The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1920-04-30

ueVelOpeu,
ana central stations of ever-increasng size were
built, engineers began to look for means whereby
stations could sell their electricity to the best
advantage to themselves and the customers they
served This resulted in the rapid development
OF electric heating devices until today 100000 X
W. or $4,000 horse power is used for Industrial
purposes alone. This figure represents sOE7e ~
per cent of the electric energy used for all other
industrial uses, for 1t has recently been estimated
mat about 100000 horse power is used by cleo
tric motors in manufacturing.
The principal factor contributing to the increas-
ed use of electric heating appliances is the way
In which they answer the modern demand for con-
servation-conservation not only in the saving OF
natural resources but the saving of time mate
rails and the reduction of the uncertain personal
element TO a minimum as we'll as the improve
ment Of the product. Despite the fact that the
conversion of fuel into electric heat is only reach
ed after long and complicated series Of steps,
whose ultimate efficiency Is but 20 per cent 1t has
met requirements so well that In time 1t will I'M
doubleday replace the Of fuel heating to an
enormous extent. At Niagara Falls, for exam
pie, fully 90 per cent of the energy generated
is used for industrial heating purposes In fact,
Its development in recent years has gained such
Roadway that 1t bids fair to surpass, In energy
consumption both the light and power branches
OF electrical service together.
With the enormous amount of undeveloped n.y.
draulic power In the country, 1t is not easy to
predict where the final stopping point will be, be-
cause it is by water power that electrical energy
can be most efficiently developed regards money
input versus output. The limits to the use of
electricity, produced hydraulically can be grasped
only when 1t is realized that there is one hundred
and twelve million potential horse power on the
continent of North America still undeveoped
Most industrial heating of former days was OBJ
tanned through three mediums--coal, oil or gas
Taking coal as an example in reaching the exceed
inUIx hfyh tnye
esses So per cent of the b. II. u, or heat units,
In pound of coal are used up in merely raising
the fuel and the excess air of the furnace to the
required temperature, thus wasting the natural re-
sources upon which we depend much and max
ing the average industrial town anything but
healthful or pleasant place in which to live
With electrical heat, temperatures that are i'm
possible to fuel-generated heat are reached quick
~, economically, and without any consequent de-
Element of the surrounding atmosphere. Along
the same line or conservation, manufacturers are
beginning to realize that the elimination of spoiled
and unfit products whether rendered so by inefii-
Client and unreliable methods of heating or by
careless employees is just as much conservation
anything else. Also the elimination of unneces-
sary labor and the establishment of cleaner safer
working conditions tend toward the attainment
of the rapid rate of production which is the
paramount demand Of the present Industrial era
Thus the variety of processes TO which electric
for its USE ranging all the way from a metal
melting furnace. whose production is $4,000
pounds day, through the field, to small
metal melting pots with capacity of 25 pounds
of metal In the domestic field 25,OO0 electric
ranges and uncounted number of small house
hold appliances are In use. All furnaces ovens
etc, claim economy and perfection of their fin
ished products
To take the brass furnace typical exam
pie of what can be done by the application of
electric heat in overcoming the difficulties of spe-
calized operation, in the fueheated brass fur
mace. one of the greatest drawbacks Is the loss
of zinc through volatIllzaton and oxidation due to
the high temperature of the applied heat well
as the atmospheric conditions surrounding the
bath
In the electrcally-heated brass furnace both
these conditions are absolutely under the con-
troll of the operator There are several types of
brass furnaces In use today the are type which
has no automatic control but low first cost; the
induction which just fits field where produc-
tons can be placed a 24-hour basis: the car
hon resister, best for temperatures not exceeding
1000 c, and the mufed type. expensive
but the only one that can be operated antomati-
cally
This furnace be operated at higher tem
perature than the carbon resister tyne and nj
the same time be regulated to operate at low
err temperatures economically. but with the addi
tional feature OF automatic control
The electric furnace, in actual use, has reached
the temperature of $500 C. Recent experiments