Herlev Hospital II
Important Knowledge and Involvement lead to Successful Relocation
2 min read
Green Technology at Copenhagen Airports
May 2010
Several suppliers have come together to optimise a transport route for baggage handling at Copenhagen Airports. The project, which is an experiment in environmental technology, is financed by Copenhagen Airports, and will now be used as a showcase for other companies looking to reduce their energy consumption and CO2 emissions.
Copenhagen Airport has approximately 700 conveyor belts for baggage transport. Most of these are hidden in the basements beneath the terminals, but in 2009, the airport chose to highlight the energy consumption of the belts; Conveyor belts use a lot of power and are almost always in operation, even though the demand is not always equally high. This naturally provides significant opportunities for energy savings simply by changing the control mindset.
One of the bottlenecks in baggage handling at Copenhagen Airports is the two conveyor belts between terminals 2 and 3. If one of the belts breaks down, there is not enough capacity to get the baggage through on time. Therefore, Project Manager at Copenhagen Airports, Carsten Seiler, decided to initiate an upgrade of one of the belts, which would also show how effectively, and energy-efficient baggage can be transported on a conveyor belt.
‘In 2009, the airport chose to highlight the energy consumption of the belts; Conveyor belts use a lot of power and are almost always in operation, even though the demand is not always equally high. This naturally provides significant opportunities for energy savings simply by changing the control mindset.’
Testing Market Technology
‘We wanted to see what the future could bring by using the most energy-efficient solutions available. This was also our contribution to COP15 to explore our own opportunities for energy savings,’ says Carsten Seiler.
He contacted two of the airport's regular suppliers: SEW-Eurodrive, which supplies gears and motors, and Forbo Siegling, which manufactures conveyor belts. They were given the freedom to offer the most energy-efficient technology available on the market.
Forbo Siegling contributed a newly developed conveyor belt originally designed for treadmills in fitness centres. These belts are both robust and feature a special underside surface, which acts as the contact surface with the conveyor's glide surface, reducing friction to a minimum.
‘We know from other installations, such as at Post Danmark and companies in the USA, that this type of belt can significantly reduce energy consumption. At the airport, we have achieved a 26% reduction,’ says Frank Vognsen from Forbo Siegling, which supplied the belts.
Increasing Interest in Environmental Technology
SEW-Eurodrive was able to contribute a similar saving. By selecting motors, gears, and frequency converters of the latest energy-saving types, significant power could be saved. A simple and correct dimensioning of motor sies has resulted in a significant energy reduction – approximately 30% compared to the old system. Sales Engineer, Mark Hylsberg, has replaced a total of nine motors and older worm gears: ‘This is the first time in Denmark that we have had the opportunity to go as radically as we did in the airport project, but we expect a lot to happen in this area. Customers are increasingly demanding environmentally friendly solutions, and new regulations are coming that will tighten the requirements for motor efficiency in general starting from 2011.’
Demand-Driven Operation with Facility Control
In addition to upgrading the moving components, changes have been made to the control of the units. By using data from sensors, the belts stop when there is no baggage.
‘All in all, we now save 55%. Additionally, the project has resulted in lower heat development and less noise, which is a big advantage for the employees working in the basement. The project has shown us and the world that it is possible to make significant savings in power consumption. From a purely economic perspective, however, it would not make sense to replace well-functioning existing belts. But with the introduction of green technology in planned new installations, we will continuously be able to reduce energy consumption and costs significantly across the board,’ explains Carsten Seiler.
Several companies are working in recent years to optimise their internal transport systems. For example, Gatwick Airport has saved up to 45% in energy consumption simply by switching to better motors and gears, and Coca-Cola in Austria has reduced energy consumption on conveyor belts by as much as 75%.
