On site
Oetzi,
the man from
the ice
The name Angelantoni has
always been synonymous with
advanced cold technology in
both research and industry.
Angelantoni’s origin dates back
to 1932 when the first cooling
systems were manufactured.
Today the company operates in
three different fields of activity
as follows: industrial refrigeration in production processes
and scientific systems; environmental test plants and equipment for research purposes;
equipment for hospital, university and research laboratories.
The group, with head office and
plant in Massa Martana close
to Perugia, consists of 400 employees working in six production units in Italy and abroad.
One of the most important archaeological discoveries, accidentally made by
two tourists in September ’91 at 3200
meters, is Oetzi the mummy of the Similaun glacier. The importance of the discovery is that the body of an apparently
40 year old man, who lived almost
5500 years ago, has survived to this day
thanks to the protective ice.
Now the preservation of the mummy has
been undertaken by the futuristic equipment produced by Angelantoni Industrie.
It is part of an international project involving at least 110 universities from
30 countries.
The main difficulty to overcome during
the chamber design was the environment simulation in which the mummy
was kept for over 5000 years. The climatic conditions to be simulated were –6°C
temperature (easily feasible), but with
relative humidity close to 100% (the
same existing inside the ice) and at the
same time the best precision in measurement and control had to be achieved.
This was the only possible way to avoid
dehydration and weight loss.
The project was a technological challenge for Angelantoni Industrie, supporting Syremont, a company of the
Montedison group, specialising in cultural goods restoration and preservation. Angelantoni chose METTLER
TOLEDO’s products to ensure the mummy’s weight was constantly monitored.
The system checks any alteration of
Oetzi’s conditions immediately. Oetzi,
16kg heavy now, is placed on a very
special scale, capable of measuring
every change in weight below 1g. The
system is composed of a KCC150 plat-
form connected to a JAGUAR™ terminal.
The weight data is constantly transmitted and stored in a main Data Acquisition System and Alarm Control, by
means of an analog output converter
which controls the situation. If this
main controlling computer finds a significant gap among the given data, a
sequence of alarms is immediately activated and initiates the automatic dial of
an emergency phone number.
A second twin chamber is installed near
the first one ensuring the mummy’s
preservation against sudden failures of
the first room.
Angelantoni Industrie started the construction of a prototype in Spring 1996.
The prototype was tested for several
months with a fake mummy inside and
in Summer 1997. The International
Commission gave the authorisation to
Angelantoni to manufacture the entire
climatic system for the Museum. During
his stay in Innsbruck the mummy was
stored completely covered with ice and
protected from light by a special curtain.
Now thanks to this innovative climatic
chamber the mummy can be shown to
visitors.
1. Oetzi chamber
2. Stand-by chamber
3. Laboratory
4. Decontamination chamber