Originally Posted by
Cap'n Benj
The issue this winter was that they could not clear the runways wasn't it, therefore this sounds like the perfect long term solution to me and should have perhaps been invested in some time ago.
The only problems I can foresee is massive disruption while it is installed.
In the long run I suspect it will be a massively cheaper solution than that proposed by 6th Freedom
Could be quite lucrative though.....trenchless tunneling used to install pipes of some sort under the runway surface, carried out over night when a runway can be closed, all of these are connected in a matrix and fed back to an energy centre some distance from the runway. The construction of this can be carried out at anytime.
In winter heating oil or gas/electric is used to heat a glycol solution to circulate through the runway to prevent icing etc. in summer the system is used to heat the glycol and the energy centre can then use a heat pump of some form to cool air to be used in the terminal, or perhaps generate low levels of electricity to be sold back to the grid using the governments feed in tariff.