
Project Details
Benmax has an established relationship with the CSIRO having previously completed works at the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex located within the Tidbinbilla National Park. Awarded the mechanical services contract for their latest project, a cooling water upgrade on Deep Space Station Antenna 43, the team successfully completed work in September 2020.
The iconic DSS43 antenna stands 73 metres tall and 70 metres wide weighing in at more than 3000 tonnes. Officially opened in 1973, it remains the largest steerable parabolic antenna in the Southern Hemisphere and has supported numerous international space missions throughout its operation. The upgrade project was required to accommodate a new larger transmitter and to cool the quantities of oil that are required to rotate and elevate the dish during operation.
The technical project required considerable planning and a collaborative approach on site to manage the challenges and safety risks of working on a facility of this kind. The ten-month long project comprised of significant demolition works of redundant equipment including cooling water plant, cooling towers, pipework and pumps, as well as the decommissioning of AHUs and associated ductwork in the heights of the dish modules.
Once complete, the team went about rebuilding the mechanical systems installing new Adiabatic coolers, buffer tanks, cooling water pumps and piping to support transmitter and oil cooling. A new CHW AHU was fitted in the dish module to support critical cooling of NASA’s electrical components, with the team also required to install approximately 160 metres of stainless-steel transmitter cooling water pipe across the dish structure. An upgrade of the Building Management System (BMS) to include new controls functionality for the cooling water system completed work on the project.
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