We have power
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Posted Date: 15/09/2008
Issue: Airside International September 2008
Publication: Airside International
“The introduction of the all-electric aircraft presents a challenge to the GSE industry,” emphatically states Poul Elvstroem, General Sales Manager at AXA Power (part of the ITW GSE Group).
“Aircraft like the A350, the A380 and the 787 utilise the current provided by the GPUs much better than conventional power factor 0.8 aircraft as those all-electric aircraft have a power factor 1,” says Elvstroem. “In spite of the fact that the nominal current (for example 260A for a 90kVA unit) remains unchanged, the high utilisation factor causes an increase of the current drawn from the mains supply which again leads to significant increases of the power losses in the 400Hz GPU. Therefore, GPUs that are only designed to meet the requirement of power factor 0.8 may consequently disconnect because of overheating when supplying power factor 1 aircraft.”
The 787 is defined as an “all-electric” aircraft, Elvstroem reminds us. Also, the A380 incorporates more electric components in replacement of hydraulic and mechanical systems. “Beside the power factor 1 issue, the all-electric aircraft basically require increased overload demands for short periods of time,” he says. “For instance, Airbus states that the A380 requires 200% overload for two seconds. This may not seem very much, but the fact is that this is more than many GPUs can deliver.”
Reliability is key to GPU operation and the demands of new generation aircraft may test reliability going forward. Elvstroem points out: “The 400Hz supply is a critical connection to the aircraft – if the ground power unit fails, it causes delays in the scheduled departure time of the aircraft that may even lose its slot. Passengers will be affected but the failure also means additional costs for the airports and the airlines. Therefore, reliability is, of course, an important issue.”
In service proof of power
Simon Mortimer, Senior Sales Manager at Houchin (also part of part of the ITW GSE Group), concurs that the A380 and 787 have different or larger power requirements than previously, but states: “We have found, through past experience, that it is only when an aircraft starts flying in service that we fully understand and are able to establish what the power requirement is.”
Mortimer explains that Houchin’s largest GPU is a 140kVA. “At present, we believe that it is suitable for all aircraft flying. With the A380, we are undertaking tests to find out exactly what the power requirement is, and when the 787 starts flying, we will do a similar thing with that.”
Because aircraft are configured for different airlines for different purposes, Mortimer points out that, often, the power requirement can vary from aircraft to aircraft. “The 777 requires a large amount of power, but we have undertaken tests and found that 140kVA is more than sufficient. We believe a similar situation will occur with both the A380 and the 787,” says Mortimer, adding that all other existing aircraft can be accommodated by Houchin’s smaller GPUs at 90kVA, 100kVA and 120kVA.
“A big issue at present – and it will remain so for quite some time – is fuel economy,” Mortimer
says, adding that airports are becoming increasingly green environments. Fuel, emissions and noise are the three big areas in which anyone operating at an airport is looking to improve. Houchin is spending its research and development fund and hours ensuring that it meets environmental goals for the next generation of GPUs.
Aircraft OEMs’ concerns
When an aircraft manufacturer sells an aircraft to an airline, although there is no contractual relationship between the aircraft OEM and the airport, the handler or the GSE manufacturer, the aircraft OEM would be unwise to ignore what is happening on the ground. This point is not lost on Tom Tatham, General Manager, INET Airport Systems, which manufactures fixed and mobile GPUs.
“I believe the aircraft manufacturers will continue to be concerned about the availability of the overall power grid at airports and will take that into account when they are designing their aircraft,” points out Tatham. “In other words, I believe they will not over-design them so that they need more power than is presently provided by today’s GPUs.”
The costs associated with higher power GPUs – both in terms of environmental damage and energy required – also need to be taken into account. “GPU development issues are tied together; you can’t just point the finger at one area and end up with the answer. It’s an extrapolation of a number of factors,” says Tatham. He firmly believes that the aircraft manufacturers are most definitely paying attention to the present capabilities of 400Hz products that are provided at airports so that their new aircraft will not be the driver for the complete replacement of existing equipment at airports worldwide.
INET Airport Systems most recently designed and engineered unique GPUs for Boeing’s use on its new 787. These custom designed units were engineered to accommodate the new electrical power loads and profiles on this aircraft. Tatham has no concerns about the performance of this new equipment, but he is emphatic that the shift to new generation aircraft requires hand in glove thinking. After all, this is a challenging time for all players in the GPU industry – largely on account of hideously high fuel prices. “I believe that with the prevailing fuel prices – and no one knowing for sure today where they are going to go – that the airlines are going to hold the airports responsible for the performance of that equipment. And the airports are going to hold the equipment manufacturers responsible for the performance. It is a triple balancing act,” comments Tatham.
This all comes back to the reliability of the equipment. Once the equipment has left the GPU manufacturer’s hands, the performance of the equipment is largely associated with its operation by the airline or its handlers; but the maintenance of the equipment might well be down to the airport. “There’s a built-in pitfall,” says Tatham.
Airport drivers
For some GPU manufacturers it is airport development that is driving most change. Cyril Pidoux, Sales Manager at Guinault, explains that the Guinault company has been designing and manufacturing ground support equipment since 1949 and today is a key player in the supply of 400Hz GPUs to the commercial aviation industry.
“On the aircraft side there are certain standards to be met and new aircraft usually meet these accepted standards – apart for the A380 which is a new design and has a larger power requirement (with a required power factor of 1) but it still has the same frequency and voltage,” says Pidoux. For him, the challenge is about accommodating airport, airlines and handling companies’ concerns and these, says Pidoux, relate largely to operating costs and the total cost of ownership. “Operating costs will include repair and service, preventative maintenance, and fuel and oil costs,” he says. Adding the price of the unit and its life-time costs, the total cost of ownership can be calculated. The cost of the equipment itself is not lost on Guinault and Pidoux says the company is working on reducing these costs in order to reduce the total cost of ownership.
Handlers, airlines, airports and aircraft manufacturers are all Guinault customers. Over the last three or four years, the market has performed very well for Guinault because of growing traffic; but going forwards expectations are more cautious for both market and currency reasons.
Equally focused on the cost of ownership is TLD. The TLD facility in Windsor, Connecticut, has been producing a full line of GPUs since 1990. “The design of these products has continually focused on precision frequency control and droop free voltage regulation to ensure no interruption of service to sensitive glass cockpit aircraft,” says Mark Garlasco, Chief Executive Officer, TLD ACE/TLD Canada. “Now, TLD is bringing a higher focus to the total cost of ownership benefits afforded by our GPU design.”
In 2001 TLD redesigned the GPU product line. To address cost of ownership issues, the company implemented a number of initiatives. These include: the use of standard parts across the entire GPU line; the selection of engines and generators with low fuel consumption and high efficiency; the use of a galvanised “space frame” GPU chassis; durable, powder-coated panels; and a fully electronic generator control module.
In 2006 TLD introduced the 180kVA version of its GPU for use on the A380 and 787s. “As total cost of ownership gains additional focus, TLD is ready with its latest fuel efficient designs,” comments Garlasco. These include: offering a 60kVA GPU utilising a fuel efficient four cylinder engine; implementation of four cylinder engines for the 90kVA GPU to improve fuel economy without sacrificing performance; expansion of the engine options to include Caterpillar brand engines in the TLD GPU line-up; and installation of black box recorders to help the owner/operator with valuable data on how the product is being used in order for them to optimise their fuel consumption.
All-electric fixed GSE
Cavotec is an innovator in ground support systems. Michael Widegren, Regional Manager Central Europe at Cavotec, concurs that the growing power requirements of modern, wide-bodied aircraft have made supplying power to parked aircraft a more challenging proposition. “Fuselages tend to be increasingly well insulated, with more electrical power used inside aircraft turning into heat; heat that must be cooled, often by equipment that in turn creates additional heat. Operators face rising fuel costs through intensified use of auxiliary power units (APUs), and are hit with further costs if they opt to improve existing APU technology through research and development. The future for the industry is to have all-electric fixed GSE systems,” he maintains.
“For wide-body aircraft we need to increase power input and use more connectors than ever before. The A380 for example needs up to four connectors, each supplying 90kVA (90kW) and the upcoming 787 has three connectors,” Widegren comments.
As for access points, he says they are an issue in relation to the aircraft itself – especially for wide-bodied aircraft. “The high power concentration, if not handled correctly, can represent a fire risk,” says Widegren. On the ground, access points are not such an issue. “We can manage up to four 90kVA connectors with our pit systems,” he says.
So is there a challenge in terms of connectors? Widegren responds: “Fortunately, aircraft manufacturers use, probably the only, world standard 90kVA connectors. Those who wish to see the introduction of different connector types would need to change the current industry standard – not an enviable task. For instance, one obstacle is that the new environmentally friendly de-icing fluids are extremely conductive and, if these are sprayed on normal connectors, this can cause shortcuts. The new VDE norms take this into consideration and have increased the test voltage from 2000V to 4000V for new connectors.”
But there are some in the industry who are sticking their necks out and talking of change in terms of GPU cables and connectors. Even though there is a standard that all aircraft are manufactured to so that all 400Hz connectors will apply, Brian Piety, Global Sales Manager of J&B Aviation Services (also part of the ITW GSE Group), comments that while it is too soon for announcements to be made, there is most definitely going to be a step change in this industry.
“Supplying 400Hz cables is the largest part of what J&B does,” explains Piety. “About half of the purchasing in the US is done by airports and the other half is by airlines. Internationally, airlines do not purchase much from us; it is the airport authorities. We also sell many cables to the military.”
Piety speaks in terms of life cycle costs and quality in relation to the cables it sells – not necessarily price. “It is really important for an airport, airline or the military not to have a certain area out of commission because of a 400Hz cable. You can lose a lot of money if you are not able to service aircraft at a certain gate,” he warns.
Also down the pit
Given congestion on the ramp, innovation under the ground has been embraced by key players in the business of supplying power to the aircraft.
The Combi Box System is an integrated, fixed underground support system that comprises the generation, distribution, monitoring and control of a range of services, including: 400Hz power supply, 50Hz power supply, pre-conditioned air, fresh water, jet fuel and lavatory service. Leif Lindh, a Director of Combi Box System Scandinavia, explains that, in principle, the Combi Box system can be installed in any existing apron but, usually, Combi Box becomes involved in a project during construction or redevelopment of an airport because the pit has to be dug; as do trenches.
These pits are not extreme in size; usually 1m2 by 2m deep. “But we are selling a system,” reinforces Lindh. The system includes an electric power converter given that an aircraft uses 400Hz power and the power in an airport is usually 50Hz in Europe and Asia or 60Hz in the US. “Whether you have a power system under a bridge or you have our type of system, you need a converter that converts the electricity from 50 or 60Hz to 400Hz,” he says. “From the converter you have connecting cables that run below the ground in the apron to the steel pit that is located very close to the aircraft.”
Lindh explains that the top of the pit comprises a 20mm thick steel plate that has been tested by the Swedish certification body to tolerate 90 tonnes. The Combi Box system has been installed at all Scandinavian airports but this is still a very small portion of the company’s business. “Last year we installed our system in the new terminal at Barcelona, in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and Hyderabad in India. We are spread all over the world,” he comments. “The most interesting markets right now are Asia and the Middle East because that is where aviation is expanding.”
Cavotec (as mentioned above) also produces fixed pop-up systems for 400Hz cables and connectors, PCAir, fuel and water systems. These systems eliminate the need for trucks and other diesel driven equipment, drivers, and maintenance crews. “Airports such as Frankfurt consume some 30,000,000l of fuel every year in just getting fuel trucks to aircraft. Eliminating GPUs, PCAir and waste water trucks also substantially reduces airports' maintenance costs,” says Widegren of Cavotec.
Cavotec’s pop-up systems bring connectors, hoses and sockets to user friendly heights for ground crew. “The Cavotec Caddy family enables handlers to connect two large cables to aircraft single-handedly, instead of requiring four people dragging cables to aircraft, as is currently so often the case,” comments Widegren. “Our caddies are also fitted with steps to allow personnel to reach aircraft connection points easily.”
A tinge of green
While the big GPU players battle it out for market share, most commentators concur that the green debate is stealing the limelight and making some very clear demands on the future direction of the industry. “We believe that there will be a very strong focus on environmental conditions and environmentally friendly products in the near future as it looks as if CO2 emissions will become just as important for the airline industry as for society generally,” comments Elvstroem at AXA Power.
“Around the world there are lots of airports at which one is still allowed to use the aircraft’s APU during turn-around. At AXA Power, we have made calculations showing that airports may reduce their carbon emission considerably by changing habits,” he says. “If the airport substitutes the APU with a fixed 400Hz and pre-conditioned air installation, the airport may reduce its carbon emissions by approximately 80% when supplying a normal narrow-body aircraft such as the A320. The figures for wide-body aircraft can, as a rule of thumb, be multiplied by a factor of two.”
Elvstroem continues: “To these savings come other added advantages such as a reduced noise level at the gate and operational cost savings. Industry figures reveal that typical savings of about $100,000 per gate per year for a typical single aisle gate can be expected. ”Figures supplied by Axa Power in Table 1, show just how high these savings can be.
“Going green is no longer an option,” says Elvstroem. “It’s a mandate for the entire aviation industry – at all possible levels.”
Business jet boom creates buoyant market for GPUs
It is a clear sign that a sector is booming when the impact is felt by the ground support manufacturers. “It’s been a great year for us,” comments Adrian Jackson, Marketing Director of Red Box International. “In Europe business continues to grow exponentially year on year and now we are working hard with eastern Europe. That market is huge at the moment. Russia is almost totally untapped for our style of ground power equipment.”
Red Box International has been supplying portable power units for start power or continuous power to the business and general aviation sector for 15 years. “General aviation is our big market. We work a lot with the military and have found recently we are doing more and more with the larger airports as the mentality changes with regards to what is required from a GPU, especially environmental issues,” comments Jackson.
In terms of future development, Jackson comments that the joy for Red Box is that it is becoming part of airport expansion plans as they take hold. “In terms of the technology we use – and we have been using fundamentally the same technology for 15 years – there is still nothing that we see as more rugged and performs better than the technology used in our battery units. Our larger TRU’s, Frequency Converters and combination units are becoming more popular and as new aircraft come on the market that have different voltages we always have the opportunity to work with these aircraft and ensure our units suit the application. We can react to new requirements very quickly.”
Paul Spinazze, Engineering Manager at Tronair agrees. “Both Europe and Asia are growing faster than the North American market, however the North American market is still a very large market with many opportunities,” he says. “The business jet is becoming a more accepted business tool and combined with the issues of commercial travel the demand for GPUs is strong, especially as business aircraft fly to less travelled airports.”
So what is the business jet market demanding of suppliers? Spinazze responds: “The market is demanding high quality, low cost products backed up by great service.” How is operator feedback shifting the thinking of the GPU OEMs? “Several of the larger operators who have multiple aircraft fleets have some aircraft that operate on DC and other aircraft that operate on AC voltage. They would like to have combination units that can serve both aircraft types in one unit.”
The weak dollar is helping US based suppliers expand in the buoyant business jet market, says Bob McMichael, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Aero Specialties. “Shipping rates don’t seem to reduce the advantage we have over local manufacturers in many countries, especially Europe right now. The numbers show greater growth in business aviation outside the US for the first time, and we are gearing up for this and shifting gears a little bit in our marketing to address this situation. The US market is still by far our biggest, but our sales are increasing faster outside the US.”
With business aviation now seen as a business tool and intercontinental travel by private jets becoming more commonplace, how has this translated into GPU requirements? McMichael responds: “We’re seeing more operators wanting to become self-sufficient in the ground power department. Instead of relying on a ground handler or a busy FBO, we’re hearing from some corporate operators that the cost of a new GPU offsets the potential problems of not having their own. This is truer for larger business jet operators than the mid size or small jets and turbo-props. We’re also seeing FBOs biting off more in the GPU department to meet the growing demand. We’re providing GPUs to some FBOs that never had one before. They know that if they can’t offer power, they won’t get the business.”
McMichael concurs with Spinazze about the type of power business jets require going forward. McMichael says: “For example, the new Hawker 4000 is an AC aircraft instead of a DC aircraft. Larger aircraft use 400Hz AC power because the wiring is lighter (they have much more wiring than smaller aircraft). With the global oil situation, I would imagine you will see more and more aircraft using AC electrical systems because of the weight savings.”
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