ABA UniBatch Plant Plays Key Role in Airport Expansion
Runway Being Added at Singapore Changi Facility
Singapore Changi Airport is one of the busiest transportation hubs in Southeast Asia – and the world. A flight lands or departs the airport every 90 seconds, with 58.7 million passengers passing through Changi in 2016.
Changi has a reputation for quality as well. It has been named the world’s best airport by a number of organisations, including highly regarded Skytrax – which has awarded Changi with its top honor for the past five years – and counting.
Remaining at the top is always a challenge. Passenger traffic continues to increase annually, and the airport is also one of the world’s busiest cargo hubs. That volume creates pressure that could take away from the passenger experience. But Changi officials are taking steps to meet the increased demands while maintaining quality.
Expanding Changi
The construction of Terminal 4 will be completed in 2017. An expansion of Terminal 1 will follow in 2019, enabling that facility to handle 28 million passengers per year. Terminal 5 will open in the mid-2020s. That terminal alone will be able to accommodate 50 million travelers annually.
The first project is the completion of Terminal 4, which consists of adding a third runway. It is demanding work with tight time constraints and no margin for error when it comes to quality.
Providing the mix for the terminal is an Ammann ABA 300 UniBatch Asphalt-Mixing Plant. “The Changi Airport is a huge project, and we’re supplying 850 000 tonnes of pre-mix for it,” said Elvin Koh Oon Bin, the CEO of United E & P Pte Ltd., which owns the ABA UniBatch plant.
The ABA UniBatch was a natural fit for the expansion. First, it provides productivity with its capacity of 300 tonnes per hour.
“It’s an advanced plant, and it has a very small footprint, which is perfect for the location,” said Michal Dvorak of Ammann Singapore PTE Ltd. “It also has a very low height, important near an airport. It’s very simple to operate and easy to learn the as1 Control System. The plant is also easy to maintain.”
Mix for the Runway
The base course consisted of 1.6 million tonnes of cold mix, a number that will increase before completion, said Terry Isedale, Project Manager for United E & P. The plant will also produce binding materials of 650 000 tonnes and 850 000 tonnes for the surface lift.
That surface material was a mix that had previously not been used in Singapore, Isedale said. But the plant’s capabilities and the operating system enabled the production.
“It’s performing well,” Isedale said. “We did originally program the plant to run just 10 hours a day, six days per week. That will probably change to 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for a three-month period. We’re sure the plant can keep up with that pace.”
A Smooth Surface
Ammann AV 110X Articulated Tandem Rollers handled compaction of the runway. The roller has two frames connected by a double joint that enable crab steering on each side. That steering provides increased compaction output and responsiveness.
“The manoeuvring is great, according to the operators,” said Low Cheng Hwee, Operations Manager at United E & P. “The operators like the machines a lot. It’s important that the machines leave behind a smooth surface. We don’t want to leave any bumps behind.”
That goal is being met, as the runway is reaching all targets for compaction density and smoothness.
The Ammann rollers and plant are helping United E & P deliver on its promises. As a result, Changi is well positioned to continue its run of “best airport” awards.