Airbloc protects hygiene at Europe’s largest glass bottle factory

The new £300m Quinn Glass bottle plant, built on the site of the former Ince B power station in Cheshire, is protected from the ingress of dust and flying insects by powerful Airbloc air curtains over loading bay doors.

With the capacity to manufacture around 1.2 billion glass containers every year, the factory is a ‘one stop shop’ for the production, storage and filling of product for the drinks industry. The 145,225m² plant has 13 bottle production lines, two glass melting furnaces and covers a site of around 65 hectares at the edge of the river Mersey estuary. It is the largest of its kind in Europe and the first with an integrated filling line.

In a food handling environment, hygiene is a crucial factor. Dust and flying insects cannot be allowed to enter the production and filling areas, but with loading bay doors in constant use, keeping both out can be difficult. When external air flows into the building, it may bring with it dust and other unwanted airborne particles, and flying insects, both of which will compromise hygiene and sanitation. The European Food Safety Inspection Services (EFSIS) advises that where food is handled or stored, doors should be adequately proofed.

To ensure this is the case, 12 Airbloc AB300 air curtains were installed above 10 of the 3-metre wide doorways. The air curtains deliver a powerful ‘sheet’ of air across the entire opening, very effectively blocking the way for dust and flies.

An air curtain provides an invisible barrier across the doorway that maintains separation between internal and external environments. They operate using fans and nozzles to create a stream of air that is directed down or across the door opening, forming a barrier of air that separates the internal and external atmospheres by deflecting natural convection airflow. This air shield reduces the incidence of cold/humid air, dust, fumes or flying insects entering and warm or cooled air escaping.

Air is drawn into the air curtain unit and discharged at critical velocity, volume flow and temperature, and at an angle to ensure optimum performance. The kinetic energy that is transferred to the air by this process provides the necessary resistance to unwanted external air and particles.

In order to achieve efficient low energy usage, the air jet width, velocity and pattern of the airflow are crucial. Optimum effectiveness can be achieved when there is uniform linear flow across the full door width and fan speed control for additional wind resistance.

The Airbloc air curtains were fitted by Ashton Ventilation on behalf of the M&E Contractor Kramer of Halesowen.

www.airbloc.co.uk

A warm welcome to the Pomme D’Or Hotel

A powerful Airbloc air curtain, installed over the main entrance doors of the luxurious Pomme D’Or Hotel in Jersey as part of a £5m refurbishment programme, is proving very effective in blocking the prevailing winds that blow off the English Channel.

The result is a warmer, calmer welcome for guests and a pleasanter climate in the hotel’s extensive lobby.

The air curtain works by delivering a down-draught of heated or ambient air across the width of the doorway. The velocity of the air is such that it creates a barrier that separates internal and external environments when the doors are open, even when being pounded by winds of up to 15mph. Dust and flying insects are also effectively excluded.

The Pomme D’Or Hotel, built in 1850 and now part of the Seymour Group of hotels, is a significant building in Jersey’s history. On the day the island was liberated from German occupation, May 9th 1945, British soldiers lowered the German flag and raised the Union Jack on the balcony of the hotel. The 60th anniversary of Liberation Day saw HM The Queen deliver a landmark speech to islanders from the same balcony, overlooking Liberation Square and the harbour.

Physical restrictions on space and interior design considerations meant that the Airbloc air curtain had to be positioned to be as unobtrusive as possible. To answer these dual requirements, the building services department of engineering consultants DJ Hartigan & Associates of St Saviour, Jersey specified an Airbloc AC 2-metre wide chassis unit which has a 20mm wide aperture through which the air is delivered.

Usually, a chassis unit is surface mounted. However, for this application the unit was recessed in the ceiling space above the door and concealed behind a narrow grille. A conventional recessed unit would have required a 400mm x 2m grille.

The air curtain was installed by AC Electrics of St Saviour, Jersey.

David Renouf, Maintenance Manager for the Seymour Group of Hotels, comments: ‘The Airbloc air curtain works extremely well in preventing the prevailing winds that come in off the Channel. Although the island’s climate is generally mild, the winds can be chilly and strong. The air curtain ensures the lobby area remains unaffected by windy conditions.’

www.airbloc.co.uk

SmartElec – intelligent energy saving control for air curtains

Interested in saving 40% or more on your running costs and a short payback period on your investment? SMARTELEC has the answer.

The SmartElec control is the latest energy saving enhancement from Airbloc, supplier of high performance, high efficiency over-door air curtains. With in-built intelligence, the SmartElec reduces power consumption and energy costs associated with electrically heated air curtains.

High street store trials show that with a SmartElec control installed, average energy savings in the region of 40% can be realised. These results were achieved on an exposed site during the winter months. Savings greater than 40% maybe achieved on less exposed sites, during warmer months and with reduced outlet air set temperatures.

Suitable for new applications and possible retrofit to existing installations, SmartElec is packed with useful features that make installation and programming a cinch – adding real value to the contractor’s work, and putting precision control into the hands of the end-user.

The discreet surface or recess mounted program panel is wired to the air curtain using 24V Belden 8132 paired 4 core cable. Installation is quick and easy and the easy to use programming means that potentially expensive commissioning is avoided.

The program panel can be wired up to 50m away from the air curtain. The stainless steel slimline profile of the program panel is aesthetically pleasing and compliments most modern interiors.

The SmartElec control can link to building management systems. This enables integrated control of the climate around doorways that are in constant use with the rest of the building’s energy management systems.

SmartElec maintains constant air outlet set temperatures with built-in speed setting temperature compensation to prevent the effects of chill from the velocity of the air stream. The control monitors the air outlet set temperature and modulates to ensure comfort conditions are sustained, or quickly regained, when doors are opened.

Programming is straightforward – users select heat on/off, the required fan setting (two or three speed) and outlet air temperature setting. With such precise control of the air temperatures, the energy requirements of the air curtain can be managed effectively. The energy savings generated will significantly reduce running costs and provide a short payback period on your investment.

The SmartElec is suitable for use with Airbloc AC and Airbloc ACR three-phase electrically heated units.

www.airbloc.co.uk

Airbloc offers warm welcome to Bingo players

Maintaining a warm, welcoming environment in the main foyer at Opera Bingo in Workington, Cumbria, is essential to the comfort of players and staff.

Two Airbloc air curtains installed above the main entrance doors of the premises ensure that cold air remains outside, while inside comfort conditions are not affected by the opening and closing of the doors.

The models used are Airbloc AC2000 SE18 units, two metres wide and with a powerful 18kW output. Positioned above the main pedestrian and disabled entrances of the 111m² lobby, the air curtains deliver a sheet of warmed air at critical velocity across the entire width of each doorway. This ensures that cold external air is effectively blocked out, even when the wind is gusting up to 15mph.

An inviting environment is important in attracting customers to the new bingo hall, which can accommodate up to 850 people. The premises represent a new generation of the game in the UK, with Las Vegas-style fruit machines and plasma TV screens adorning the walls in addition to bingo. Opera Bingo Manager Shaun Edwards comments: “We aim to offer an experience that could be enjoyed by anyone and everyone and the new club has certainly achieved this. The air curtains are effective in keeping the foyer warm and shielded from cold draughts.”

www.airbloc.co.uk

Air curtains v roller doors – no contest

When it comes to the crunch…there isn’t one with air curtains. This economical, highly effective doorway barrier can’t be damaged by fork-lift trucks – just one of its many benefits, as John Halley of Airbloc explains.

Providing protection across loading bay doors is an expensive business. A roller shutter door may have to open 20-30 times a day, while withstanding the occasional pounding from a mis-timed fork-lift. If it has to stay open for long periods, warm air from within the building escapes and cold air rushes in, making working conditions less than ideal. If the mechanism jams, as it often does, operations are held up while it is fixed and valuable heat escapes through the door.

The primary features of an effective loading door barrier are that it must keep out the cold, robust enough to withstand mistreatment and quick to respond when goods or people want to pass through.

A roller shutter door can provide all these benefits – but are prone to damage and mechanical failure. Air curtains offer all the advantages, with none of the problems.

Air curtains create a barrier of ambient or warmed air across open doorways. The air curtain unit is positioned either across the top of the doorway or down the side. A powerful ‘sheet’ of air is delivered across the entire opening, which deflects the natural convection of airflow.

This is a deceptively simple process. In fact, the ‘sheet’ of air flows at critical velocity to maintain separation of the internal and external environments. In other words, cold air stays out and warm air is kept in. With Airbloc air curtains, this has been known to reduce energy losses around loading doors by up to 80% and improve the overall efficiency of a pre-existing heating system. This can result in significant cost savings and the additional benefit of improved comfort conditions for personnel.

Unlike roller doors, visibility is never a problem with an air curtain. And because the air curtain safeguards comfort temperatures within the building, the loading bay door can remain open all the time, even during the night, allowing for 24-hour delivery and dispatch operation.

An air curtain can’t jam, and of course the air flow can’t be damaged by careless fork-lift driving.

Airbloc air curtains for industrial applications are available as two speed units. When doors are closed the unit operates at low speed to provide additional heating in the building as part of the heating system. When they’re open, the air curtain performs its primary function, operating at high speed.

The Airbloc range comes in three heated forms: gas, electricity or LPHW powered. There is also an ambient unheated alternative. The ambient variant is typically installed in spaces where an effective heating system is already in place and there is a requirement to prevent external cold air from entering the building and altering the internal temperature. Installation of an air curtain can also significantly improve the efficiency of the existing heating system because internal temperatures are not compromised when doors are opened.

This was the case at Airbus aerostructures at Broughton in North Wales, where the wings for the new A380 passenger plane, the recently-launched 550-seat commercial aircraft, are assembled. To accommodate wing assembly, a floor area of approximately 84,000m? is required, and a roof height of 30m. An effective means of maintaining internal temperatures while the 40m-wide doorway is open was required.

Eight 5m long Airbloc Industrial air curtains were installed, positioned above the main dispatch doors. Over the goods inward doors, six Airbloc ABX ambient units were fitted. These were specially engineered to form an effective barrier from a height of 8m.

The air curtains provide highly effective environmental separation, ensuring working temperatures are maintained in the production area. The ambient units in the goods inward area re-circulate warm air gathering at high level to ensure economy of operation.

When it comes to the crunch, air curtains are a cost effective and efficient alternative to roller doors – safer, warmer, robust and a help, not a hindrance, to the constant flow of goods in and out.

www.airbloc.co.uk

If you can't stand the heat ... fit an Airbloc

Airbloc air curtains are used in a very wide range of applications to maintain environmental separation between one area and another, usually between internal and external environments. However, they can be effectively used in entirely indoor applications to isolate extremes of temperature – as the kitchens of the Keswick Hotel has found to its advantage.

The Keswick Hotel in the heart of the Lake District combines all the charm of a Victorian country house with the facilities of a modern hotel. It is renowned for its cuisine and head chef Chris Lyon runs a tight ship. He insists that the doorway between the kitchen and food preparation area remains clear at all times, while the temperature in the food prep room remains at a low 10°C.

With a constantly open doorway and intense heat build-up in the adjacent kitchen this could have been an impossible feat.

Electrical contractor Refrigeration (Mitton) Ltd installed an Airbloc AC1000 overdoor air curtain to counter the effects of heat from the kitchen in the cool food prep room. The unit delivers a sheet of ambient air across the entire doorway, sealing heat in the kitchen and cool air in the preparation area.

Keith Walker of Refrigeration (Mitton) Ltd comments: “The Airbloc air curtain is highly effective in keeping the food preparation area cool – an essential part of the hygiene and smooth running of the hotel’s kitchen.”

www.airbloc.co.uk

SmartElec trials achieve 40% energy saving for New Look

Trials of the new SmartElec intelligent air curtain control panel at New Look’s fashion store in Watford have produced an incredible 40% saving on the energy consumed by the overdoor air curtain.

New Look relies heavily on air curtains at the entrance to all its stores in order to maintain an ‘open door’ policy, considering an air curtain an essential element of the store’s image and a key method of encouraging footfall. Industry statistics show that an air curtain can increase footfall through open entrance doors by an average 25%.

But maintaining a constant temperature at the door entrance requires the most economical equipment in order to keep energy consumption to a minimum and energy costs at acceptable levels. The exposed location of the Watford store in the arc of a ‘horseshoe’ shaped outdoor mall adds extra challenges to maintaining the store’s desired entrance temperature. External air is ‘funnelled’ into the store; however, the Airbloc AC electrically heated air curtain counteracts air ingress very effectively.

A SmartElec control panel was fitted to the air curtain in October 2005, for a six-month trial to test the effect on energy costs (proven by a data logger) and the potential benefit it could bring in meeting new Part L Building Regulations. SmartElec maintains constant air outlet set temperatures with built-in speed setting temperature compensation to prevent the effects of chill from the velocity of the air stream. The control monitors the air outlet set temperature and modulates to ensure comfort conditions are sustained, or quickly regained, when doors are opened.

Programming is straightforward – users select heat on/off, the required fan setting (two or three speed) and outlet air temperature setting. With such precise control of the air temperatures, the energy requirements of the air curtain can be managed. Once set, the unit is tamper-proof.

The immediate effect of installing a SmartElec unit was noticeable reductions in energy usage, without any compromise to the efficiency or effectiveness of the air curtain. The unit ensures the air curtain operation optimally at all times, never wasting energy, and never conflicting with store-wide heating or air conditioning.

An air curtain can prevent up to 80% of ‘normal’ heat loss through an open doorway. SmartElec will maintain an air curtain’s energy efficiency even further – by 40% in the New Look Watford trial. This translates into long-term cost savings for the company, and a minimisation of energy usage to achieve the stores’ comfort levels.

www.airbloc.co.uk