricate to simplified geometry to optimise large projects.

The latest version of the Fantech Revit Tools Plugin, video walk through and Installation and User Guide, can be accessed at www.fantech.com.au/revit/models/

Fantech Revit Tools Plugin

Fantech Revit models set to fine detail (left) and coarse detail (right)

“

Many

have been with Seasonair since its inception ”

High performance

The Thomas Dixon Centre has been home to Queensland Ballet for over 30 years. A recent multi-million dollar refurbishment has transformed the heritage-listed building into a world-class performing arts precinct. Originally built as a shoe factory in 1908, the two-storey red brick building on Montague Road in Brisbane’s West End was designed by renowned Brisbane architect Richard Gailey.

The factory remained with Thomas C. Dixon & Sons until the mid-1970s, after which it was purchased by the Queensland Government and eventually became home to Queensland Ballet in 1991.

In 2019, the Queensland Government, in consultation with Queensland Ballet, commenced the transformation of the Thomas Dixon Centre into a world-class arts and cultural destination for Brisbane, including new 350-plus seat theatre, dance studios, hospitality spaces including a rooftop terrace and enhanced office, production and wellness spaces.

Designed by architect Conrad Gargett, the precinct has been reimagined whilst retaining the original heritage-listed factory at its heart. The project also aimed to achieve Platinum WELL Building Standard accreditation by prioritising the health and wellness of residents and visitors in the building design.

Working with builder Hansen Yuncken, Ellis Air was awarded the mechanical services contract through a competitive tender process and commenced on site in 2020.

This work included the construction of a centralised chilled water system with primary and secondary circuits to serve different areas of the precinct.

The new plant features high performance air-cooled Clint chillers and a number of fans supplied by Fantech, which were specified by consulting engineer XBURO.

Prior to design finalisation, a number of enhancements were made to the mechanical services design, resulting in changes to fan selection to meet performance and airflow requirements.

“Due to the building being heritage listed, and the size and space constraints plus acoustic considerations, our team did a lot of work with Ellis Air in reselecting equipment to meet the project requirements,” says Kent Taylor, Sales Supervisor at Fantech Queensland.

Attenuators were also added as part of the Ellis Air final design to ensure mechanical services plant met the strict noise requirements for performance spaces.

“I have a good relationship with Fantech, and they assisted our engineering staff with selection and support,” says Peter Cahill, Senior Project Manager at Ellis Air.

After ten years in the making, the redevelopment of the Thomas Dixon Centre and Queensland Ballet’s headquarters was completed in mid-2022.

WOULD YOU LIKE MORE INFORMATION?

Please email szekrati@fantech.com.au if you want to receive any of the below information. For hard copies, please also include your address.

• Fans by Fantech catalogue

• Fans by Fantech Product Selection Program

• TD EVO VAR Brochure

• Jetline Brochure

• JetVent Car Park Ventilation Brochure

www.fantech.com.au

Fantech Pty. Ltd.

63 Vision Street, Dandenong South, VIC 3175

Fantech Contacts

Australia

Adelaide (08) 8294 0530

Brisbane (07) 3299 9888

Canberra (02) 6280 5511

Darwin (08) 8947 0447

Hobart (03) 6273 6455

Melbourne H.O. (03) 9554 7845

Newcastle (02) 4961 6088

Perth (08) 9209 4999 Sydney (02) 8811 0400

Townsville (07) 4775 5222

Wollongong (02) 4226 5133 New Zealand

Auckland H.O. (09) 444 6266 Christchurch (03) 379 8622 Wellington (04) 566 0532

…home to Queensland Ballet for over 30 years

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Image Credit: AAP Newswire/ Richard Walker

Staff pictured outside Dixon’s Shoe Factory