MARK HANNANT
With the Aircraft Clean Air Act introduced to the US Senate and House of Representatives last week, cabin air quality has hit the headlines. The bill is set to force airlines and the US Federal Aviation Administration to record and respond to complaints of contaminated air.
Issue
For award-winning Swedish company CTT, cabin air quality has been a headline issue for a decade. The manufacturer of onboard drying systems, winner of the engineering category of last year's Flight International Aerospace Industry Awards, is at the show and boosted by the news that Airbus has agreed to fit its zonal drying system to all its long-haul aircraft.
CTT has also announced a deal with Bombardier Aerospace which will support the zonal drying system on CRJ 100/200 aircraft.
The zonal drying system dries out the space between the cabin and aircraft skin. The amount of water that can collect and be absorbed into the insulation of an aircraft on a long-haul flight can reach a phenomenal 700kg (1,500lb). Not only does the weight mean significant fuel inefficiency, it also has the potential to severely compromise the avionics systems.
The CTT system has applied 1930s technology originally developed by Munters in Sweden. In essence the system works in the same way that the bags of silica gel delivered with a new VCR does - but on a much larger scale.
But its not just the technical benefits which are attracting customers, says Gunnar Nillson, director Sales and Marketing. "Think about how much airlines are spending on extra legroom, comfortable seats, inflight entertainment and haute cuisine. The one thing that still makes flying uncomfortable is the cabin air quality. "We have a product that is adding to the comfort of passengers, particularly those in first and business class who are already paying a premium."
Initially the patented zonal drying system will be offered to Airbus A330 and A340 customers as an option. The first system should be available next year.
Breakthrough
"This is a breakthrough for us," says Torbjorn Johansson, CTT Systems president. "We have worked continuously on increasing the awareness of our system and the very good reasons for using dry air in aircraft. Condensation costs the aerospace industry a significant amount of money every year. To have Airbus recognise the system benefits is just great."
CTT is currently developing a military application working with the Swedish air force to install the system on its C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.
Source: Flight Daily News
