Transportation Schreyer Award and Award of Excellence
Calgary International Airport East Deicing Apron Stantec
Custom techniques and designs The EDA project comprises approximately 11 ha of airfield pavement, more than 1,000 m of specialized stormwater drainage infrastructure, the new apron covering an area of approximately 110,000 m2 south of the airport’s new terminal and an underground diversion structure that is more than 10 m deep and redirects glycol runoff for treatment. Two key points of innovation for this project stemmed from Stantec’s use of Autodesk’s Civil 3D engineering design and documentation software, which reduced the design effort by 200%, and from the firm’s stormwater modelling 16
CANADIAN CONSULTING ENGINEER
design, which reduced construction costs by more than $300,000. Stantec used an advanced technique that involved replicating a single grading design across all of the composite pads, while the grading design was undertaken with dual-lane concrete slipform pavers in mind, to minimize construction co-ordination. If the design required alteration, only one pad would need to be updated and the rest of the apron grading would be updated automatically. As a result, more than 110,000 m2 of concrete apron was completed within two weeks. Stantec also developed a three-dimensional (3-D) model of the 12 x 12 x 10-m diversion structure and invited the project team to walk through it in virtual reality (VR). The model included all process piping and electrical conduit connections around the diversion structure, the near-
by control building and the proposed excavation limit to build the structure. This allowed the team to visualize the size and details of the structure and inspired discussions regarding constructability. The stormwater modelling was based on historical intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) curves to predict the required pipe sizing for the conveyance system. When reviewing historical precipitation data for the deicing season from Environment Canada’s records, the team overlaid that information with the historically applied spent aircraft deicing fluid (ADF) volumes, so as to optimally size the EDA’s recycling piping design. This analysis was then transferred into a design tailored specifically for the EDA, which reduced the cost of the piping system compared to a design based on a 100-year storm event. By using parts of September/October 2022
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n 2018, WestJet and Air Canada indicated the need for a centralized deicing facility at Calgary International Airport (YYC). Due to growing demands of air traffic and wide-body aircrafts, existing at-gate deicing operations—which could take up to 40 minutes—were no longer viable for keeping the airport running efficiently. The Calgary Airport Authority engaged Stantec to design the east deicing apron (EDA) with a diversion structure to treat glycol runoff. This reduced average taxi times from 40 to 17 minutes, reinforced environmental stewardship and maintained consistent glycol containment. The EDA enables YYC to be self-sufficient in recycling spent glycol and removes the chemical treatment burden from Calgary's municipal government.