b'24 PHX BAGGAGE After the location was determined, the conveyor delivery system was designed to feed baggage to five EDS machines and meet the concourses overall throughput needs. With an eye toward growth, the system has room to add a sixth EDS machine if necessary. There also is room for a sixth sortation carousel for outbound baggage makeup.Tunnel VisionLocating the new baggage handling system in South Concourse 2 required PHX to construct four tunnels (totaling approximately 700 linear feet) to accommodate system conveyors that serve the four South Concourses at Terminal 4. Conveyors supplied and installed by G&S Airport Conveyor transport checked baggage from ticketing counters to the EDS machines and then route each to its respective concourse for loading onto aircraft.Construction of the conveyor system was phased around the completion of the tunnels, says G&S Project Manager Randy Dirks.In total, it took about 1,200 cubic yards of concrete to build the various tunnels, which ranged in length from 70 to 380 feet. MoonRANDY DIRKSnotes that the project team used a cut-and-The new system includes five EDS machines.cover system to build the tunnels. The slab of the tunnels was approximately 20 feet below grade, adjacent to existing airport operations, thus requiring a robust shoring system, he explains. We would dig down in 4-foot lifts, install tiebacks and place shotcrete over the exposed face of the excavation and repeat the sequence until they reached subgrade. This allowed the concrete tunnels to be constructed while providing a safe working environment for crews and the adjacent airport operations. In addition to being the most cost-effective method, this minimized the amount of excavation and backfill needed, he adds. MAINTENANCEMapping a route for the conveyors through the network of existing mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems was Manufacture a challenge that required G&S to coordinate carefully with McCarthy. There are 25-year-old systems that a lot of this conveyor had to weave through, Dirks comments. Its sort of threading the needle.The new baggage handling system includes about 1.5 miles of Installation conveyor belts.Upgrading to EthernetAnother major challenge encountered during the project was integrating the Ethernet communications platform that is the DESIGN | BUILD backbone of the new baggage system with the DeviceNet protocol that ran the existing baggage system. Dirks explains that Ethernet SPECIALIZING IN BAGGAGEcan transfer data significantly faster than DeviceNet. In addition, Ethernet is generally considered to be more cost-effective to HANDLING SOLUTIONS maintain than older systems because off-the-shelf components are If you would like more information on our more readily available, and technicians are more familiar with an product and services please contact us at: open protocol than a proprietary version.PHONE:403-230-1140 | 888-328-8826 |FAX:403-293-9774 Officials decided to upgrade components of the to-remain GSAirportConveyor.com existing baggage system to Ethernet so the entire system would be on the same controls platform. Dirks is confident it was the July | August 2022AirportImprovement.com'