The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-01-10

the homes of America. No
body knows when that day
will arrive, although many
think it is not far off. But
even without that additional de-
mand, all signs point to coming
shortage of power.
Most significant of all is the
consumption of current at the
present time. The first 10 months
of 1885 saw the consumption Of
77,193, 216,00O kilowatt-hours, a
figure about equal to the con-
sumption for the entire year of
1882.
Power consumption for the
week ending Dec. 81 was 2,002,-
COS, 900 kilowatt-h hours, the first
time in history that any week ex-
ceeded the two billion mark &C
cording to the Edison Electric In
Stitute.
This represented new record
high for the nation and was the
eighth record to be made in nine
weeks. Each of the preceding
eight weeks showed total higher
than the previous one with the
exception Of Thanksgiving week.
NEW generating equipment,
L y capable of meeting the situa-
ton is being designed, DR.. S. M.
Kintner, vice president in charge of
engineering of the Westinghouse
Electric & Manufacturing Co.,
told me when I made a recent
visit to the company's headquar-
tiers in East Pittsburgh.
Only a few months ago, a new
turbine generator, built by West
inghouse, went into service in the
Richmond station of the Phila-
delphia Electric Co.
This new generator gives Phila-
delphia the distinction of possess
ing the worlds most efficient ma
chine OF great power.
1t is a 10000 kilowatt turbine
generator unit which develops
enough power to furnish light for
100000 homes.
1t is so we'll designed, and rep
resents so great an advance in
electrical engineering, that it oc-
cupies no more space than was
needed several years ago for a
unit only one-third as powerful.
The contract for this mammoth
machine, involving millions of dol
lars, was placed in July, 1882. The
completed unit was ready for
service in August, 1885.
More than 100000 man-hours
of work had gone into the pre-
liminary research, the design, the
actual manufacture and the in
stallation.
TINE turbine and generator
l. form one unit which is SO feet
long, % feet wide and 26 feet high.
1t is one of the four largest single
Sha r. units oyer hui1t
The rotating element weighs
2371a tons, and yet it is balanced
so accurately that when rotating
at 1900 revolutions per minute,
the vertical or lateral movement
in its bearings is only fraction
of thousandth of an inch.
Steam, admitted at pressure OF
$50 pounds per square inch, acts
upon a series of $4,000 blades
along the shaft of the turbine.
When the turbine is operating at
normal speed, the tips of these
blades are travelling around at a
speed of IA miles per minute, a
speed which approaches that Of a
projectile.
The condenser, in which the
steam is condensed after passing
through the turbine, is the largest
ever built. It's 1900 tubes, if laid
end to end, would reach from
Philadelphia to New Yrok.
While such gigantic machines
as this one in Philadelphia, and
the gigantic generators at the
Boulder. Dam and other govern
ment dams, are being built, DIR.
Kintner thinks that the general
trend is more likely TO be toward
the addition of smaller units, so
located as to hold down distribu-
ton costs.
"A GENERATING plant now
IA operating at a given steam
pressure will install another tur-
bine unit operating at a much
higher pressure, he says.
Steam will then be generated
at higher pressure, passed into
the new turbine first at a pressure
of 825 to $50 pounds and then
from there will go to the present
equipment at a pressure of $50 to
800 pounds.
This method will Increase the
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