supplemental cooling unit (such as a
rooftop cooling unit), which is used
exclusively for lowering the passenger
boarding bridge temperature.
However, 96 percent of passenger
boarding bridges at Hartsfield-Jackson International, including the
bridges evaluated in this study, are
not configured with such bridge-dedicated cooling systems.
When the doors to the airplane
and terminal are open as passengers
board and disembark, pre-
conditioned air from the plane and
air from the terminal circulates
within the bridge but does not cool
the structure to the extent that is
possible in the terminal itself or in
the aircraft. In addition, energy use
increases when hot air escapes into
the terminal.
Heat Reduction Coating
In 2013, ThermaCote Inc. of
Lawrenceville, Ga., which manufac-
tures an environmentally friendly,
water-based, spray-applied thermal
barrier ceramic coating, offered the
airport a chance to test its thermal
barrier product, ThermaCote®. ATL’s
Asset Management and Sustainability
Department agreed to use this oppor-
tunity to study the effectiveness of
this product in reducing solar heat
gain in the summer. Materials and
labor costs for the test project were
$9,990.
Local contractors applied
ThermaCote® to all the surfaces
outside of Gate E34. Nearby Gate, E36,
was left untreated as a control unit.
Both of these bridges receive direct
sunlight all day.
Dry bulb thermometers at three
points inside each bridge and one
on the rooftop recorded temperature
readings at five-minute intervals
for 35 days from July 12 to Aug. 15,
2013. (See figure 1) A study team
from the International Knowledge and
Research Center for Green Building at
Creating value by delivering
innovative and sustainable solutions
for infrastructure and the environment.
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Dain Riley, National Aviation Director, 919.463.5488, driley@mbakercorp.com
www.mbakercorp.com
Creating Value ... Comprehensive aviation facilities and infrastructure services, nationwide.
