The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-05-10
HOW ELECTRICITY IS PRODUCED
Changing Energy Turbine


but it has been in general use only
matter OF twenty-five years. And Il
is only within the past ten or fftees
years that electricity has been put q
work for mankind wherever a wheel is
ito be turned or light is wanted.
Edison's first electric generators O
the early SOS were very small anC
Crude machines as compared with the
monsters of today. They produces
only about zoe horse power of electric
ial energy and single tUrso-senerats.
iot today will produce $4,000 horse po'A
ser OF energy. These early generators
which represent the first stage OF de
sign, are driven by means OF belts
from q reciprucating engine Fnese
machines, at that time consicsrel
very large. are now so small that even
If efficient they could not be econor
Eically operated. The second stage in
the development OF generating appa.,
.acus eliminated the belt drives and
had the generator built directly on the
engine shaft This gave much mora
COMPACT machine, could easily be nu -
in much larger sizes, was easier 70
operats and more efficient The tai-i
stage was the substitution OF s turbine
direct connected to the generator II
0lace OF the reciprocating engine
/ This made 3 much smaller machine.
more easily operated and more Ell
Gent The fourth stage or present
day apparatus, IS 3 much improves
turbine and generator which would
take advantage o. the higher steam
pressures and superneat- and high
vacRunis that can be commercially OBJ
tanned at this time The original ma
chimes mentioned above would require
about IS pounds of steam per klowatr
hour TO operate the station. whereas.
with turbines OF the latest type, sta
ton can be operated OF from Is to Is
POUNDS of steam per klowast hour
Electricity for commercial purposes
is generated n two general kinds.
direct current and alternating cur
rent With the direct current, the cIr-
rent OF the electricity is always flow
ing in the same direction With the
alternating current, the direction Is
altsnated. first going one way and
then the other. In the usual lighting
service these alterations take ptsce
1.s00 times per minute.
The Fundamental principle OF the
generation OF electricity is the same
in either alternating or direct cur
rent II we take g close circuit Of anv
conducting materials, such as copper
wire. and pass ore side of this circuit
through q magnetic field: that IS. the
zone OF influence OF q magnet as the
wire enters the magnetic field. there Is
= current OF electricity sent up in one
direction AS il Leaves the magnetic
field the current OF electricity Is sent
Up in the opposite direction This
gives the alternating current To get
direct current il is necessary 10 PM
mechanical features in the circuit,
which viii for each alienation reverse
the 5ow OF the current which IN turn
produces q fow il one direction be-
yond this mechanical apparatus
II the first stages of the develop
me1t Of the generation OF electricity.
practically all current was generate
as direct current This was due tn
the fact that the early experiments in
electricity were made with battery
currents. which were direct current
and the characteristics and behavior
we're very much better understood
than OF the alternating current Al
te-natinS current has many adyaut-
ages over direct current Tor CON-
mercial purposes the most important
OF which is the fact that the voltage,
or the pressure, of the electricity NAV
be very easily changed. whereas this
Is not practical with diTsct current
Electricity. like any other commodity.
can be readily trans orted- but as with
any other commodity. the smaller
quantity 10 be transported. the less
the cSst Of trans o-tation- Therefore.
II we can take small quantity OF
electricity at high voltage it can be
transported lover copper wz-es} much
cheaper than the same amount OF En-
ergy represented by electricity al low
voltage and large quantity There are
also other mechanical and electrical
details in the transmission OF ele---
-fcity which are very dangerous II
the use OF alternating current
As the principles OF alternating chr
rent were better understood and ma
chimes were developed which coulI
handle Il. practically all commercial.
business has been gradually changed
from dc to &C and today all large
generating stations are generating
alternating current even though =
large proportion O. their output is in
ally used IS direct current This Is
the case for example with street - Il
ways. which s-e nearly all operated
with di-ect current. but the main po-e-
81 station develops alternating cur
rent which in turn IS transmitted 10
suitable locations along the line OF the
railway where II Is Transformed into
direct current for the operation o, the
cars themselves
n the modern power ho7se. coal IS
N-1--A- 20 the -lseu- es.As- ~ -sT ~
boat from which source Il IS handled
BY automatic machinery and 6sGcsitsi
IN 3 large bunker above The boilers
from which it flows by gravity 70 tie
striker hop2SE TIE stose- lschsz-
;caIlv feeds the coal 20 the A-a and
then deposits the ashes II z suitable
bin from which TREY are taken by cars
O. other ColTeyo-s 70 The zsh dump