{"id":23150,"date":"2026-07-07T10:24:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T08:24:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/?p=23150"},"modified":"2026-07-07T10:24:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T08:24:10","slug":"retrofit-in-the-rainforest-universeum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/industries\/refrigeration-ventilation\/retrofit-in-the-rainforest-universeum_23150\/","title":{"rendered":"Retrofit in the Swedish rain\u00adforest"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Exotic birds call out to one another beneath the tall canopy of trees. Monkeys swing from branch to branch, and a sloth rests content\u00adedly in a treetop. Down on the ground, small alli\u00adga\u00adtors dart into the thicket, and frogs croak away. Yet this trop\u00adical land\u00adscape is far from the equator. It is in Gothen\u00adburg, Sweden. Here, endan\u00adgered species live in the arti\u00adfi\u00adcial rain\u00adforest of Univer\u00adseum, the national science center. Each year, the center offers over half a million visi\u00adtors a holistic perspec\u00adtive on how human behavior is changing our planet in the hopes that those who under\u00adstand the world are more likely to advo\u00adcate for its continued exis\u00adtence and a sustain\u00adable future. In addi\u00adtion to its educa\u00adtional mission, Univer\u00adseum also leads by example and pursues the goal of contin\u00adu\u00adously reducing its own energy consump\u00adtion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Univer\u00adseum<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sweden\u2019s national science center combines inter\u00adac\u00adtive educa\u00adtion with species protec\u00adtion. In addi\u00adtion to the trop\u00adical rain\u00adforest, there\u2019s even more to discover: The Ocean World\u00adbrings visi\u00adtors up close to the habi\u00adtats of hundreds of fish species, sharks, and rays. In the Reptile House, they can discover various snakes and lizards. In the 360\u00b0 dome, chil\u00addren and adults alike can gaze into space and learn about current space research. Inter\u00adac\u00adtive science areas also invite visi\u00adtors to explore chem\u00adistry, math\u00ade\u00admatics, the human body, and new tech\u00adnolo\u00adgies such as arti\u00adfi\u00adcial intel\u00adli\u00adgence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source: Univer\u00adseum<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The Universeum\u2019s trop\u00adical rain\u00adforest covers 18,000 cubic meters.<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n
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The animals need a constant room temper\u00ada\u00adture of 28 degrees to live healthy and happy lives.<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Visi\u00adtors observe the animals across five floors\u2014from the ground up to the tree\u00adtops.<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Life-sustaining heat<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Modern\u00adizing the rainforest\u2019s venti\u00adlation systems with a retrofit to save energy was actu\u00adally planned for a later date. But when the system\u2019s only fan failed after 25 years, the issue became crit\u00adical. Gunnar Blom, COO of Univer\u00adseum, explains: \u201cEndan\u00adgered animal species live in our rain\u00adforest. Our main goal is to take good care of them and to ensure they live healthy lives, we must main\u00adtain the temper\u00ada\u00adture at exactly 28 degrees.\u201d If this fails, the conse\u00adquences are devas\u00adtating. While birds and monkeys can tolerate temper\u00ada\u00adture fluc\u00adtu\u00ada\u00adtions for a short time, sloths require a constant climate to survive due to their slow metab\u00ado\u00adlism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oskar S\u00f6der\u00adlund of System Intel\u00adli\u00adgence, a long-standing partner of Univer\u00adseum for HVAC systems, knew how to remedy the situ\u00ada\u00adtion: \u201cWe\u2019ve been working with ebm-papst on such tasks for several years. So, I also contacted Sales Engi\u00adneer Henrik Heikel for this project, and together we devel\u00adoped a solu\u00adtion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Even at -16 degrees in winter, the temper\u00ada\u00adture in the rain\u00adforest remains stable. (Photo | Henrik Heikel)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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With the new FanGrid, the Univer\u00adseum is one step closer to its climate goal. (Photo | Univer\u00adseum)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Three RadiPac units are heating up the rain\u00adforest<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The facility\u2019s old, belt-driven fan sucked in air, which was heated by a heating coil, and blew it through air vents into the rain\u00adforest building. For the retrofit, S\u00f6der\u00adlund and Heikel decided to replace the old fan with three new RadiPac radial fans featuring Flow\u00adGrid from ebm-papst. These distribute the warm air more evenly in the room The effect is enhanced by the inte\u00adgrated Flow\u00adGrid guide vane. S\u00f6der\u00adlund explains: \u201cSince the temper\u00ada\u00adture loss is so much lower than before, we can reduce the outlet temper\u00ada\u00adture of the heating coil while main\u00adtaining the same perfor\u00admance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three new RadiPac radial fans with Flow\u00adGrid ensure optimal condi\u00adtions in the rain\u00adforest. (Photo | Henrik Heikel)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To prevent down\u00adtime, they have ensured redun\u00addancy with three fans: \u201cShould one of the new fans fail, the remaining ones will keep the temper\u00ada\u00adture stable until repairs are made, so the animals stay warm.\u201d But to ensure long-term oper\u00ada\u00adtional reli\u00ada\u00adbility, the retrofit part\u00adners are going one step further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trop\u00adical data collec\u00adtion with MMCU <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Computer-assisted real-time data acqui\u00adsi\u00adtion of indus\u00adtrial processes is already wide\u00adspread in Sweden. To inte\u00adgrate this tech\u00adnology into Universeum\u2019s existing system, Oskar S\u00f6der\u00adlund and Henrik Heikel are installing a Modbus Monitor & Control Unit (MMCU) from ebm-papst in the facility\u2019s control cabinet. This unit reads data from the Modbus inter\u00adface, which is stan\u00addard equip\u00adment on the RadiPac. Henrik Heikel explains: \u201cSince the fans work in high ambient temper\u00ada\u00adtures, moni\u00adtoring motor and elec\u00adtronics temper\u00ada\u00adture is essen\u00adtial for long-term reli\u00ada\u00adbility. The MMCU acts as a kind of hub that allows us to monitor rele\u00advant infor\u00adma\u00adtion. For example, the rota\u00adtion per minute to ensure the correct temper\u00ada\u00adture inside the enclo\u00adsure. With Modbus we can also move beyond that and use real oper\u00adating data to protect the equip\u00adment and main\u00adtain a stable temper\u00ada\u00adture for the rain\u00adforest.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Using the MMCU, Univer\u00adseum moni\u00adtors rele\u00advant data in real time. This includes the temper\u00ada\u00adture inside the enclo\u00adsure as well as that of the fans\u2019 motors and elec\u00adtronics. (Photo | Henrik Heikel)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

A consis\u00adtent temper\u00ada\u00adture also helps stabi\u00adlize humidity levels, which is controlled via a sepa\u00adrate system. In addi\u00adtion, the MMCU moni\u00adtors whether the fans in the warm envi\u00adron\u00adment main\u00adtain their optimal oper\u00adating temper\u00ada\u00adture so that they can operate safely over the long term. And the system can be adjusted as needed, says S\u00f6der\u00adlund: \u201cIn the summer, we do not need to compen\u00adsate for the outside temper\u00ada\u00adture as much as we do at -16 degrees in the winter to main\u00adtain the temper\u00ada\u00adture in the rain\u00adforest. This allows Univer\u00adseum to save up to 60 percent of its previous energy consump\u00adtion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Since the fans work in high ambient temper\u00ada\u00adtures, moni\u00adtoring motor and elec\u00adtronics temper\u00ada\u00adture is essen\u00adtial for long-term reli\u00ada\u00adbility. The MMCU acts as a kind of hub that allows us to monitor rele\u00advant infor\u00adma\u00adtion.<\/p>\nHenrik Heikel, Sales Engi\u00adneer at ebm-papst<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

One step closer to the climate goal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now, as a result of the retrofit in the Swedish rain\u00adforest, nothing stands between a sloth and its cozy life. To achieve the center\u2019s climate target, Gunnar Blom plans to modernize several more systems at Univer\u00adseum over the next few years. He is opti\u00admistic about the future: \u201cA strong rela\u00adtion\u00adship between us as a client and our suppliers is the key to devel\u00adoping solu\u00adtions that benefit everyone. When a retrofit reduces energy consump\u00adtion by around 60 percent, the bene\u00adfits become tangible\u2014even for part\u00adners who want to support us and our educa\u00adtional mission.\u201d
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Discover our testing center and gain detailed insights into the testing proce\u00addures:<\/mark><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Exclu\u00adsive insights into all test fields<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Learn more about how ebm-papst puts fans to the test in the indi\u00advidual test fields. Each article with exciting insights, videos and pictures!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Shock and vibra\u00adtion<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Climate<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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impeller strength, spin and cycle test<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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IP protec\u00adtion class Water<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Salt spray<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Accel\u00ader\u00adated service life tests<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n