Airports — vast in size — challenge airport managers and decision-makers to maintain comfort, energy efficiency and safety while ensuring the health and well-being of staff and passengers. Traditional heating, ventilation and air conditioning — HVAC — systems often struggle to manage uneven temperatures, leading to hot and cold spots, excessive energy consumption and even health hazards for travelers and employees at airport-based businesses.
Inefficient airflow can leave airport operators with high energy bills, inconsistent temperature control and potential safety risks. Worse yet, as public health becomes an increasingly critical priority, growing concern exists about the spread of airborne pathogens in such large, enclosed environments.
Enter destratification fans, which address many unique challenges airport facilities face in creating comfortable, energy-efficient, safe environments.
Understanding Thermal Stratification in Airport Spaces
In large, open spaces like airport terminals, air tends to stratify or layer, with warmer air rising to the ceiling and cooler air settling near the floor. This phenomenon, known as thermal stratification, can lead to significant temperature differences between floor and ceiling levels, causing discomfort and inefficiencies in heating and cooling systems.
Destratification fans create gentle columns of air that reach the floor, pushing air outwards and upwards. The destratification process effectively mixes internal air, equalizing temperatures throughout the space and reducing the layering effect.
Versatile destratification systems can be implemented across modern airport facility environments:
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Terminal buildings.
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Hangars (effective in spaces up to 35 meters high).
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Maintenance facilities.
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Baggage handling areas.
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Customs and immigration halls.
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Traveler lounges.
Designed to work alongside all HVAC systems, destratification fans are suitable for new constructions and retrofits in existing facilities. The fans themselves typically have minimal running costs, with some models operating for as little as $43.20 per year running 24/7.
To illustrate the real-world impact of destratification fans in airport environments, let’s examine a British Airways case study in London.
Case Study: British Airways Engineering at Heathrow Airport
British Airways Engineering, responsible for maintaining the entire BA Boeing 747-400 fleet and providing support services to many other airlines, faced a significant challenge in its East Penn maintenance hangar at Heathrow Airport. The hangar’s high ceiling caused expensively heated air to rise and accumulate near the top, where it served no useful purpose.
This stratification led to several issues:
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Increased temperature difference between inside and outside, accelerating heat loss.
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Higher heating costs due to inefficient use of heated air.
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Uncomfortably cold working environment for employees.
Unfortunately, most people don’t think of the air’s impact on comfortability and productivity until they’re sitting under a vent blowing air that’s too hot or cold. These conditions were so severe that staff threatened to walk out, highlighting the urgent need for a solution.
Working with leading contractor Gratte Brothers Group Ltd, British Airways invested in an Airius destratification system using patented technology. The system combined 27 strategically placed destratification fans to create balanced temperatures throughout the hangar.
The impact of the destratification system was both immediate and significant:
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Improved comfort: Even before the planned heating/cooling system upgrades were completed, the new fans made a substantial difference. Employee complaints ceased, and workers were comfortable enough to work in their t-shirts.
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Reduced HVAC load: By circulating the heated air from the existing HVAC system more efficiently, the fans reduced the load on the system, leading to decreased run time and energy consumption.
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Faster hangar heat-up time: The improved air circulation led to more rapid space heating when needed.
By addressing the fundamental issue of thermal stratification, these systems immediately benefit British Airways Engineering in terms of improved comfort, reduced HVAC load and faster hangar heat-up.
As more airports prioritize the traveler experience, destratification fans also improve air quality, boost cost and energy savings, and enhance safety and sustainability — standing out as a competitive advantage.
Enhancing Air Quality and Virus Mitigation with Destratification Fans
Let’s face it: Crowded airports don’t have the best air quality. Between elevated levels of pollutants and travelers experiencing a sudden change in environment, jet lag and stress, maintaining air quality remains difficult.
In the wake of global health concerns, airport managers have prioritized maintaining high indoor air quality and mitigating the spread of viruses. Advanced destratification fan systems equipped with air purification technology help address these concerns. Some destratification fans — like Airius’s PureAir line — incorporate patented needlepoint bipolar ionization (NPBI™) technology. The NBPI innovation goes beyond simple air circulation to actively improve indoor air quality.
The technology releases ions into the air stream, which then attach to particles, making them larger and easier to filter out. This air purification process helps effectively neutralize various pathogens, including bacteria, molds and viruses. NBPI technology effectively reduces the infectivity of viruses, including COVID-19, by up to 99.9%, mitigating health risks and improving indoor air quality in high-traffic areas like airports.
Beyond virus mitigation, these fans can help to neutralize volatile organic compounds, chemical vapors and other odors, ensuring that passengers and staff experience a fresh and clean environment. For airport managers focused on public health, NPBI equipped destratification fans provide a proactive defense.
Realizing Energy and Cost Savings
In addition to improved comfort, one of the most significant advantages of destratification fans in airport settings is their potential for energy and cost savings. Airports — facing nearly doubled power demands by 2030 — often rely on excessive heating and cooling to compensate for uneven temperatures caused by thermal stratification. By helping HVAC systems work more efficiently, destratification fans can substantially reduce energy consumption.
Airius case studies illustrate that properly implemented destratification systems can lower energy usage by up to 30% and heating and cooling costs by an average of 35%. When temperatures are more uniform throughout a space, heating and cooling systems don’t have to work as hard to maintain desired comfort levels. Equalizing temperatures and recirculating warm air that naturally rises to the ceiling reduces energy consumption and minimizes wear and tear on HVAC equipment, potentially lowering maintenance costs over time.
Optimized heating and cooling processes unlock energy efficiency, translating into substantial cost savings. This enhanced efficiency reduces operational expenses and contributes to a greener, more sustainable airport. With airport facilities’ high energy demands, even a modest percentage reduction in energy consumption can result in significant financial benefits. Many facilities report a rapid return on investment (ROI) for destratification systems within eight to 18 months of installation.
Improving Safety by Reducing Condensation
In large spaces throughout an airport, uneven temperatures can cause condensation buildup on floors and windows, leading to slippery surfaces that increase the risk of accidents. Destratification fans promote faster moisture evaporation by maintaining even air circulation, helping eliminate condensation before it becomes hazardous. They also increase floor temperatures to shift the dew point to keep floors from sweating.
Keeping floors dry and safe helps prevent slips, trips and falls in lively areas where employees and passengers constantly move. This seemingly small benefit can significantly impact individual safety while reducing the liability risks for airport operators. Moreover, the improved air circulation can reduce or eliminate issues with condensation on aircraft and equipment, streamlining maintenance processes and potentially reducing corrosion-related wear on valuable assets.
Contributing to Sustainability and Future Green Airports
As the aviation industry faces increasing pressure to reduce its environmental impact, airports seek ways to improve their sustainability credentials. Destratification fans advance progress toward this goal in several ways.
First, the energy savings achieved through more efficient heating and cooling translate directly into reduced carbon emissions. Many facilities report an average reduction of up to 35% in carbon emissions related to climate control after implementing destratification systems. These systems can also redirect heat from various sources within the airport. Process heat, lighting and even solar gain through large windows can be more effectively distributed throughout the space with these advanced fans, reducing the need for additional heating.
Lastly, by optimizing the performance of existing HVAC systems, destratification fans can potentially extend this equipment’s lifespan, reducing the environmental impact associated with premature replacement.
Destratification: The Future of Airport Climate Control
From significant energy and cost savings to improved air quality and virus mitigation, destratification fans provide a compelling package of advantages for airport decision-makers. Their ability to enhance comfort, contribute to safety measures and support sustainability goals makes them a valuable consideration for any airport looking to optimize its operations.
As with any significant facility upgrade, airport managers should conduct thorough assessments to determine the most suitable destratification solution for their specific needs, weighing factors like building layout, existing HVAC systems and local climate conditions. However, given the potential for rapid ROI and the wide-ranging benefits, destratification fans can propel the aviation sector’s ongoing pursuit of efficiency and excellence into the future.
