Museu do Oriente
Lisbon, Portugal
Xylem’s Lowara in-line pumps are playing its part in preserving history at the “Museu do Oriente” in Lisbon, Portugal, providing the essential climate control that will protect thousands of artifacts for generations to come. Lowara pumps were at the heart of the 20 Million euro project to convert a 1930s cod warehouse into an exciting six-storey museum. “Museu do Oriente” officially opened in May 2008 and, in its first year, more than 120,000 visitors viewed a collection of over 11,000 items tracing the presence of Portuguese culture in Asia from the past five centuries. The museum has an extensive exhibition space of more than 7,000 sqm, as well as no public storage areas, a conference centre with a 400-seat auditorium, restaurant and shops.
The best HVAC solution
The Lowara solution – awarded under tender by the Fundação Oriente, which has led the conversion project – features a comprehensive range of Lowara FC close-coupled in-line centrifugal circulating pumps. The FC series features a cast iron body with AISI 316L stainless steel impeller, with head of up to 89 m and capacity up to 330 m3/h. The versatile FC series is designed for the circulation of hot and cold water in heating and air-conditioning systems such as this, but also finds a home in many water pumping and water supply applications in civil, industrial and agricultural environments.
Efficiency trough Hydrovar ® frequency control
Many of the FC pumps were mounted with 11 kW and 15kW Hydrovar® 3-series variable speed controllers to regulate the speed of the motor and maximise economy and efficiency of the pumps. Microprocessors control the pumps’ sequential operation based on system demand, closing the pump down completely when necessary. The variable speed control system HYDROVAR® adjusts the pump’s flow rate automatically even to heavy varying demands, with a consequent decrease of the absorbed power of as much as 70%.
The range of Lowara products are renowned for their reliability and ease of maintenance. This has been as essential consideration for the museum. As for centuries of history being preserved and presented for the future, Lowara will ensure the systems at work behind the scenes perform at their best for many years to come.