British Airways Engineering: Achieving Energy Efficiency with Airius

CASE STUDIES

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British Airways

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London, UK

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Aviation

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Air Pear Series

British Airways aircraft in hangar with Airius destratification fans improving air circulation.

Addressing Thermal Stratification at British Airways Engineering

Like many high ceiling aviation facilities, the hangar was suffering from thermal stratification, with expensively heated air rising quickly to roof level where it delivered little benefit. This increased heat loss, raised operating costs and left employees working in an uncomfortably cold environment.

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The Challenge

High ceiling hangar environments can be difficult to heat effectively. At East Penn, warm air was building up at ceiling level, creating a larger temperature difference between inside and outside and accelerating heat loss. The result was higher heating demand, longer heat up times and ongoing comfort complaints from staff.

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The Solution

Working alongside Gratte Brothers Group Ltd, British Airways invested in Airius destratification technology to recirculate the heated air already being supplied by the existing HVAC system.

A total of 27 Air Pear Series destratification fans were installed, including 12 x Airius Model 100 units and 15 x Airius Model 60 units. By circulating warm air back down to floor level and balancing temperatures throughout the hangar, the system improved comfort quickly while helping reduce HVAC load and run time.

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The Outcome

The Airius system delivered immediate operational and comfort benefits, even before any wider HVAC upgrades were completed:

Significant heating savings
Immediate comfort improvement
Reduced load on the HVAC system
Faster hangar heat up time
Desired working conditions achieved without upgrades

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“After exhaustive research, it was decided to install 12 x Airius Model 100 units and 15 x Airius Model 60 units to improve internal air circulation and reduce the extremely high heating and cooling costs. The Airius fans made an immediate and significant improvement even before the heating and cooling system upgrades had been completed… all complaints from staff ceased immediately and they were now comfortable enough to work in their t-shirts.”

Joe Forge, Contract Manager, Gratte Brothers Group Ltd