Internal aircraft temperature control remains an issue in transport category, VIP and special operations aircraft. Temperature control for the cockpit and the aircraft electronics has been of particular interest to our customers. For example, two crucial systems, inertial navigation (INS) and global positioning (GPS), are sensitive to high temperatures and will not activate in extreme temperature environments. Traditionally, typical on-board Air Cycle Machine (ACM) technology can take up to two hours to reduce the temperature far enough to allow the INS and GPS systems to activate. This is expensive and a harsh operating environ for ACM and APU operations just to cool an aircraft cockpit on the ground. Some military operators tell us that they are performing preflight checks, after take off, at altitude where they have access to the cooler air.
NASI technology has demonstrated that temperatures can be reduced to acceptable levels in as little as 10 to 20 minutes, and at costs substantially lower than those associated with ACM technology operated by an APU with a full pneumatic load. One of the reasons most cited for the poor performance of traditional air cycle technology is "heat sink", which occurs as cold air passes through ducts which run along the heat-soaked fuselage. The NASI system provides direct control with little or no ducting required, and can provides up to 120,000 BTU/Hour.
NASI has delivered over 260 rapid temperature air conditioning, heating, and cooling solutions. Earlier systems, delivered in 1992 and 1993, incorporated technology from other aviation suppliers, and while the technology was acceptable for low utilization operations, it failed to meet NASI's stringent durability standards required for higher utilization transport category aircraft. NASI engineers designed and integrated significant technological improvements in their latest air conditioning systems to deliver superior reliability and performance contributing to the low life cycle costs associated with these systems. Full return on investment, for many operators, is achieved in 6 months.
NASI also offers custom arrangements of our proven technology for larger and more modern aircraft applications. Even though the ACM technology in most modern aircraft is much better and more efficient than the ACM technology of the past, operators are now beginning to realize the cost and operational savings of NASI's all-electric system.
