Preconditioned Air Units Reduce Emissions

Today, environmental concerns and the rising costs of fuel have become significant joint concerns for the aviation community and the people of the world. Reducing emissions whenever possible and utilizing hydrocarbon fuel alternatives for ground support and gate equipment are steps in the right direction. The cost savings related to incorporating these technologies may help companies stay competitive and thrive during these challenging times, and well into the future. 

JBT AeroTech a leading manufacture of Preconditioned Air Handlers provide ventilated, cooled, dehumidified and optionally heated air to commercial aircraft's. The air handlers are controlled remotely when cool or heated air is required on the aircraft using our 2-wire loop powered 4-20mA flow transmitter to regulate the flow of 50% water 50% glycol thru the unit. Due to the confined space in these units RCM designed the body to connect via solder connection. Heat from the second stage system is rejected to the returning chilled water through a series of shell-and-tube heat exchanges. This design allows for delivery of the extremely cold 240 F (-4°C) delivered air temperatures desirable to effectively cool large aircraft through the aircraft’s 8-inch (200 mm) PC Air entry port(s) on demand. 

Adding these units can significantly reduce operational costs and the emissions of docked aircraft by approximately 96 percent (at a typical 23-gate terminal) just by shutting down APU (Auxiliary Power Unit) when an aircraft is parked at the gate. These preconditioned air handlers are mounted under the Jetway bridges or as a mobile units with more than 2500 Jetaire units currently operating in airports worldwide. 

Additionally ground support equipment using diesel and gasoline have been replaced with vehicles using compressed natural gas (CNG) these vehicles are used for towing and servicing the aircraft further reducing our carbon footprint.