b'FUELING LGA 51New Hydrant System Will Boost FuelingEfficiency and Safety at LaGuardia Terminal BBY JENNIFER DAACK WOOLSONPrior to a $4 billion facelift recently completed byramp, safety will be significantly increased.The elimination of tank LaGuardia Gateway Partners, Terminal B at LaGuardiatruck refuelers from the terminal ramps will also make more space Airport (LGA) was known for taxiway traffic jams andavailable for the remaining ground service equipment to operate.delays. The terminals new island concourse layout has helpedTypically, EFSO isolation valves are alleviate many of those issues. Further enhancing those efficienciesinstalled in underground vaults. However, is a new hydrant fueling system that will allow aircraft to fuel atthat wasnt an option at Terminal B because each of the terminals 35 gates and eliminate the need for tankof nearby Flushing Bay. The groundwater truck refueling and its associated traffic.table at LaGuardia is high, so no matter The hydrant systems around the island concoursesdesignedhow well you build an underground vault by Argus Consulting and constructed by Meccon Industrieswillto make it waterproof, its hard to prevent also allow operators to efficiently fuel aircraft and sectionalize thegroundwater and stormwater infiltrationPAUL JOHNKEconcourse systems during an Emergency Fuel Shut Off (EFSO)into underground vaultsand water and event or maintenance, limiting the number of gates affected.electricity dont mix, explains Paul Johnke, Business Unit Crews are expected to finish installation of the Terminal B rampDirector for Argus Consulting.hydrant system by the end of 2022, and a separate project toAdditionally, underground vaults are difficult to maintain and connect the Terminal B and Terminal C ramp hydrant systemsoperate because they are categorized as confined spaces that with the airports Fuel Storage Facility to form an airport widerequire crews to follow stringent OSHA access procedures. hydrant system is scheduled to begin construction in the firstTo remedy these issues, Argus applied a design solution, quarter of 2023.Argus_PrintR5.pdf 1 4/8/19 7:06 AMUntil that connection is in place, fuel tank trucks are still being used to transport fuel from the Fuel Storage Facility to each of Terminal Bs gates. The route takes the fuel tank trucks from the Fuel Storage Facility via landside roads, through an Aeronautical Operations Area (AOA) security checkpoint and onto the AOA vehicle service road that leads to the Terminal B gates. After fueling aircraft, fuel tank trucks make the return trip back to the Fuel Storage Facility to reload and repeat the process. When the airport wide hydrant fuel system is completed, that cumbersome trek goes away. The elimination of the fuel tank trucks will reduce the vehicle traffic, increase theCefficiency and reduce the amount of timeMthats required for fueling planes, says YWill Cattouse, Project Manager at Argus Consulting. CMConstruction of the Terminal B rampWILL CATTOUSE MYhydrant system by LaGuardia GatewayCYPartners is one of several early action projects, including DeltasCMYconstruction of Terminal Cs ramp hydrant system, preparing forKconstruction of the $165 million airport-wide hydrant system by airline consortium LGA Fuel LLC to improve fueling operationsat LGA.Aboveground Advantages Removing the 10,000-gallon tank truck refuelers from LGAs public and airside service roads will eliminate traffic congestion due to the relatively slow-moving refuelers.Additionally, since refuelers will no longer maneuver in close proximity to aircraft on the terminal AirportImprovement.comNovember | December 2022'