Exhaustive solutions
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Posted Date: 16/06/2008
Issue: Airside International June 2008
Publication: Airside International
As airport operators increasingly factor green operations into their modus operandus, the design and construction of jet blast barriers is taking on new significance. The providers of equipment in this space – such as Blast Deflectors Inc, Transpo Industries and Blastwall – have much to contribute to the debate on airport noise, pollution and security.
Busy at BDI
A key player in the market for jet blast fences is Blast Deflectors Inc (BDI), which has been designing and manufacturing jet blast deflectors for over 50 years. The company specialises in the delivery and installation of jet blast deflectors and ground run-up enclosures.
It has found itself in the midst of an extremely busy period, having completed more than a dozen deflector installations since the beginning of the year. "Never in our 51-year history have we had so many projects underway simultaneously," says Don Bergin, Director of Technical Sales for BDI. "We have added field and engineering personnel in order to keep up."
BDI has recently completed deflector projects at smaller airports such as Austin-Bergstrom, Dallas Love Field, Houston Hobby, Ottawa and Burbank as well as large international airports such as Chicago O'Hare, Dubai, Changi, JFK, Kuala Lumpur and Phoenix Sky Harbor. "In many cases, airports have simply run out of room and cannot add additional taxiways or parking positions without creating a jet blast hazard at car parks or roadways. This applies to both large international airports and small regional airports. We work with airport designers and planners to identify solutions that provide blast protection and, in essence, create usable space," says Bergin.
Military clients have also kept the company busy with projects at Diego Garcia, Holloman AFB, Scott AFB, Bagram Air Base and Beaufort MCAS as well as Lockheed Martin's F-22 facility in Marietta, Georgia – all installed since the beginning of the year. "Most of these projects are deflectors for high power ground runs of military aircraft. Although in some cases, even military installations have limited space available for expansion, and use blast deflectors as a tool to create usable space that otherwise would be too dangerous due to jet blast hazards," says Bergin. According to Bergin, BDI has upcoming military projects at Elmendorf AFB, Martinsburg and a BAE Tornado facility.
During its first 40 years, BDI focused primarily on the domestic US market. That no longer holds true for the company. "Over the last few years, 50% of our projects have been outside the US and we see this trend increasing. This year will be particularly interesting for our field personnel as we have upcoming projects in Cairo, Sydney, Dubai, Doha, Addis Ababa, Spain, Hong Kong, Moscow, Saudi Arabia and Singapore. Such diverse locations will require well trained field personnel with a sense of adventure," adds Bergin.
While overseas projects may dominate BDI's field schedule for the remainder of 2008, the company is nonetheless still very active in the domestic US market. "We have supplied two deflectors for the O'Hare Modernization Project (OMP), and we will install a third later this year," says Bergin. "The next OMP deflector is required to protect a roadway from aircraft turning onto runway 9L. A height of 6m (20ft) was required due to the aircraft mix and the type of vehicles using the roadway."
A major project at Boeing's wide body facility has kept BDI field personnel in Seattle almost continuously since the beginning of 2008. "We are very pleased to be a part of Boeing's current flight line expansion project," comments Bergin. "This project will add additional aircraft testing positions, each requiring a blast deflector suitable for full power engine blasts. Other aspects of the project include retrofitting older BDI installations to accommodate newer Boeing aircraft that require taller, stronger deflectors." According to Bergin, BDI's standard widebody/wing engine deflector was 4.27m (14ft) in the past but that height is apparently not generally sufficient for newer aircraft engines, such as the GE 90-115B for the B777-300ER, which has a very large blast envelope. "Our modular design allows the use of a retrofit kit to raise the height of older installations in order to make them suitable for use with all current Boeing aircraft," adds Bergin.
Other US projects currently under way include installations in Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Flint and Fairbanks. "Inclement weather, particularly snow, can occasionally delay the installation of deflectors. Early snowfall shut down our project in Fairbanks last winter. The same thing nearly happened to our field crew in Moscow last year," he remarks.
Many of BDI's projects involve blast deflectors for high power engine runs. In these cases, the aircraft runs at high power (typically 80% or 100%) for extended periods. "These engine runs can be as loud as takeoffs and with a much longer duration," says Bergin. "Because they typically occur at night, ground run-ups are often a significant source of noise complaints for airports with nearby communities."
One solution that combines jet blast protection with noise mitigation is a ground run-up enclosure (GRE). Construction on a GRE for Emirates Airlines in Dubai is nearly complete and, according to Bergin, "it's big". The facility is designed for an A380 and is scheduled for completion in June 2008.
"Ground run-up noise is becoming a significant challenge for both large and small airports."In the last year we have completed GREs for turboprops at Norfolk International Airport (Virginia, USA and A380s at Kuala Lumpur International," comments Bergin. BDI is currently also gearing up to build similar facilities in Zurich and Bulgaria, as well as one for FedEx in Memphis. "The Memphis facility will be very similar dimensionally to the Emirates facility; except it will be used primarily for Boeing aircraft," says Bergin.
Over the pond to Europe
In Europe, Airport Protections Systems (APS) has been building jet blast deflection systems for over 30 years. According to Horst Schafhaupt, Managing Director of APS, the company was recently awarded a contract to supply both jet blast and noise protection to Dassault Aviation's Falcon facility in Bordeaux-Merignac. "The project involves approximately 140m (460ft) of blast screen rated for full power ground runs and a noise wall measuring 195m (640ft). "The Dassault project is typical of a trend we have been observing over the last few years. Airports want to contain not only ground run-up noise, but also general ground noise. This type of barrier will control the noise impact of manoeuvring aircraft as well as ground support equipment to the surrounding area," remarks Schafhaupt.
Other recent projects completed by APS include an aircraft test stand for Exeter International Airport as well as taxi-rated jet blast barriers for the Madrid Barajas, Reykjavik Keflavik, the UK’s Brough Aerodrome and Ibiza. APS has projects currently underway in Dublin, Coruña and Prague. Many airports have a need for jet blast protection but very little available space for a typical blast deflector or screen. In response to this demand, APS recently launched a new series of compact vertical blast screens. "Our new vertical product is not only a compact blast screen, but fully portable if installed on concrete pallets," says Schafhaupt. This makes APS' new screen ideal for use on construction projects that require frequent reconfiguration. Schafhaupt says he is currently in discussions with several European airports about this product.
From signs to blast fences
Transpo Industries was established in 1968 and has been designing and manufacturing safety equipment for all forms of transportation from automobiles to aircraft. The company has been at the forefront developing new technologies, such as polymer concrete materials and pre-cast products. The company’s safety division produces all forms of safety equipment from road signs to jet blast fences.
The company developed Blast Safe, a double reversed corrugated material, originally a design for use by NASA to protect launch site towers. Blast Safe allows jet blast to be defused safely and at the same time stops the penetration of any airborne solid debris that the jet blast might pick up. The way in which the jet blast screen is constructed provides a second useful propose, especially where space is at a premium in tight corners. The screen can be used as a security fence and glare screen as well.
The material allows extra features to be added, such as access doors in the blast screen. Blast Safe comes in standard heights of between 8ft and 14ft; the length is determined by the project itself and can be custom fitted into any location.
Art Dinitz, President Chief Executive Officer of Transpo, explains that, since 1998, his company has fitted Blast Safe jet blast fences to a wide number of airports in the US, using different contractors to help with construction. For example, in August 1998, the company built a 14ft high, 302ft long blast fence at John F Kennedy Airport in New York and it was constructed by Halmer Builders of New York. In July 2001, at Newark International, the company built an 8ft high, 1,080ft long blast fence to protect an administration building; this was with a construction company called Prismatic Development. In the same month, Transpo built an 8ft high, 65ft long blast fence at LaGuardia with a contractor called Harmat Construction.
Transpo has blast fences at airports in Connecticut, Idaho, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington State as well as in New Jersey and New York. The company has undertaken international projects too, having completed a blast fence in June 2004 at the King Hussein Airport, Aqaba in Jordan. This was a 14ft high and 210ft long blast fence.
Invisible to radar and radio
Mark Selkirk is the President and inventor of BlastWall – a Canadian company that designs and builds a product called The Invisible BlastWall. The BlastWall is made from fibreglass and is unique in the fact that all the parts, right down to the nuts and bolts, are made from the same material and can withstand a jet take-off blast. Further advantages of the material are that maintenance is easy to perform and, during installation, there is no need to use cranes to lift the components.
The blast fence is also invisible to radar and does not interfere with any radio transmissions. The fence can be used to shield localisers, antennae, beacons and other sensitive equipment from the damage that a jet blast can cause. Because the BlastWall is made from fibreglass it is engineered to be non-conductive and non-magnetic to radar and radio transmissions.
The Invisible BlastWall has been tested by NAV Canada for non-interference performance during ground and inflight electronic signal tests. It has also been cleared and passed by NAV Canada and the FAA for use anywhere in the US.
Selkirk speaks of the two-wall construction completed at Chicago Midway airport in the last eight months. He also explains that the company had outstanding tenders with airports in Canada, the US and Europe.
A very modern problem
Jet blast is a modern problem but one which can only be addressed through harnessing engineering expertise to address noise, environmental pollution as well as airport security. The manufacturers agree that every location presents a unique challenge but the common thread is always the protection of equipment, buildings and, most importantly of all, people.
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