Wouda pumping station

The ir. D.F. Wouda Steam Pumping Station (ir. D.F. Woudagemaal) is a pumping station in the Netherlands, and the largest still operational steam-powered pumping station in the world. On October 7, 1920 Queen Wilhelmina opened the pumping station. It was built to pump excess water out of Friesland, a province in the north of the Netherlands. In 1967 the 47 years old coal furnaces were converted to run on heavy fuel oil. It has a pumping capacity of 4,000 m³/min (1,100,000 U.S. gal/min). The pumping station is currently used to supplement the existing pumping capacity of the J.L. Hooglandgemaal in Stavoren in case of exceptionally high water levels in Friesland, which usually happens a few times each year.

Wouda pumping station

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	ir. D.F. Woudagemaal (D.F. Wouda Steam Pumping Station)
Location	Tacozijl, Lemsterland, De Fryske Marren, Netherlands
Criteria	Cultural: (i), (ii), (iv)
Reference	867
Inscription	1998 (22nd Session)
Area	7.32 ha (18.1 acres)
Buffer zone	20.68 ha (51.1 acres)
Website	www.woudagemaal.nl
Coordinates	52°50′45″N 5°40′44″E
Location of Wouda pumping station in Friesland Show map of Friesland Wouda pumping station (Netherlands) Show map of Netherlands

-4 tandem compound, reciprocating steam engines, with poppet valves:

• Single acting high pressure cylinder, 0.5 m diameter.
• Double acting low pressure cylinder, uni-flow exhaust, 0.85 m diameter.
• Stroke: 1.0 m
• 500 Horsepower, 373 kilowatt

-8 horizontal, double suction, fabricated, centrifugal pumps: 500 m³ per minute, 125,000 GPM, 180 MGD:

• rotational speed: 95 to 115 rpm, impeller diameter 1.70 m.

Since 1998 the ir. D.F. Woudagemaal has been listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list.

The station is open for visitors and tours are given regularly.