MBT News

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics are now in full swing, but HVAC equipment maintenance teams of various venues have entered the closed-loop bubble as early as a month ago. “An equipment check every two hours” is the daily norm of a Midea HVAC equipment maintenance engineer at the Games.  

Within the large venue that hosts the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Beijing 2022 Olympics are great number indoor air conditioning units. This poses a considerable challenge for the management of HVAC equipment. Now, with the support of Midea VRF multi-connected unit’s’ “Cloud Control” technology, the difficulty of equipment management has become a simple task.

“Born to break boundaries, foresee the unseen” – Midea breaks through the limitations of space and realized a hierarchical, zoned, and decentralized management of HVAC equipment within the stadium. Engineers can now flexibly operate the network of air conditioners through “local centralized control + remote centralized control + mobile centralized control”.

“Through a combination of VRF cloud units, split unit equipment, and precise air conditioning, the venue can save over 40% of its annual operation efficiency,” said Wu Xiaolin, Director of the HVAC User Service Department of Midea Building Technologies Beijing. “We basically gave the venue a ‘green lung’”.

The Opening and Closing Ceremonies’ venue is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of Midea Building Technologies’ participation in the 2022 Winter Games. In addition to providing equipment, Midea’s service and safeguarding team are also present in every aspect of the competition.  

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics coincide with the Spring Festival. In accordance to the Committee’s requirements, Midea has sent professional service engineers into the closed-loop system ahead of time. From air circulation purification, precise temperature control, to energy saving and emission reduction, Midea is available 24/7 to ensure the smooth operation of HVAC equipment, providing a comfortable “Midea” temperature for the competition venues.

Du Guohui, a maintenance engineer at the Mountain Broadcasting Centre, was born in 1999, but already possesses the professional competence of a technician. A passion for charity drove him to participate in more than a dozen charitable events. In 2021, he was part of the equipment maintenance team for Chinese Communist Party’s centenary gala. He reached the Mountain Broadcasting Center and entered the closed loop in December, awaiting for the Games’ arrival. He will remain in the loop until the end of the Paralympics in March, with a further month of quarantine afterwards, before returning to a normal life. 

At Midea Building Technologies, there are countless other engineers like Du Guohui who have gone through heavy technical competence assessments and passed strict political audits, tirelessly working for major events and project sites.

The Zhangjiakou Mountain Broadcast Centre is the central hub for the global live broadcast of the sporting event, and a window to showcase the image of China. Within the largest mountain broadcast centre in the history of the Winter Olympics, Midea has taken account of the natural conditions, venue design and low-carbon needs of this location to provide precise temperature control, energy efficiency and air purification solutions. 

Over the course of the sporting event, the Center will house 18 broadcasters and over 60 TV stations to provide competition footage 24 hours a day. The enormous network of communication and broadcasting devices test the stability, temperature control, and security of the data center at all times. In particular, the air conditioning of the apparatus room must maintain a temperature of 15 degrees Celsius with no more than 2 degrees difference. Any downtime failure will have a major impact on the broadcasting of the Games, making the operation and maintenance of HVAC equipment especially critical. 

HVAC systems are complex in structure, with a necessary connection between the different spaces where the equipment operates. For indoor environments, the staff must complete the insulation of pipes within the apparatus room; whereas outdoors, they must battle the biting wind to check the operation of equipment.

Zhangjiakou in February is freezing cold, with temperatures reaching -30 degrees Celcius at night. Maintenance personnel must wrap themselves in thick jackets to complete the critical inspection work for frost protection. They carefully check the operating parameters of each unit, monitor the temperature and humidity, and report back to the OCOG system. Remaining on standby even during rest time, the staff must ensure an immediate and reliable response in the event of freeze damage. 

The 24-hour shifts in the apparatus room are a major test of perseverance and physical strength for the maintenance staff. But the significance behind the challenge has not been lost, and the importance of rigorous checking is constantly emphasized. Working for four months, over one hundred days, the team members have given up spending Spring Festival with their families to complete this sacred job.

The battle to safeguard the Winter Games is just one example of Midea’s various endeavours. Previously, Midea Building Technologies was the only Chinese central air conditioning supplier for the 2014 World Cup Brazil and 2016 Rio Olympics, in addition to servicing the World Cup Russia and various other major sporting venues. Professional teams have been arranged in these countries by Midea to provide comprehensive service. With the world’s most rigorous standard in product development, supply chain, testing standard, Midea has built an overseas home court for “Made Intelligently in China”.

"The challenges are great, but it's an honour to be involved in the maintenance and safeguarding of an international event," said Du Guohui. "But that's what we've been doing. Leave the complexity to Midea, and enjoy the simplicity of the Games."