Integrated manufacturing of REciclable multi-material COmposites for the TRANSport sector
Novel air-conditioning hose system for aircraft cabin maintenance
Currently, aircraft maintenance centres use plastic polyethylene hoses to provide supplementary cooling air inside the cabin when maintenance is being carried out. These plastic hoses are often changed after 2-3 weeks.
Such a setup also creates an uncomfortable working environment and has issues such as low cooling efficiency, loss of cool airflow and condensation on the hoses both inside and outside aircraft cabins.
This innovative hose system developed by the Singapore institute comprises a novel configuration that comprise the following features:
• Air hose material: 3-layer composite air hose material offers characteristics such as low friction, condensation resistance, resistance to fire (fireproof), abrasion resistance, lightweight and lower cost
• Guide vanes: Louvering orifices help to direct airflow toward the technicians in the most efficient way while they are doing repair work at different locations inside the aircraft
• Air duct connectors: Eradicate kinks and sharp bends in hoses to allow smoother airflow to be directed to aircraft technicians
The primary application of this air-conditioning hose system will be for aircraft maintenance centres. However, this application can be easily applied to other maintenance operations such as marine & offshore and automotive industries.
Varying hose sizes and connection systems can be fabricated and catered for use in different industries.
The Singapore institute is keen to partner MNEs or SMEs of all sizes on a licensing agreement where the partner could license the technology to develop it further into new products or services to be introduced to the market.
Advantages & innovations Cooperation plus value: This technology offers the following advantages: • Increased lifespan compared to conventional hose: Substantially longer lifespan due to its increased durability compared to the current polyethylene plastic hose, which is often thrown away after 2-3 weeks of use• Environmentally-friendly: Eliminates the high usage and waste involved when plastic hoses are used • More comfortable working space for technicians• Increased productivity• Reduced heat-related fatigue• Better air flow performance• Higher efficiency in energy saving• Fire retardant material to make the workplace safe• Long-term cost-savings Stage of development Cooperation stage dev stage: Field tested/evaluated Partner sought Cooperation area: The Singapore institute of higher learning is interested in licensing agreements with partners that can be MNEs or SMEs of all sizes where the partner could develop it further into new products or services to be launched in the market.The type of partners could include aircraft manufacturers, repair workshops, maintenance hangars and MRO centres. Type and size Cooperation task: SME 11-50,SME 500 MNE,251-500,SME 51-250,>500 image4.png Novel air-conditioning hose system for aircraft cabin maintenance - Image 4 image2.jpg Novel air-conditioning hose system for aircraft cabin maintenance - Image 2 image3.jpg Novel air-conditioning hose system for aircraft cabin maintenance - Image 3 image1.jpg Novel air-conditioning hose system for aircraft cabin maintenance - Image 1
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement Nº 768737
