David Lock

Why don't major airports e.g. Heathrow & Gatwick have under surface heaters on the runways and taxi areas?

Yes I know they wouldn't be used often and would cost a bob or two but surely it would be worth it to keep the places open.

dl

simonbb1328

couldn't it weaken the tarmac?

David Lock

But it's more than this surely? A couple of flakes seems enough. Some one should know?



Runway at Gatwick Airport Closes Due to Icy Weather | Travel News

David Lock

So think of all the overtime and petrol they would save if Fred could just turn on the heating switch

scoobeenut

I think they put electric heater wires under the elevated section of the M4 when they built it. Apparantly they turned it on only once and never again because it used soooo much electricity.

Luan Pra bang

In some places they use geothermal heat to warm the ground to prevent ice and snow build up. Switzerland has a system called serso that stores energy in the summer using rocks, boreholes and heat exchaners to store the heat in summer then uses this heat to warm roads and bridges in the summer. It is perfectly possible to do this on runways and the only electricity used is for pumps but the cost of adding it to an already built operating runway is too high. Dock midfield terminal at Zurich Airport actually uses this technology to heat and cool the terminal building.

FlightMan

It's not just the runways, it's taxiways and aprons too, and they total 10x the amount of concrete that the runways do.

Anyway, it's no use having clear runways if the pilot is stuck on the M25. That's what caused most of the cancellations.

dpb

pretty sure this is the same principle my ole man uses to heat his place in n.carolina ,
But as siad above its all pretty superfluous if our road system isnt up to it !

- the crux being that we run at 95 % - ALL THE TIME

Leslie

You never know-we might be going back to normal British wiinters as they used to be. Place didn't shut down so easily either, people used to cope.

Les

Luan Pra bang

There is a feasability study here for those that are interested, It would seem that Geothermal Energy is being overlooked by the USA I would guess becuase the end user has very little cost to pay after fitting the systems which is bad for large corporates who sell energy.

http://platinum.ts.odu.edu/Apps/FAAU...enFileResource

Snazy

We have had winters like this before !! I think not Les

This is down to climate change, we are all doomed, and rumour has it we might have a hot summer too, its all over.....

OK tongue out of cheek now, indeed mate I agree, seems like we are looping our weather and going back to the old weather cycles.

As for the runways, FM, you said it perfectly, half the passengers and crew would not be on the planes anyway.