Fläkt Woods' eQ Econet air handling units were installed in a new maritime museum in Tallinn

 

The new maritime museum was built in two years and it’s now turning out to be one of the most fascinating maritime museums in Europe with its three-stage exhibition that is telling stories both under and above the water. In addition to the ships, cannons, anchors and buoys beside the berth, submarine, seaplane, sea mines and sailboats can also be admired. In total there are approximately a few hundred big exhibits led by legendary submarine Lembit.


The new museum is located in the unique seaplane hangars built in 1916-1917. At that time the hangars were a part of the Peter the Great maritime fortress. The net area is 7529,7 m² and the capacity 98,450 m³. Its purpose was to accommodate the world's largest seaplanes. Now the newly finished maritime museum demanded new solutions because of the building characteristic features that didn’t allow using existing structural type of solutions.

Hangars were originally built as a cold space because aircrafts didn’t need better conditions. But a museum needs steady and high quality ventilation year-round and that is why Fläkt Woods' air handling units where selected. The hangars cubic content is almost 100 000 cubic meters. Since it was decided to heat the museum through heat pumps with so called marine heating system, Fläkt Woods' Econet type equipment was chosen because it allows very effectively use of low temperature heat carrier and high temperature cold carrier.

The marine heating system in the maritime museum capacity is unique in Estonia. For the marine heating system the seawater is allowed by pumps through the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger sends it to the heat pumps. On the hangar first floor there are three different heat pumps that heat up the building during the winter and cool it during the summer. The whole system works without problems when the seawater temperature, about two and a half meters deep where seawater is allowed into pumps, doesn’t drop under one degree above zero. As a rule, even in very cold winters the required one plus degree will remain, as the seawater doesn’t drop under that in the bay of Tallinn.

The big exhibition hall in the maritime museum has an area over 7000 m3 and it has floor heating. The first part of the hangar where visitors entrance, in addition heated with fans. Basically the system is designed so even if there is 20 degrees below zero outside, it is possible to keep 17 degrees above zero in the hangars, using only marine
heating system. To ensure this the hangars roof, domes and even all concrete walls and glass facades have been insulated.