Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-04-08
TURBINE A WONDER
PYcMY IN SIZE BUT DOES WORK
OF GIANT ENGINE OF oRDI-
NARY TYPE.
Sixteen Hour Test Of New Power
Equipment for John MorreII G. Co.,
Ltd.,-Most Careful, Exhaustive and
Satisfactory Ever Made.

From Thursdays Dat.
Fifteen minute records Of every de-
tail in the production. transmission
and consumption of energy were
made yesterday during sixteen hour
test Of the new vertical steam turbine
and generator recently Installed in the
new power house of the John Morrell
& Co.. Ltd. packing plant. The test.ac-
cording to the statement of Consulting
Engineer John Wishart Of Chicago.
who had charge in behalf Of the local
company, was the most careful. ex-
harstive and satisfactory ever made
upon steam turbine.
The test began yesterday morning
at o'clock and continued without a
moments delay till ~ O'Clock last
night. From o'clock in the morning
till 9:15 last evening the test was con-
Quoted with a normal load of SOC kilo-
watts. From that time on for one
hour till 1915. the load was increased
Is per cent From 1915 to 1l:15 the
load was increased by so per cent,
making 1t one-half above normal
During the last three-auarters of an
hour the load was reduced to one-half
normal.
During all these hours and with
these varying loads and conditions
there was not one seconds delay or
the slightest hitch of any kind. The
steady rumble of the turbine and gen.
orator to the uninitiated ear did not
vary in the slightest when the load
was increased by so per cent nor
again when it was reduced to 90 per
cent of the normal 1t was only while
standing on the platform surrounding
the little twenty-four inch generator
above the turbine that the slightest
tremor could be felt.
Dome Like in Design.
In design the turbine and generator
combined is almost dome like in ap-
pearance The diameter at the base
Of the turbine frame is eight feet. The
diameter at the point where the two
turbine stages are located is five and
one-half feet. The height to the top
of the turbine is five feet.
Above the turbine. the main body OF
the generator rises five and one-half
feet with a diameter of four feet. The
extension Of the shafting and oil fix
lures is about two feet, making the
total height over all trif1e less than
| thirteen feet.
Miniature In Size.
COMPARED with the huge and gigan-
tic engine of the ordinary type which
is required to develop normally 700
horse power the turbine is a pygmy In
size. 1t stands in one little corner OF
the machinery room of the new power
house while an engine of the old style
capable Of developing $50 horse power,
one-half that Of the turbine occupies
fully one.half Of the large room.
1900 Per Minute.
The shaft of the turbine travels al
I the rate of 1900 revolutions per min
ute under all conditions and during the
entire test there was not the slightest
variation. The adjustment is sucf
that the greater power required is &C
commodated by an increased supply o
steam.
Some of the Records Made.
The number and purpose Of The
records made every fifteen min
utes during the test together
with the guages, indicators, thermome
tiers, barometers and scales used is ut
terly bewildering to the novice in me
chanical and electrical matters. Ever!
pound of coal that went upon the chair
CRATE stokers under the two big 3Oo
horse power boilers was weighed.
Every pound of water that in thu
form of steam passed through the tur
bine and the attached condenser wa
weighed and it's temperature at tn
time Of weighing noted The condi
ton Of the steam as 1t entered the tut
bine, it's temperature, the moisture II
1t and the pressure was recorded. Thu
! shaft Of the turbine carrying TIL
weight of the turbine blades and tn
attached parts of the generator is sur
ported upon column of lubricatin
oil. The pressure upon this oil wa
,, noted and it's temperature on enterin
and coming from the turbine recorded
The amount of water passin
through the condenser, with its ten
| perature on entering and leaving, tn
: atmospheric pressure of the room an
the vacuum produced by the condense
and small vacuum pump assisting
, were recorded.
The Power Produced.
To measure the work being done b
the turbine there was an elaborat
switchboard connected up betwee
the generator and rheostat whic
provided the load or the work to b
done. Upon this board were locate
indicators Of every kind necessary
J tell the quantity and quality Of tn
electric current being produced an
consumed Here was the indicate
: which for over thirteen hours, unva
! ingly showed that the power produce
E was technically equal to that of 70
, horses, for one hour equal to SS5 an
3 for the supreme test for another hou
1850 horses.
The Rheostat.
The heating of water by means {
rheostatt was the work provided fl
! the test. The rheostat consists
, this case of three large metal plate
submerged in well OF water. Fac