A new automated shutdown system that helps protect local watercourses has been installed by AUMA Actuators Limited in a wash-down area for de-icing commercial airliners at a London airport.
AUMA Actuators Limited designed, installed, tested, and deployed a new automatic shutdown system that prevents a high concentration of glycol from entering the watercourse, in the event of a higher-than-normal level of glycol in the aircraft wash-down mixture.
The system comprises four main parts; the actuators with remote-mounted AC control heads; the existing penstocks; a bespoke control panel; and a Glycol Analyser. The system operates by opening and closing two penstocks mounted below the airport apron, which diverts wash-down water to an interceptor holding tank in a controlled sequence triggered by a Glycol Analyser. The analyser constantly monitors the glycol water mix. When high glycol concentration is detected, a signal is sent to the control panel, which initiates the shutdown sequence to the actuators.
AUMA technicians built a custom panel to control the actuators, in line with the glycol sample station. Two AUMA SA07.6 (actuators), AC01.2 (controls), and GK10.2 (gearbox) actuators and gearbox combinations were installed in the underground valve chamber, with cable set run to the airport’s kiosk, plus mounting of control heads.
AUMA’s confined space team of field technicians removed the old gearboxes, driveshafts and mechanically installed the replacement gearboxes and actuators. The cable sets were then run in the cable ducting and fed into the kiosk. The control panel, local isolators, and control heads were mounted and connected to the kiosk.
