HVAC
Humidity matters at Jersey Air Traffic Control
J
ersey Air Traffic Control has recently installed four Condair steam humidifiers at its centre in Jersey Airport, which is responsible for the coordination of air traffic in the busy skies above the Channel Islands. Air traffic control is a demanding role, with aircraft and passenger safety its primary goal, and the humidifiers help provide a comfortable and productive environment for air traffic controllers and engineering staff by combatting the visual discomfort created by dry air.
The Channel Islands are popular destinations for commercial airlines and private aircraft pilots alike, and high volumes of air traffic pass through its air space. In 2014, there were over 100,000 aircraft departures and arrivals at the three airports of Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney, and almost 2.5M travellers passed in and out of them. The Condair humidifiers serve the iconic Control Tower, which controls the flight arrivals and departures from Jersey Airport itself, and areas in the air Traffic Control Centre, both of which were built in 2010 to accommodate the increasing attraction of flying to and from the islands. Air traffic control in the Channel Islands is a highly responsible role. It has a high visual and mental workload, using purpose-designed interactive screens as essential tools, frequent interaction with aircrew and important decisions being made. Shift work, early starts and late finishes can also have an effect. Les Smallwood, Senior Air Traffic Control Officer at the centre, explains, “The human element is important. In a job where errors could be critical, an environment that is comfortable and considers people’s well-being also supports their working needs. The humidifiers are a part of this.” The largest capacity humidifier, a 30kg/h resistive steam humidifier, supplies the air handling system for the first floor of the Air Traffic Control Centre, which includes air traffic control offices and rest areas, to maintain around 50%RH. Three Condair CP3 Mini in-room humidifiers are used to do the same in the Control Tower itself and in the Air Traffic Engineering offices, whose staff are responsible for the good operation of radar, navaids, electronic equipment and associated services.
Condair resistive steam humidifiers feature a unique scale collection tank for easy and straightforward maintenance.
Building & Facilities Management – January 2016
The Condair CP3 Mini units are compact and discreetly-designed electrode boiler humidifiers, wall-mounted in the areas concerned to deliver up to 4kg/h of pure steam directly into the space. Routine maintenance is quick and kept simple by the easily exchanged boiling cylinders. Jersey Health and Safety Inspectorate’s Display Screen Equipment at Work ACoP, confirms the importance of maintaining of a level of relative humidity that is adequate to prevent the discomfort and sore eyes that are characteristically associated with dry air, as part of an ergonomically-optimised working environment. This echoes the same guidance given in the UK Health & Safety Executive’s DSE ACoP and other European directives.
Dry air can be caused by air
conditioning and also arises during cooler winter months when indoor relative humidity drops as it is heated. Even in a mild and agreeable climate like Jersey’s, it can be a particular problem for computer screen users, as the air around a screen can be drier and more
prone to electrostatic effects than its surroundings, due to the increased temperature locally. Humidifiers effectively address these issues. Maintaining a relative humidity of 40-60% has also been shown to reduce susceptibility to infection by preventing the drying of the moist lining of the mouth, throat and nose, and airborne viruses have been shown to survive for a shorter time at this level. Conveniently, the level of relative humidity that suits people’s health also provides the ideal environment for IT systems and electronic equipment.
www.condair.co.uk.
Thinking inside the box A
irBox from Weatherite Air Conditioning Ltd is their latest air containment solution –
providing an energy-efficient addition to Data Centre airflow management. Based on years of expertise gained in providing cooling solutions for some of the most demanding blue-chip clients within the IT critical sector, AirBox provides an effective way to help control airflow within data centres, server rooms and comms rooms. AirBox is a made-to-measure containment system that can be retro- fitted to accommodate an existing building arrangement or designed as an integral part of a brand-new installation and will help achieve the most energy-efficient solution for both hot and cold aisle configurations. As Pat Gillan, Weatherite’s Data Centre Sales Manager commented: “Offering our Airbox air containment solution complements our existing range of data centre cooling capabilities – offering the client a complete ‘one-stop-shop’ solution- delivering massive energy savings and high efficiecy operation”.
AirBox is the latest addition to a range of datacentre cooling solutions from Weatherite which also includes CRAC direct replacement, direct free cooling, indirect adiabatic and in-row cooling solutions. Weatherite Aluminium Solutions Ltd has been delivering precision cooling for IT critical environments for over 30 years and is part of the Weatherite Group of Companies, one of the UK’s leading HVAC equipment providers. For further information please contact: Robert Boswell, Weatherite Group Commercial Director; Tel: 0121 665 2266 Email:
rboswell@weatheritegroup.com www.weatheritegroup.com
hvac
25
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36