It relates to the supply of power for a mobile aircraft noise measuring station. This is installed in a car-mounted trailer with an extendable microphone mast. The measuring station is in permanent operation between March and December. After 3 weeks of deployment at one location, the measuring station is moved directly to a new one. A total of three such mobile measuring stations are operated.
Up until 2015, the power supply was provided via heavy lead batteries (24 V / 1000 Ah), which had to be recharged over 48 hours after each 3-week deployment at Vienna Airport. This meant that the measurements were always interrupted. In 2015, a constant, 10-month measurement involving all three measuring stations needed to be carried out. In this instance, the measuring stations could not be transported to Vienna Airport for recharging after 3 weeks. Therefore a permanent power supply had to be implemented instead. Since there are also no power sockets at the deployment sites, the decision was made to use fuel cells.
The EFOY Pro 1800, the latest fuel cell generation, is the ideal power supply solution for this application.
“Constant, autonomous power supply”
We chose an EFOY fuel cell because of the constant, autonomous power supply it provides. By using two fuel cells and 10 litres of methanol, we were able to deliver the 3-weekly cycle required. When moving the measuring stations from one site to another, the tank cartridges in one station were also changed at the same time.
Mr DI Peter Ulrich, MSc.
The trailer was adapted by Akkutron. Only lightweight and fixed-cycle, 60 Ah LiFePO4 batteries are needed.
The three mobile noise measuring stations can now be relocated from site to site and no longer need to be transported to Vienna Airport for recharging after three weeks of operation. This avoids any unnecessary journeys. The measuring period is also extended by two days (since the 48-hour charging process is dispensed with).
