Cool Cranes: STL Photo of the Week

Posted on May 10, 2019 in

As summer approaches, St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) is preparing to continue making travelers and visitors comfortable, which often happens behind the scenes. Keeping an entire airport at a comfortable temperature is no small task. STL has two climate control buildings, one on the east side and one on the west side, each with three chillers. On Thursday, May 9, a new chiller was installed in the west climate control building at STL as part of preventative maintenance. Weighing 28.5 tons, it required a special delivery truck just to get to STL and crane to move it to the building. The west climate control building serves Terminal 1, and the A, B, and C Concourses, roughly equivalent to 600 typical home air conditioning systems. This chiller operates on 460 volts and replaces an older version that required 4160 volts. It also takes full advantage of cooler water temperatures, which allows us to use it on cooler days during the winter. So not only does it keep travelers comfortable, it’s also saving energy - two things STL loves.