Airline passengers get on board with energy chain solutions

• What was needed: E4/4 chains, E2-zig-zag chain, chainflex® TPE special cables, 400 Hz special cable
• Requirements: high safety precautions delay installation, installation must be flexible to suit the volume of travellers
• Industry: Airport
• Success for the customer: completely revised energy chain system with better access, flexible and punctual installation

Almost ten million passengers pass through the 18 passenger boarding bridges at all terminals at Cologne/Bonn Airport every year. The bridges ensure that the journey between the airport building and the aircraft is as uncomplicated as possible for passengers. Once the engines have been switched off, the bridge also supplies power to the on-board electronics of the parked aircraft. The bridge "docks" onto the aircraft as soon as it has reached its parking position. It consists of a stationary and a travelling or telescopic part. The movable bridge head can also be adjusted in height to allow precise access to the aircraft door. All movements are carried out hydraulically, while the control system and signalling are carried out via electric cables. The entire energy supply of the eight bridges of the new Terminal 2 had to be modernised in order to safely and securely guide all movements and ensure the functionality of the bridges for the coming years at Cologne/Bonn Airport. The installation of the energy supply poses particular challenges in such a case. As the airport is a high-security site, the installation of a system must be planned well in advance in order to be completed on time. This is because the elaborate security precautions at airports can significantly slow down work and logistics processes. Assembly planning must also be adapted as flexibly as possible to the airport's travel volume, as none of the bridges can be missing during the peak holiday season in the summer months, for example.

When the passenger boarding bridges were first fitted in 1999, energy chains from igus® were already being used at that time, and they have been running smoothly to date. Nevertheless, the arrangement of the four chains per system at that time still left potential for optimisation due to the very cramped installation conditions in the bridge housing. The energy supply system hidden under the outer skin of the bridge was also not accessible for possible faults or visual inspections.
The task for the igus® project engineers was therefore to optimise the selection and arrangement of the e-chain® as well as the accessibility for maintenance purposes. The energy chain, cable assignment and the steel substructure of the bridge were optimised. After receiving advice from igus®, the customer decided to commission the on-site installation as well.
The new energy chain system of the rebuilt bridge now comprises two reverse E4/4 chains, rotated by 90°, which now have sufficient capacity to neatly divide and guide the cables. An E2-zig-zag chain is also used at the bridgehead for vertical adjustment. All energy chains are equipped with wind- and weather-resistant chainflex® TPE special cables for energy chains as well as a now well-protected 400 Hz special cable for the aircraft's on-board power supply.
A downtime of 25 to 30 years is now expected for the passenger boarding bridges.

After the airport decided to have the bridges modernised by igus®, the particular challenge lay in planning the installation of the system. This had to be adapted as flexibly as possible to the airport's travel volume, as none of the bridges could be missing during the main holiday season in the summer months, for example. "This is where igus® and its installation service once again proved to be a very flexible partner," says Stäbler, "for which we are very grateful." Depending on the volume of travellers, one bridge after the other was taken out of service at short notice and converted during a time window of around two weeks in each case. The complete conversion of all the bridges took around 1.5 years. During this entire period, the joint consultation and coordination between the conveyor technology of Cologne/Bonn Airport and igus® worked excellently and the cooperation of all parties involved was successfully completed.