Palazzo Grassi – where culture meets sustainability

An old building kitted out with modern technology: KSB pumps and valves for heating, air-conditioning, water and sanitation systems help to save 30 % of energy in the Palazzo Grassi.

The project:

Palazzo Grassi, an 18th century Venetian palace

The Palazzo Grassi is one of Venice’s most famous buildings. The three-storey structure from the 18th century stands directly on the Canal Grande. It was created by architect Giorgio Massari in the transitional style between Late Baroque and Classicism. He was commissioned by the Grassi family.

Today, the impressive building houses a renowned museum of contemporary art. The exhibits belong to the French entrepreneur and collector François-Henri Pinault who bought the building in 2006.

An energy analysis revealed that the palace’s energy consumption was enormous, making energy optimisation measures absolutely necessary. The task was to install state-of-the art equipment for heating, air-conditioning, water and sanitation systems. Technology designed to meet the demands of maximum energy efficiency and environmental friendliness.

The challenge:

Cutting-edge technology in an old building

The challenge was to significantly reduce energy consumption in the Palazzo Grassi – and thus save costs – by using efficient and environmentally friendly pumps and valves.

The solution:

A complete range of technology and expertise covering all systems

To meet the specific requirements of the Palazzo Grassi, KSB supplied a complete range of pumps and valves for heating, air-conditioning, water and sanitation systems. This comprised 131 shut-off and control valves, 24 swing check valves, 29 strainers, 45 expansion joints and 5 Etabloc pumps.

The main criterion was the high efficiency of the pumps driven by KSB SuPremE IE5* motors. The magnet-less pump drive impresses with high efficiency in all load ranges, enabling maximum energy savings.

All pumps were also fitted with a PumpDrive variable speed system and PumpMeter pump monitoring unit. In addition to installing these new pumps, KSB carried out maintenance of some of the older pumps.

The project took eight months from its start in July 2015, with the products being delivered in November 2015 and final completion in February 2016.

The bottom line: KSB’s solution has enabled a substantial reduction (30 %) in energy consumption

30 % lower energy costs thanks to KSB solutions

Data | Facts | Figures

Location: Venice, Italy

Application: Building Services

Project: Maintenance of older pumps, installation of KSB pumps and valves

Duration: July 2015 to February 2016 (8 months)

KSB Products used:

Etabloc

KSB SuPremeE

PumpDrive

BOA-Compact

BOA-RVK

BOA-S

Used products

Etabloc/Etabloc Pro/Etabloc MyFlow

Documents

Single-stage volute casing pump in close-coupled design, with ratings to EN 733, with IEC-compatible power drive system comprising PumpDrive 2 and KSB SuPremE® motor or PumpDrive 3 (efficiency class IE4/IE5 to IEC TS 60034-2-3:2016) and motor-integrated frequency inverter. Shaft fitted with a replaceable shaft sleeve in the shaft seal area. Volute casing and casing cover with replaceable casing wear rings. Volute casing with integrally cast pump feet for variants B, C and S. Motor mounting points in accordance with IEC 60072, envelope dimensions in accordance with DIN V 42673 (07-2011). ATEX-compliant version available. Well ahead of the ErP Directive's efficiency requirements.

Details

KSB SuPremE

Documents

IEC-compatible sensorless magnetless synchronous reluctance motor (exception: motor sizes 0.55 kW / 0.75 kW with 1500 rpm are designed with permanent magnets) of efficiency class IE4 / IE5 (Super/Ultra Premium Efficiency) to IEC TS 60034-30-2:2016 for operation on a KSB PumpDrive 2, PumpDrive 2 Eco or PumpDrive R variable speed system. Suitable for connection to three-phase 380-480 V power supply (via PumpDrive). The motor mounting points comply with IEC 60072 specifications to ensure compatibility with standardised IEC frame motor applications and full interchangeability with IE2 or IE3 standardised asynchronous motors. Envelope dimensions lie within the limits for IE2/IE3 motors as recommended in DIN V 42673 (07-2011). The motor is controlled without rotor position sensors. The efficiency of the motor also exceeds 95 percent of nominal efficiency when the motor runs at 25 percent of its nominal power on a quadratic torque-speed curve. The motor is magnetless which means that so-called rare earths are not used in production. Drive production is thus sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Details

PumpDrive 2/PumpDrive 2 Eco

Documents

Modular self-cooling frequency inverter that enables continuously variable speed control of asynchronous and synchronous reluctance motors by means of analog standard signals, a field bus or the control panel. As PumpDrive is self-cooling, it can be mounted on a motor, on the wall or in a control cabinet. Up to six pumps can be controlled without needing an additional controller.

Details

BOA-Compact

Documents

Globe valve to DIN/EN with flanged ends, short face-to-face length to EN 558/14, slanted seat design with vertical bonnet, single-piece body, EPDM-encapsulated throttling plug, soft main and back seat, position indicator, locking device, travel stop, insulating cap with anti-condensation feature; maintenance-free, full insulation possible.

Details

BOA-S

Documents

Strainer to DIN/EN with flanged ends, with standard or fine screen; all nominal sizes with drain plug in the cover. Made of grey cast iron or nodular cast iron.

Details

BOA-RVK

Documents

Lift check valve to DIN/EN with wafer-type body, centring aided by the body shape, shut-off by spring-loaded plate or valve disc guided by three stainless steel guiding pins. Low-noise designs with plastic plate (DN 15 - 100) or valve disc with O-ring (DN 125 - 200), maintenance-free.

Details