FRESH TREATED AIR AND VENTILATION SUPPORT ICONIC FRESH FOOD MARKET

It was recognised that the Adelaide Central Market’s air conditioning system was approaching the end of life, made evident by higher moisture content,
higher space temperatures and the declining life span of fresh produce.
The Market needed a solution which would protect the integrity of its products and deliver a healthy and comfortable visitor experience.
In line with the company’s vision to be the world’s leading food and produce market, Trent Snowball, Operations Manager, reached out to Lucid Consulting for a solution.
The Adelaide Central Market underwent a major refurbishment of the whole air conditioning system servicing the market and its tenants, totalling some 8,000 square metres of floor area.
The project brief meant an energy efficient climate control solution best suited to a retail food environment had to be integrated into the building to meet the project objectives and overall business philosophy.
Ultimately, the Market needed an efficient way to cool 100% outside air,
particularly throughout Adelaide’s hot summer days. With large groups of people converging during busy trading periods, the decision around HVAC needed to account for the health of Market users, particularly in the wake of COVID-19.

PROJECTS REQUIREMENTS

The design required a positively pressurised space to reduce the outdoor
air infiltration through the openings on Gouger and Grote Street, while
holding space temperatures at around 24°C on extreme days; presenting
the following installation objectives:
• Replacement of existing direct evaporative coolers that were reaching
end of life
• Provide 100% outside air due to large open roller doors on north and
south entrances
• Hold lower temperatures in the space with less added moisture
• Provide favourable indoor conditions to improve shelf life of fresh
produce
• Provide a cooling system that was energy efficient and one which
reduced peak demand

THE CHALLENGES

In terms of project challenges, there were the following:
• The existing air distribution system was intended to be reused
• As the building is located in the CBD, as much prefabrication as possible was organised to avoid traffic disruption due to crane lifts
• The proposed equipment had to work into existing site power limitations
• A robust control system to maintain desired room temperature of 22°C and relative humidity of 50%
• The installation was to be carried out with minimal disruption to the business or the stall holders

THE SOLUTION

After an extensive evaluation and selection process, Seeley International’s Climate Wizard air conditioning technology was specified by Lucid Consulting and selected by Adelaide Central Market as the best solution.
The 32 Climate Wizard CW-H15S Plus units provide 51,200 litres per second of 100% treated outside air into the market and alfresco areas.
The system now provides positive pressure to the relatively open space to eliminate infiltration load from the large trafficable entrances.
At Adelaide summer design conditions, the units are able to reduce the air temperature by over 20 degrees and provide a total of 640 kilowatts of stand-alone cooling into the building.
The units can provide this capacity with a coefficient of performance of 9.3, which is over three times more efficient than a comparable refrigerated system.
Most importantly, Climate Wizard is playing a key role in maintaining The Adelaide Central Market’s status as a premium food destination by maintaining fresh produce and ensuring a visitor experience which is healthy and comfortable.