Edenaire – a cool alternative for aircraft simulators

Citation

(2002), "Edenaire – a cool alternative for aircraft simulators", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 74 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2002.12774cad.008

Edenaire – a cool alternative for aircraft simulators

Keywords: Aircraft, Simulation

Edenaire's custom-designed air handling units play a central role in flight simulators used to train pilots of both civil and military aircraft.

The simulators are manufactured by Thales Training & Simulation (TT&S), a leader in simulation for both civil and military aircraft.

Edenaire has been supplying air-handling units for a number of years as part of an ongoing project. Its air handling units are intrinsic parts of the design of each simulator and are used to control internal temperatures, cooling instruments as well as the pilots and their trainers.

"We need to keep the onboard environment for the instruments and the personnel within the same limits as those on a real aeroplane" says Mike Weaver, senior mechanical engineer at TT&S.

As the cooling requirements could not be met using standard packaged equipment Edenaire used its design expertise to develop an entirely new range of air handling units specifically to meet TT&S's requirements.

"Despite the. diversity of standard products available, exacting specifications, size constraints or unusual applications like simulators, create the need for customised solutions." Comments Colin Goode Eaton- Williams senior sales engineer, Applied Products.

Known as Concept 2000, the range was designed to address a number of key criteria that included flexible duct connections, a high level of filtration and the units had to be mobile so that they can be moved easily y and transported with the simulator to its final destination.

There are 36 models in the range, but others are available depending on customers' specifications and voltage requirements. Both chilled water and DX systems are available but the majority of systems are chilled water.

Simulators are highly complex. Each simulator consists of a fibreglass pod that is fitted out with full controls replicating a cockpit. It is mounted on hydraulic legs capable of producing five feet of motion using six different axes and can achieve an acceleration force of 2G.

It is designed to hold up to five people including the pilot. The pilot sits in the cockpit and the trainers are sited in the aft cabin, which also contains six cabinets holding electronic equipment.

The onboard equipment combined with the instrumentation on the flight deck produces high heat loads. Without sufficient cooling the equipment would malfunction and is therefore designed to protect itself by automatically shutting down as a failsafe.

A stand-alone Concept 2000 air handler sited externally with two hoses fed into the simulator cools each simulator. One cools the back of the cabin and the other feeds the cockpit area and maintains the environment at 21°C ±3°C.

"Standard air handlers cannot meet our exacting parameters" says Mike Weaver "Each customer has their own requirements from which we write the specifications that determines the type of air handler required and functionality." Occasionally Edenaire can anticipate requirements if it knows the country of origin. "The voltage requirements and climatic conditions can provide an indication as to what will be required," says Colin Goode.

Although the simulators are not in constant use their support systems are and the air handlers are required to function continuously with over 95 per cent availability. With the average life span of a simulator stretching some 20 years this also requires the Concept 2000 range to be built to last and easy to maintain.

Details available from: Edenaire. Tel: +44 (0)1732 869416; Fax: +44 (0)1732 869626.