The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-03-25
III" TO HAVE
A FINE NEW
POWER SYSTEM
Will Give Impetus to Ignite
Coal Mining, According to
Prof. G.. b. Wharcn

Grand Forks, N. D., March 25.-
With the installation of the new
] power house equipment provided in
the appropriation of $24,650, the state
university here will possess the
most modern and efficient power
| system in the state and will give
new impetus to Ignite mining in
| North Dakota. according to Prof. G..
| b. Wharen, head Of the mechanical
engineering department of the inst-
| tuition.
A coal dryer, pulverizer, bunkers
| of eighty ton capacity and altera-
| tions of the present power plant are
provided in the recent legislature
| appropriation.
Until recently, the university has
| had no coal bunkers, the raw lig-
, mite being dumped on the floor.
According to Prof. Wharen this
is costly procedure because Of the
labor in getting it onto the fires.
| Raw Ignite contains from 80 to 50
! percent moisture, (which has to be
evaporated in the furnaces. With
the new handling equipment, he
said, the coal will be dumped direct
ly from the cars into great hop
! per. from which it will 60 to the
l.
will slide to the dryer where the
moisture content will be greatly
lowered. A pulverizer, equipped at
the last end with a sieve of 200 mesh
to the square inch will then gran
ulate the coal so that it will flow
almost like water.
Then when it is to be fed to- the
boilers it will be sprayed over the
the fire and burns in suspension like
a gas flame.
BY this system the university
heating plant will probably increase
the heating efficiency of its coal
from 81 percent by the month to IS
percent, according to Prof. Wharen.
The present cost of steam genera
tion over years period is approx
mately IS cents per thousand pounds
! under standard conditions, he said,
while with the proposed system this
cost will be reduced 20 percent.
The power plant has three boilers,
but only one will use the pulverized
Ignite while the project is in it's ex-
perlmental stages, according to the
engineering professor, because one
| boiler will be sufficient for some
time to supply the needed heat. The
other two boilers will be used in
viz leaHIiihe lOT emergency ana
comparison. Number Three" is
stocked by hand and the other fur
mace is to be fitted with an auto
matte stoker of some standard type
suitable for ordinary Ignite.
According to Prof. Wharen, the
system of pulverizing coal is now
used by large number of eastern
Establishments, with bituminous
coal. He stated that several large
| engineering concerns and institu-
tions using large steam heating or
power units are sending representa-
| tives to watch the University of
| North Dakota Ignite dryer pulver-
Izer-sprayer system in action, or
are asking for tabulated reports on
it's efficiency.
Through this channel, he said, the
Ignite fields Of North Dakota NAV
, be further brought before the pub
| lie and developed.
! In addition to providing heat and
light for the University, the power
, plant has a third function as a train
ing school. Mechanical engineers
graduated from the University go
out with training and experience
equal to that offered by any other
! institution, as they not only have
mad chance to observe up-to-the-
minute equipment but to study and
work with it.
Installation of the new equipment
will begin as soon as possible, it is
hoped shortly before the close of the
University in June.