Attractive roundabout made possible by pumps
04/04/2005
Every car driver likes well-planned, spacious roundabouts like those common in many European countries. Whatever the main function of the roundabouts in Germany may be – to keep the traffic smooth, make it safer or reduce or avoid it altogether – people in charge always try to add attractive features to the roundabouts. So nowadays, drivers can enjoy flowerbeds, a city’s coat of arms or even a small vineyard on a roundabout.
The city officials of Bad Aibling in the foothills of the Bavarian Mountains thought of something special: In the pretty health-resort a fountain with jets of water was put into operation in November 2004. It is located at the entrance to the downtown area on a roundabout at Ludwigsplatz which is part of the city’s new traffic concept. Water is an essential element of Bad Aibling’s future development, and a new thermal spa is expected to attract many visitors. Therefore, the new fountain-well called Ludwigsbrunnen, is a highly symbolic object.
48 jets propel water columns to a height of 5,5 meters, then they fall back into a basin of a 10,50 meters diameter. 120 m3 of water needs to be circulated daily. Any loss of water incurred during the circulation process is substituted from the city water supply. The columns are illuminated by 24 underwater spotlights. When the well was put into operation by the County President and the mayor the spectators were enthusiastic.
The well’s overall technical installation was planned and supplied by Hierner-Pumpen from Munich. As a recognized specialist in the field of pumping equipment, the company can point to many reference installations in Munich and all over Europe. As Volkhardt Hierner explains, this high degree of competence was the basis for winning the contract.
A high grade steel pump from Lowara ( www.Lowara.com ) works as circulating pump for the columns. The pumps are equipped with a suction screen to guarantee the correct flow rate at the engine required for the cooling.
A special challenge was to make sure that unfavorable wind conditions would not let the columns work as a „car-wash“ by spilling water all over the street. The pump specialist used the control and steering system Hydrovar® by Lowara which automatically controls the pumps’ rpm and the columns' output by using an analog 4-20mA-signal of an anemometer. The maximum height of the columns is 5,50 meters. It is reached at calm with a nominal rpm of 2900/min at 50 Hz. Output reduction from 5,5 meters to zero depends on the force of the wind and had to be determined by tests.
Shortly after the much-acclaimed well had successfully been put into operation, it was closed down for the winter season. The people of Bad Aibling are now waiting for April 2005 when their new attraction will resume operations again.
ITT-Lowara (www.lowara.com), headquarters of "Residential and Commercial Water - EMEA" part of the ITT Corporation and located in Montecchio Maggiore, Vicenza - Italy, is a leader in the manufacture of hydraulic pumps and water handling and control systems. It has 1.348 employees in Europe, 771 operating in Italy. In 2007 its consolidated sales totalled about 284 million euro, or over 390 million dollars.
ITT Corporation (www.itt.com) is a diversified high-technology engineering and manufacturing company dedicated to creating more livable environments, enabling communications and providing protection and safety. The company plays an important role in vital markets including water and fluids management, global defense and security, and motion and flow control. ITT employs approximately 40,000 people serving customers in more than 50 countries. Headquartered in White Plains, N.Y., the company generated $9 billion in 2007 sales.