The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-10-19
Utah LIGHT MAKING
BIC IMPROVEMENTS
Company Adding to Plants IN
Big Cottonwood and
Ogden Canyons.
POWER is INCREASED
Generating Stations Are Be-
ing Brought to the Maxi
mum of Efficiency.
POWER IS INCREASED


Great sums of money are being eK-
pended in making improvements IN the
electrical generating plants OF the
Utah Light & Railway company IN Big
Cottonwood and Ogden canyons, and
within a few months these producing
stations will have been brought up TO
the maximum Of efficiency.
Ono of the results of these better
ments most desirable to the public will
be an almost total elimination OF the
possibility for interruptions in service,
This also is desideratum to the com
pany, but, added to it, is the desired
factor Of increase Of efficiency IN
power production and reduction OF op'
Grafton cost per horsepower Of electri-
cal energy generated. The most ad'
vanced forms of electrical machinery
are being installed to displace the. old
and now inefficient installations
which, however, were OF the down-to'
date type when they were first put III.
New Storage Reservoir.
At the upper or "Stairs' plant in
Big Cotton wood canyon new storage
reservoir of 100000 cubic feet ca
pacity has been placed above the
.'stairs'' at the head Of the pipe line.
In The power house two of the old 4OO
X ". units are displaced by one sou
X. W. unit, with Westinghouse gene
rator, and including q Francis type
water turbine OF latest design, with
speed governor, release valve and other
concomitants which increase the eff
cheney from 50 10 So per cent.
In 1896 four units OF 400 K. w ca
pacity were installed, and the new unit
displac es two of these. The intention
is 20 operate the new unit for several
weeks to demonstrate the exact saving
and superior production. Probably
next wear another new 500 Is. W. unit
will be installed to take the place OF
the remaining two old ones Of 400 X
W. each, When all the old machines
were placed they were OF the latest
vancemeut has been made that the ma
chimes OF 1913 are immensely superior,
Efficiency Increased.
AT the lower or "'Granite'i plant in
putting in new Francis turbine water
power on one OF the two units, where.
ty the efficiency will be increased
from about 55 to so per cent. and after
demonstration of this superiority the
other old unit will be similarly i'm
proved. Below the tail race of the
lower plant an equalizing reservoir OF
,j00. .060 cubic feet capacity is being
built to hold the rush Of water, during
maximum running of the plant, for
distribution TO the city and the farm
crs in an uninterrupted and even
stream
The horsepower output of these two
plants is now limited to the extent OF
continuous stream flow during the day.
By utilizing the two reservoirs these
stations can be operated at low output
during eighteen hours of the day and
at full capacity during six hours, when
most needed under peak loads, without
disturbing the even flow of water to
the city system and the irrigation ca
mails.
Lines Are Improved.
Transmission lines from the Cotton
wood plants to the city have been
overhauled and put in good shape,
with new ground wire protection placed
above the main circuit wires and the
latest tyne of clcetrolytic lightning ar.
resters at al of the generating and
sub-stations.
At the Pioneer generating sta
ton in Ogden canyon there were four
units, with q small reservoir about six
miles above the plant, but this would
supply water power machines at maxi
mum only about two hours. The wheels
were OF 1000 horsepower each, but had
become old and were gradually losing
their efficiency. The company has
raised the reservoir dam four feet,
backing the water up over vast area
toward Huntsville, insuriug an ample
supply at all seasons OF the year. The
reservoir capacity is 100000 cubic
feet.
Two new Francis turbines are being
placed here, which are calculated to In.
crease the efficiency to at least S5 per
cent. An equalidng reservoir hes also
been constructed at the tail race of
this plant, and by combination use of
the two reservoirs the regular flow Of
water to other users is not disturbed
and the station may he run at full ca
pacity Of peak loads at all hours
Nearing Completion.
Power from the Ogden plant to this
city lS GENT over the new steel tower
transmission limo completed about two
years ago. For transmission purposes
the voltage has been increased from
$4,000 to $4,000. reducing the loss OF
current by approximately 1900 X. w
With the new 2,400-horsepower
steam turbine plant, located at the
Jordan river and South Temple street
added TO the Cottonwood and Oeder
canyon plants, the company's official.
deem that they will have practically
eliminated possibility of interup
tions in service and greatly
ergv. The entire system Of improve
ment will be completed within n few
months.
u. OF u. WILL INSTALL,
OWN WATER SYSTEM