Sea Kings fly high with Nor-Ray-Vac heating
Two new 2500 m2 helicopter hangars at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose in Cornwall are heated by Nor-Ray-Vac continuous radiant-tube heating from AmbiRad. These latest installations, designed to provide for 24/7 activity, add to the five large hangars at the site that are already heated by this equipment. A key design feature is that the heating system responds rapidly and does not heat the air, so the primary heat source is not lost when the hangar doors are open.
Culdrose is home to four Sea King helicopter squadrons, which are regularly deployed to Afghanistan and also responsible for search and rescue at sea. These helicopters are due to be phased out of service by 2016, so the new hangars for client Defence Infrastructure have been designed to accommodate the larger replacement Merlin helicopters.
For the hangar of 771 squadron, MITIE installed 12 burners at a height of 10 m arranged in four zones with two discharge fans.
The other hangar, for the Sea King Airborne Surveillance & Control Squadron, required 12 burners at a height of 12 m arranged in six zones with two discharge fans.
The burners and end vents of the radiant branches are supplied with ducted fresh to comply with Crown fire standards for operational aircraft hangars. These efficient units reduce running costs and qualify for Enhanced Capital Allowances.
