Airplanes accumulate moisture on their exteriors while in flight and while grounded.  In the colder weather, this moisture freezes into ice, and this ice can seriously hinder an aircraft’s performance.  Therefore, it is necessary to deice them on a regular basis.  Many airports have methods they employ for the deicing of their planes.  The University Park Airport has employed the same deicing method for many years, and this method no longer offers as many benefits as it does problems.

The current deicing method involves the use of a deicing truck equipped with a hose that sprays the deicing formula onto airplanes as they are docked at the aircraft-deicing pad.  The deicing formula (propylene glycol) is then allowed to gravity drain into two 10,000-gallon storage tanks.  A system of trench drains and valves provides a means to separate the deicing fluids from the storm water drainage system.

Unfortunately, as the airplanes are being deiced, some of the deicing fluid remains on the deicing apron and evaporates into the atmosphere.  Some of the deicing fluid escapes the drainage system and ends up in the storage drain.  In other instances, the deicing fluid flows onto the adjacent macadam on the eastern end of the deicing pad or into the grass surrounding the deicing pad.  These miscues may contribute to environmental pollution and must be corrected.  The University Park Airport also would like to increase the efficiency of the deicing process itself, perhaps even automating it.  The current method requires individuals to perform all deicing operations manually, and this method lacks the speed and precision of the automated and/or stage-by-stage deicing processes applied by other airports.
 
 

Objectives

1.  To provide an engineering design, which automates the manual deicing process, that will be “stand alone”.

2.  To present detailed drawings of the engineering design.

3.  To meet all of the environmental, economical, and design requirements of the deicing process.

4.  To present all work, findings, and the final solution to the University Park airport within the preset timescale.

 

Team Members	Job Descriptions
Ausmus Marburger	Project Manager Project Engineer
Robert Gould	CAD Operator  Project Engineer
Matt Boeckel	Design Research  Intergroup Liaison  Project Engineer
Steve Stadnicki	Group Secretary  Project Engineer
Livia Ball	CAD Operator  Project Engineer

 

Proposed Solutions

Expanding Deicing Apron and Adding more Drainage Grooves
By extending the apron, the deicing fluid that normally lands in the grass area surrounding the apron will now land in the extended apron and will ultimately make its way into the storage tanks for disposal instead of contaminating Spring Creek.  Furthermore, more grooves will be etched into the surface of the apron in order to direct deicing fluid on the apron to the drains and into the tank so that it also does not run off into the lawn.

This design is simple and requires little technical maintenance once completed.  It also will cost relatively less than other solutions proposed in this proposal.  This solution is not 100% effective, however.  The client should still expect some loss of deicing fluid to the lawn area.  Also, the object-free zone surrounding the runway will also need to be considered in this design.

Redistributing Storm Water Drains
Currently the storm water drains on the lawn area surrounding the deicing apron are equipped only to carry and dispose of clean rain water.  Under the new design the drains will be equipped to handle both the storm water and deicing fluid.  This will be accomplished by redesigning the drains in a similar fashion to the way the drain on the apron has been designed.

This design will interfere less with the airport's current operations, as all changes will be below the surface.  It will also save much of the fluid from draining into Spring Creek, which has potential hazards to the environment.  This design might not be compatible with some future expansion plans, however.

Automation/Heating Coils
All possible solutions will be fully automated including the valves operating the drains and the heating coils.  The heating coils will be turned on with automatically when a snow sensor detects snow on the drains.  This will keep the drains free of ice and snow as to allow the unrestricted flow of fluids.

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