In 2006, Global Ground Support introduced and patented the new “Premium-Blend” system. This revolutionary deicer system allows customers to enjoy the glycol savings achieved by low-cost blending systems, while eliminating and/or reducing all of the negative aspects of previous in-truck blending designs.
The difference is the addition of a 3rd tank, which functions as a “blending unit,” to the deicing system. The special system then blends the fluid into the third tank, heating the blended water and glycol with a specially designed 3.4 million BTU heater. Global’s Type 1 Premium-Blend system uses a centrifugal pump to move fluid from the blending tank through the heater and out of the nozzle or returns it back to the blend tank.
The deicer’s return line does two things. If the blend of the fluid changes, it allows all of the fluid in the entire system (blend tank, heater, pumps, hoses & nozzle) to be adjusted in less than a minute. It also keeps the fluid circulating through the heater, pumps, and hoses (to the enclosed cab nozzle), so that the fluid at the nozzle is always at 180 degrees. As a result, this provides the maximum allowable thermal benefits. Other deicer systems allow the fluid in the boom hoses to cool off when not spraying. The deicer system (Type IV) has an independent tank and pump for both the Pro-Mix and Premium-blend systems.
The purge process of the Premium-Blend deicer is the system’s biggest advantage, when compared with other blending deicers. During normal operation, the deicer’s blend tank is filled to 40% capacity. The remaining 60% provides capacity if the operator changes blends without spraying and also for the purging process. When the operator has finished using the deicer and shuts it down, the computer will ask if he or she is ready to purge the system and start a countdown from 10. If the operator ignores the system, or just walks away from the truck, the computer will purge the entire system, blend tank, heater, pumps & hoses (tank to nozzle) with a 50/50 blend before allowing the truck to shut off. If the operator answers yes to the purge question, it will ask what percentage he would like to purge the system to. If it is going to be a mild night (20f), they might purge to a 30% mix.
The purge process adds neat fluid to the deicer’s blend tank, that mixture is pumped through the pumps, heater and boom lines, through the return line from the cab, back to the water line. The main water line from the water tank has an electric valve that shuts off during the purge process. The return line from the boom joins this pipe just under the valve and all of the water in the line and pump is purged into the blend tank. After purging the system, the only place that is not freeze-protected fluid is the water tank. The deicer’s water tank is insulated and has thermal loss of 1 degree/hour. The water tank can be drained or plugged in and heated with immersion heaters for long-term storage. If water is left in the deicer’s tank, an alarm (Klaxon & Beacon) is available to warn that the tank is >40f.
The operator or supervisor (the system can be password protected) chooses the glycol percentage on the control panel. There are 5% increments 10%-60%. The system remains at that percentage until the operator selects an alternative or the system purges as part of the automatic shut-down procedure.
Paying attention to the little things is what earned our deicers a reputation for excellence in the global aviation community. Once you have experienced our all-inclusive technology firsthand, you won’t want to use any other deicers.
For service-related details, call our global headquarters at
(913) 780-0300.
