Many airports around the world already have well defined climate strategies. Today, almost half of global passenger traffic passes through Airport Carbon Accredited airports and the number of these airports increases rapidly. The airports experience pressure from the surroundings, but there is certainly also prestige related to going green on ground.
Battery driven equipment such as busses, pallet loaders, trucks, conveyor belts etc. has been in use at airports for quite some years which means that people are familiar with GSE battery driven equipment and the related advantages. Therefore, the launch of the market's first battery GPU - the ITW GSE 7400 eGPU - most naturally has generated a lot of interest.
The greatest energy guzzler during a turnaround is indeed the 400 Hz diesel Ground Power Unit. It accounts for merely 42% of the CO2 emissions as a lot of energy needs to be delivered over longer time. As the ITW GSE 7400 eGPU reduces CO2 by 90 per cent and NOx emissions by 95, the eGPU surely is the right choice for airports wishing to reduce their carbon footprint and to improve the working environment for their staff as well, explains Poul Elvstroem, ITW GSE Vice President, Sales & Marketing
Replacing one diesel-driven ground power unit corresponds to emission savings in the range of approx. 190,000 lbs CO2! Amazing. Especially when you think of all the diesel units in operation all over the world. What a massive contribution an exchange of those would do. Yet another benefit is the reduction of the operating expenditures by approx. 30,000 EUR per eGPU yearly! [They do not need diesel fuel and the maintenance is reduced to a minimum]
The design of the eGPU is of course in line with ITW GSE's philosophy. Things are kept simple and the choice of components is conservative: The 7400 eGPU combines two well-known technologies: Nissan Leaf car batteries and the well-proven ITW GSE 2400 converter. The Nissan Leaf batteries are not modified in any way, therefore, ITW can vouch for their performance; also the fact that Nissan subjects its battery packs to all manner of harsh testing, serves to underline their integrity.
As the eGPU has no NOx and CO2 emissions, the battery unit can be used wherever there is a need for independent 400 Hz power; in hangars or at remote areas. No input cable is required - except for the charging cable of course. The 7400 eGPU arrives fully tested from the factory, ready for immediate operation.
It holds sufficient power for 9 to 15 turnarounds on a single charge, subject to aircraft type and configuration. When recharging is required, no need to search for any special power source. The on-board charger simply allows recharging from the nearest 50/60Hz socket. That's flexibility!
The 7400 eGPU product line also includes a 28 VDC eGPU that is ideal for servicing aircraft like the Cessna Citation, Beechjet, Gulfstream, Dassault Falcon and the ATR 42 and ATR 72. Opposed to other 28 VDC battery GPUs on the market, the 7400 eGPU has a very high battery capacity that allows for days of use.
Small, powerful and green with third party certification
The core product of ITW GSE, the ITW GSE 2400 ground power unit, has an extremely high efficiency (94%), no CO2 emissions at the place of work and low noise levels. This means that the 2400 solid-state GPUs (including the 2400 Power Coil) are the greenest they can be; much to the benefit the airport, the passengers and the airport staff.
The 2400, 400 Hz power unit is the market's smallest GPU no matter which configuration is your favorite - mobile, bridge-mounted or fixed, but in spite of the size, the ITW GSE 2400 GPUs can easily power narrow and wide body aircraft including the Airbus A380, A350, the Boeing 787 and the B777.
The 2400 solid-state GPU and the 7400 eGPU - and the rest of the ITW GSE product portfolio - are both equipped with the ITW GSE common platform user interface that is as easy to use as a smart phone. Besides, those ground power units have all kinds of outstanding technical qualities from the unique output voltage thanks to the ITW GSE Plug & Play feature, standard overload capabilities that match all types of aircraft and software update via USB. Furthermore, they fulfil the ISO 6858 standard regarding voltage imbalance and phase displacement at the aircraft plug. ITW GSE is definitely the first manufacturer - and maybe the only one yet, taking the time and effort to apply for and to obtain third party approval.
ITW GSE streamlines quality procedures - right down to the factory organisation
For quite some years, the ITW GSE facilities in the US and in Denmark were certified according to the ISO 9001 quality norm, however as independent business units. To ensure that customers, ordering whatever ITW GSE Ground Power Unit or Pre-conditioned Air Unit, will get precisely the same product quality no matter where the product is manufactured, ITW GSE decided to streamline the processes and their related quality guide lines. This process that included sharing of work instructions, doing cross-training of staff, ensuring
paperwork and all that is necessary obviously took quite some time, but at the end of the day, ITW GSE achieved the objectives set out, claims Poul Elvstroem. "We even went so far that we have now identical production set-ups at both manufacturing facilities. A true team effort took us there, and finally, shortly before the summer holidays, we could boast ourselves of becoming certified as one global division according to the ISO 9001:2015 quality assurance system".
