Commissioned by the Ministry of Defence, DEMOCO is currently putting the finishing touches to the largest aircraft hanger ever built in Belgium, at the military airport in Melsbroek. From November 8 the hangar will be home to the new A400M transport aircraft. EQUANS was responsible for various technical installations, including the electrics, HVAC, plumbing, compressed air and fire detection. EQUANS will also act as the building management and maintenance partner for the installed systems in the coming years.
In terms of dimensions and maintenance capabilities, the existing hangars were suitable for the 130 fleet. A larger hanger was thus needed for the new aircraft. EQUANS has already worked on projects for the Ministry of Defence, but the project in Melsbroek stands apart due to its size: a maintenance hangar of no less than 13,800 m2 where three aircrafts can be worked on simultaneously, along with 1,200 m2 of office space, a logistics zone with a surface area of 3,500 m2, and various storage and workshop facilities with a surface area of 3,000 m2. In the Design & Build formula, EQUANS ensures the energy efficiency and safety of the project by installing, monitoring and maintaining the electrical and HVAC systems. Meanwhile, the Belgian-Luxembourg Air Transport Unit A400M (BNU A400M) already has four of the eight transport aircraft in Melsbroek.
A real feat
Two heat pumps on the roof act as the initial source of cooling (450 Kw) and heating (890 Kw). In the boiler room, two boilers provide the required power of 1 Mw. “The entire hanger is equipped with no less than 13,800 m2 of underfloor heating,” says Jan Merckx, Senior Project Manager, Buildings Division at EQUANS. “A real feat that involving detailed planning, given that the piping runs to a total of 33 km.” In the office complex, cooling beams with four-pipe connection provide both cooling and heating, with individually adjustable air conditioning in each office. In the high workshops, radiant panels have been fitted to guarantee a pleasant working climate. The toilets and urinals are flushed with rainwater from a rainwater installation. The latter are also equipped with an infrared rinse. A general mixer tap regulates the temperature of the shower water to 38° Celsius. “These are all factors that contribute to the project’s energy efficiency,” says Merckx,”Moreover, the building’s ventilation is provided by 5 air groups with a total of 85,000m3/h. And we also worked on the installation of a clean-room in the building with very strict temperature and humidity requirements”.
Specific requirements
EQUANS has installed various data rooms including several 400 Hertz rooms, specific to the aviation industry. This is because the on-board frequency in aircraft is 400 Hz. Merckx: “Active cooling, in the form of fan convectors, was installed to keep the temperatures in the various data rooms from rising too high. For other rooms with specific requirements for aircraft component storage or maintenance, we provided a total of 6 climate cabinets for humidity and temperature control. A specific dust extraction system had to be installed to evacuate small particles and hazardous fumes from the rooms where parts are handled. In the various workshops we have already installed extraction ducts via the roof, so that the spaces can be used flexibly in the future. The entire site also received a pipeline network for compressed and breathing air. In addition, our EQUANS team installed emergency and eye showers throughout the hanger and workshops in case an employee comes into contact with hazardous materials.”
Comprehensive fire detection
In terms of electrical installations, Jan De Rudder, Senior Project Manager at EQUANS, also had to take aviation-specific elements into account. “For example, very high power levels were required and we installed 1,000 amp panels. We installed 4 grids: medium voltage, generator operation, UPS operation and a 400 Hertz grid. The latter feeds the hatch PIT systems which in turn are responsible for powering aircraft on-board equipment.” EQUANS also fitted a fiber optic network with distribution to the different data rooms, installed solar panels in the office area and LED lighting across the entire site, whose motion detection will contribute to the Ministry of Defence’s energy efficient approach.
Traditional fire detection equipment was also fitted in the offices, workshops and logistics area. “We had to take a different approach in the hanger,” De Rudder said. “Smoke-detecting beams were installed 30 meters above the ground. They feature thermal cameras (Video Smoke Detectors) that detect smoke from camera images. At a height of 8 meters we installed flame detectors aimed at the wings of the aircraft. These devices are intended for kerosene fires that are not detectable by smoke detectors or cameras, since the flames of a kerosene fire are barely visible.”
Monitoring and maintenance
Besides the installation of the different systems and technologies, EQUANS will also be responsible for their maintenance for the next 28 years. Merckx: “The central building management system we installed will help us and the customer in this. We can use the system to collect data and manage and analyse energy performance. Each large room is monitored separately. This way we keep our finger on the pulse, optimise energy consumption throughout the seasons and detect defects in a timely manner to enable repairs.”
Strong together
Both gentlemen describe this project as a fine example of cooperation between the various EQUANS departments. Merckx: “We assembled the shared systems from our various divisions onto one large steel structure. A great example of our internal synergy. But the cooperation with DEMOCO also ran smoothly, making daily work on the site pleasant. This project is a good benchmark in terms of our various services, demonstrating once again that EQUANS is a versatile and reliable partner for challenging assignments.”
