Testo Saveris protects unique Russian artefacts

10 April 2013

Older works of art especially are extremely sensitive to fluctuations in the ambient conditions in the rooms in which they are exhibited and stored

The installation of the Testo Saveris data monitoring system at the Pavlovsk Palace State Museum in Saint Petersburg allows the constant and accurate monitoring of temperature and humidity values, in order to protect the priceless artefacts housed in the collection. The experts from Testo found solutions to the problem of installing the system without damaging the substance or appearance of the 18th-cen-tury building complex.

The benefits at a glance -
? Uninterrupted and centralised monitoring of temperature and humidity values
? The system is installed without the need to interfere with the structure of the building by excessive wiring
? The system components are largely invisible, maintaining the cultural integrity of the site
? The system was configured so as to overcome the special structural peculiarities of the old building, such as very thick walls and obsolete wiring

The task -
A data monitoring system was required, with which temperature and humidity data could be recorded, stored and analysed. The installation had to involve an absolute minimum of interference with the UNESCO site’s valuable building substance due to wiring, so wireless transfer data was a central requirement of the customer. The system also needed to be able to ensure unhindered communication of readings, despite a wall thickness of up to 1 metre and out-of-date existing wiring. In addition to this, the system components were to be installed as invisibly as possible, in order not to disturb the cultural integrity of the building’s appearance.

The solution -
Testo installed 40 testo Saveris probes and 10 testo Saveris converters. Unavoidable wiring work, amounting to a total of 600 m, was carried out in the basement of the museum. PLC (Power Line Communication) adapters were used to allow digital data communication between components using the existing electrical network, while power was supplied to the system components via PoE (Power over Ethernet). The thickness of the walls meant that wireless data transfer was limited to 1 to 2 adjacent rooms. This problem was solved by establishing wireless communication vertically through the wooden intermediary floors. Finally, Testo Saveris Professional software was installed for the purpose of analysing the data gathered by the system.

The customer - The Pavlovsk Palace State Museum Reserve in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
? UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site (since 1991)
? Built in the XVIII century by Charles Cameron (personal architect of Catherine the Great), for Tsar Pavel I and his wife Maria Feodorovna
? Houses over 45,000 artefacts
? Exhibition room area: 4,924 m2
? Storeroom area: 1,606 m2
? Up to 5 storeys
? Visitors in 2012: 1,084,263
The customer’s benefit –
The flexibility of the Testo Saveris data monitoring system provides unrestricted configuration possibilities, enabling reliable, precise and non-intrusive recording of temperature and humidity values in all building types and under the most adverse architectural pre-conditions. The Testo Saveris system ensures not only the conservation of irreplaceable museum artefacts, but also of the building in which they are situated.