Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1895-07-04
POWER or NIAGARA FALLS.

This City.
Edi,os fidzcNe C journal: Considerable
has been written. especially in the technical
press, OF the power 10 be develoncd at
Niagara Fails BY the Niagara falls Power
Co., but much Of 1t has been based on as
stunned data, US the various details of con-
struction were carefully guarded
It was the writer's good fortune 10 be
present, as q member Of the American
Institute of Electrical Engineers, June 25th,
when the first public inspection of the
work was allowed. In fact, tho official
test was made before some of the members
OF the institute. and unusual facilities for
studviDg the various details were accorded
IN addition to this, the civil engineering
features Of the work, by DIR. Coleman
Sellers, one of the constructing engineers,
and the electrical engineering features by
l.. u. Stillwcll, electrical engineer, were
given with lantern slides in lecture be-
fore the institute.
The water Is taken from Niagara river,
] 4 miles above the falls on the American
side, through canal 800 feet wide, 500
feet long and ~ feet deep.
Wheel pits along the edge Of the canal
leads tle water to the turbines at the bot
tom and it Is DISCHARGED into the river
below the falls. through a tunnel 10 feet
wide y feet high and II miles long. This
gives head OF l10 feet. No especial diff
culties were encountered in the construc-
ton of this part OF the work, except where
u had been proposed to make the tunnel
SIMPLY rock cut, 1t was found necessary
TO brick 1t, on account OF the rock torma-
ton. One of the most difficult problems
Tor the engineer to consider was the de-
sign OF the 5000 horse power turbine, as
prior TO the time, according to DR.. Sellers.
none larger than 500 horse power had
been constructed. The commission finally
accepted the plans of Farsch & Picard of
Geneva, Switzerland. and the turbines
were built by the !. J.. Morris Co. Of Phila.
delphia. The generator is mounted d.
rectly on the turbine shaft and has yerti-
cal axis-something unusual in the,
dynamo.
The weight of the shaft with the dynamo
is nearly 80 tons, and presented some diff.
culties III the way Of relieving the bearings
OF the pressure OF the superintendent
mass.
This difficulty was overcome by mount.
ing twin turbines on the shaft. ore being
inverted aud the water from the penstock
acts vertically upward on the disc of the
upper one.
TINS upward pressure is within 1000
pounds Ot the weight OF the shaft at full
gate, and AZ light gate is 1000 pounds in
excess Of its weight, presenting the spec
taclc as some one has put it, of u huge top
spinning Oh the water
The governor OF the turbine regulates to
within per cent at ordinary load. This
governor Is marvel of mechanism and
absorbed the constant attention of some of
the ablest mechanical engineers in tho
country on the OCCASION of the inspection.
IL seems To solve the problem of tilr-
oine regulation under great change of
load, Us in street railway work. The plan
OF mounting the dynamo on the end of
the turbine shaft enables the power to be
transmitted TO the surface uf the ground
without betting or gearing. The 5000
horsepower generator has a stationary
armaturc and moving field; this is not
UNIQUE but reverses the general practice.
The ring on which the pole pieces are
mounted Is IL feet III diameter. IL is of
nickle steel and was forged without weld
rms ring u mounted on the turbine shaft
and moves around the stationary arnlature
at he rate OF " miles per minute when the
shaft is running at its normal speed of 80
revolutions per minute.
The strain on this ring due to centrifugal
force is very great. as each of the T. poe
pieces and bobbins weighs .. $40 pounds.
The factor OF safety of the ring is four
l. e.-the ring would not be rnptured bv
centrifugal force unless the speed exceeds
LOO revolutions per minute-.an impossi-
BILE thing.
!, The dynamo is the 1000 volt two.phase
Tesla alternator.
The fields are excited by currents from
rotary transformer which in turn is sun
piled by alternating current by the gener-
ator.
For purposes Of Transmission this chr.
rent will be raised by transformers to, say
10000 volts.
AS the amount Of copper necessary to
transmit electrical energy is inversely as
the square of the voltage, high pressure Is
desirable. That is II you double the voltage
OF your current you divide the amount Of
copper by four. At the official tests these
generators showed % horse power over the
required o,OO1, and the entire plant, as far
Justified the designs Of the engineers.
The Power Co. will rent water TO the
consumer who digs his own wheel pits
ana puts IN his own turbines ut 80 per
horsepower per year, or he eau take
power from turbines furnished by the
company al Sl2 to Sl5 per horsepower
per year, or he can get it at the generator
terminals at SIS TO e25 per year, depend.
ing on the quantity For the purpose of
encouraging the location of factories to be
supplied by either of these methods the
ROVER Co. has acquired considerable land
me Niagara Falls Paper Co. has CON
ttaGteu Tor O,O0O horsepower at the 50 rate
and are already operating large plant.
Inc Plttsburg Reduction Co. (aluminum)
VIII start with 700 horse power at the
rate gwen for current at the generators.
For this purpose the current will be
converted into direct 100 volt current.
The Power Co. will sell power in 5000
horsepower lots at the generator terminals
lor SlS per horsepower per year. This
tan be carried to Buffalo by overhead
wooden pole construction 10000 volts
pressure, for $3.50 per horsepower, max.
ing the price at Buffalo $3.50. This esti.
mate Is based on the transmission of 10, 900
horsepower with step M and stem down
transformers and oil insulators.
In making this estimate the distance
was taken At y miles and the loss in trans.
mission at 10 per cent The distance ia
slightly less aud the loss in Transmission
can be taken much higher on account Of
the CHEAP water power. This will reduce
the price considerably.
for example, to increase the line losses
10 ~ per cent would lower the cost by n 4
cents per horsepower. II tho VOLTAGE
could be raised over 10000 it would furthsr
decrease II, but there is at present only one
plant operating in this country win thnt
voltage ana that is situated in n Inv
climate where difficulties OF Insulation ara
less than in the region under considerat,on
Df. Charles u. Emery Of New York. a |
very competent authority, estimates the |
average price OF generating steam. mower nj |
so per horsepower per year, when zen. |
Grated IN large size units When generated |
~ uli's OF customary sizes the cost i'm. |
cre,ases greatly, in fact doubles this figure.
IN view OF this IL would seem that eiac
triclty has pretty fair show with stean,
&C buffalo, IT the latter city can make I'M |
us mind to grant franchise to the Power |
GO. The present power station is to have
three ., QUO horse power units, two of which |
are practically completed. The station ia
designed for an ultimate capacity OF 50 900
horsepower. V''''o
Inc he, same company expects to deyelon
=, W. horsepower on the Canadian side
water Tor power purposes would lessen ina
grandeur OF the falls. can take couraen
Engineers have estimated that diyertiny
lanlIILEll al.