JS Keeps the Wind Out of Vestas Blades
JS Air Curtains has recently designed, supplied and installed a stainless steel RotoWind air curtain at the headquarters of world-leading wind turbine manufacturer, Vestas Blades, on the Isle of Wight.
The air curtain is mounted above the inside of the revolving door at the entrance to the building to prevent the fierce wind that blows down the River Medina from entering the reception area. Even though revolving doors are designed to keep out the majority of the elements, they can act as slow moving fans, dragging in cold air with every turn. The RotoWind air curtain creates a tight seal of air across the inside of the door preventing this cold air from entering.
The brushed stainless steel, semi-circular unit was designed specifically for the curve of the door at Vestas Blades to provide the best possible thermal barrier. It is 1.5m long and incorporates a 12kW electric heating element. The main mechanism of the air curtain is mounted above the door and blows warm air down across the inner opening.
Two other versions of the RotoWind are available. One that is mounted above the door and blows warm air into the inner sections of the revolving door and another that blows across the inner opening but is mounted on the inside of the building.
All types of RotoWind can be heated with either low pressure hot water or electric element heaters. Maintenance of the RotoWind is minimal and requires only an occasion wipe or vacuum of the micro-perforated air inlet grille.
Vestas Blades is the world’s largest manufacturer of wind turbines and globally employs over 15,000 people. The company has installed 35,000 wind turbines in 63 countries and on average installs a new wind turbine every four hours, twenty four hours a day. The Vestas site on the Isle of Wight employs 400 people and recently invested in “Blade Runner 2”, a barge which allows the company to ship its blades along the River Medina to Southampton for export.