Improved energy consumption at airport passenger pre-boarding bridge
Airports are continuously striving to enhance energy efficiency and passenger comfort, especially in pre-boarding bridges where passengers may spend time waiting. Despite having a complementary heat treatment system in some pre-boarding bridges, Groupe ADP has observed significant thermal discomfort in these heavily glazed and poorly insulated structures, leading to uncomfortable indoor temperatures.
To address this, Groupe ADP in partnership with Immoblade has initiated an experiment to improve thermal comfort and energy efficiency by installing screen-printed glazing. This innovative solution filters sunlight, allowing solar heat to pass in winter and blocking it during summer. Preliminary modelisation shows the possibility of a significant reduction in cooling requirements and thermal discomfort, demonstrating a commitment to enhancing passenger experience and energy efficiency in airport infrastructure.
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Objectives
By replacing existing single-glazed units with innovative screen-printed glazing that varies its solar factor throughout the year, the innovation project aims to reduce heat gain and energy consumption without major architectural changes.
The primary objectives of this innovation are:
Reduction of Energy Consumption: By controlling solar gain through the installation of advanced glazing systems, the energy required for heating and cooling can be significantly reduced.
Enhancement of Passenger Comfort: Ensuring that passengers experience a comfortable temperature while waiting in the pre-boarding bridges, irrespective of the weather conditions outside.
Progress
To achieve these objectives, the current single-glazed units, which lack solar control and are highly inefficient, are being replaced with innovative glazing units equipped with an integrated protection system. This system is designed to manage solar gain more effectively, thereby mitigating the sharp rise in indoor temperatures caused by solar radiation.
The experiment focuses on:
Assessing the thermal comfort within the pre-boarding bridges by measuring temperature fluctuations and the overall thermal environment.
Evaluating visual comfort to ensure that the new glazing does not adversely affect the natural lighting conditions.
Monitoring energy consumption to verify that the new glazing contributes to a noticeable reduction in the energy required for climate control.
One pre-boarding bridge is located at A04 at the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.
It was noticed that screen-printed glazing has a variable solar factor throughout the year:
The solar factor is minimal in summer and during times when direct sunlight is most intense on the glass.
The solar factor is highest in winter to maximise solar heat gain.
This solution is passive, using the glazing directly as a solar control support. This limits investment and running costs.
The glazing has been already installed.
Key Figures
Replacing the existing glazing with screen-printed glazing should allow to:
Reduce the energy required to maintain the temperature of the pre-boarding bridge, in particular a reduction of more than 50% in the cooling requirement during the summer period.
A 2.5-fold reduction in the number of hours when the temperature in the pre-boarding bridge exceeds 26°C.
