Ford Otosan Factory Assembly Line
- Location
- Gölcük, Kocaeli
- Year
- 2023
- Application
- Industrial Door Air Curtain Application
- Product
- Teddington Ratiovent Industrial Air Curtain
- Supply Quantity
- 2 sets of Ratiovent air curtain systems
Project Request
At the Ford Otosan Gölcük assembly line, two large industrial doors used for material entry and exit had to remain open for long periods during the day. Due to the proximity of the doors to the assembly line, especially in winter, personnel working near the doors were affected by cold air currents, which negatively impacted their working comfort.
At the same time, the open doors caused the conditioned air inside the factory to escape uncontrollably to the outside environment, resulting in significant energy loss for the operation. The project required an air curtain solution that would not obstruct material traffic, be suitable for an industrial environment, enhance employee comfort, and help reduce energy losses.
Solution
Before the project, an on-site survey was conducted to evaluate door dimensions, installation area, and conditions that could affect curtain performance. As a result of the investigation, the Teddington Ratiovent industrial air curtain system was selected for two industrial doors, each measuring 4 x 5 m. For each door, a total of 4,200 mm of horizontal air curtain application was implemented, consisting of two modules measuring 1,800 mm and 2,400 mm in length.
The system was designed without a heat exchanger; thus, the existing indoor air was used for curtaining in the door opening without additional heating energy. Thanks to Ratiovent's CONVERGO® nozzle structure, an effective air barrier was aimed to be created with a lower air volume, reducing cold air ingress and the loss of conditioned indoor air.
The air curtains were designed to operate with 5-stage speed control and door contact. A technical solution addressing both employee comfort and energy efficiency was presented, with the payback period of the investment also evaluated through an economization report prepared for Ford Otosan engineers.