Flying High at Heathrow Airport

After a five-year and £2.3billion programme to transform and update the facilities, Heathrow Airport’s terminal 2 re-opened to passengers on the 4th June. The project included the construction of a new cooling station to provide air conditioning for the estimated 20 million passengers a year.

In order to provide sufficient air conditioning for terminal 2A, the new cooling station required a system to regulate and control the flow of chilled water. Working in collaboration with a building management company, we commissioned the airport’s flow metering solution.

The EX201 hot tap insertion electromagnetic flow meters were chosen for this project. The model selected was manufactured from 316 stainless steel body with an IP67 rating in order to endure a variety of temperature, pressure and environmental conditions. On account of its electromagnetic technology there are no moving parts within the flow meter, therefore, no mechanical wear, this ensures a long and service free life. The EX201 flow meter also includes an isolation valve, allowing hot tap removal without the need to shut down the cooling station, which was one of the key criteria for a fully operational airport where downtime is just not acceptable.

We commissioned twelve EX201 flow meters and partnered these with twelve Cortex XDF12 remote panel displays to be used to regulate and control the water flow. Several of the latest M2000 electromagnetic flow meters from Badger Meter were also included in the project and are used to control the main pumps of the cooling station.