The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-05-09

VI uuG 1hifcISlty, elGGJIlcdl engineer,
who inspected the Municipal electric
lighting plant, was submitted to the
special committee of Council and the
Commercial Club yesterday. In full
the report is as follows:
Mr.. III w. Deuker, Chairman,
Joint Committee on Investigation of
the Municipal Plant in the City of
Richmond, Indiana.
Dear Sir
Pursuant to the request of Mr.. Jesse
r. Reeves of your Committee, have
made preliminary examination of
the municipal plant of your city, and
| have the honor to lay before you
the following report
% Object Of Inquiry.
Specifically to determine whether
the present operating conditions of
the plant are such as to demand the
immediate installation of a new unit
to take care of the load, and generally
to secure the information on the sue
cess of the plant as a municipal enter
prise.
(2) Nature and Scope of the InvestI.
cation.
The actual operating efficiency of
the plant could be determined only
by a thorough test of not less than
"a hours duration, involving the taking
of indicator cards from the engines,
the weighing of all fuel and water,
the celebration of all electric instru-
ments, etc. etc. AS it was not posi-
BILE for the undersigned to arrange for
a test of this kind prior to a prelim-
mary inspection, he desires to empha-
size the fact that this report attempts
to set forth only such conditions as
could be observed from an inspection
necessarily somewhat superficial.
The undersigned visited the plant
on the forenoon of Saturday, the 2Sth
of April. In the afternoon of the same
day he went over, with the superin-
tendent, the Office data on the monthly
output, cost of fuel, etc. At $50 P.
M. he again visited the plant and fol-
lowed the indications of the switch
board instruments at Is minute inter
walls from the time of starting the
larger unit at els p M. until after
the cutting out of the smaller unit at
1926 P. M. Temperatures of the
windings of the machines were obserV-
ed at the beginning and end of this
period. On the following morning
the undersigned again visited the
plant and inspected the water intake
and general exterior condition of the
property.
(3) Kind of Plant.
The plant, as your Committee is no
doubt aware, is adapted to combined
light and power service. The gener-
ators are of the alternating current
type, which necessitates the use of
transformers for both the incandes-
cent and arc lighting. The power SER
vice is furnished in part by alternating
current motors connected directly to
the incandescent lighting system, and
in part by direct current motors to
which current is furnished over spec
ial lines by machines known as rotary
converters. The general character of
the installation is in accordance with
good engineering practice. More de-
tailed information is given below.
(4) Buildings.
The condition of the buildings is
good and no recommendations are
the generator room is desirable. The
temperature of this room on the night
referred to was excessively high.
This fact tends to lower the load linn
it of the generators. The undersigned
would recommend the installation of
an electrically driven exhaust fan, the
first cost of which would be small and
the expense of operation almost insig
nificant. In this connection, the at
tention of the Committee is called to
the fact that while the output of most
machinery is limited by the mechani-
cal stress brought about in operation,
the output of electrical machinery is
very largely controlled by the tenn
perature attained in the coils and ar
mature. Whatever, therefore, tends
to lower the operating temperature
tends also to increase, the capacity of
the plant.
(5) Coal-HandIing Facilities.
These are rather primitive. A COM
paratively small outlay would make it
possible directly to dump the fuel from
the cars into the chute. In a plant of
this size it is not probable that any
conveyor system for coal and ashes
would be justified on the score of ex-
pense, but there are certain minor i'm
provements possible in this case
which would soon result in paying for
themselves.
10y Boilers.
The battery consists of three 800
II. P. Sterling units with Roney stok-
ers. Their condition is apparently
good and their capacity is entirely
adequate. The interval between
cleanings, if correctly stated by an
attendant, is sufficiently small to in
sure good service. However, atten-
dant reports some pitting, to which re-
ference will be made latter.
O) Condenser, Pumps, Feed-Water
and Other AuxiIiaries.
Condition apparently fair. A thor
ough test on this portion of the equip
ment would be necessary to determine
the real condition and efficiency.
(S) Conditions at Intake.
These are bad. At sewer discharges
into the river a short distance above
the intake and sewage accumulates in
considerable quantity at the wire
citing over intake. 1t may be stated