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The flow meter and its relation to plant economy
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CURRENT
Topics.
587
non-technical p a p e r of interest to p o p u l a r audiences. T h e paper covers some t w e n t y pages of reading m a t t e r and l)aragraphs descriptive of the lantern slides. T h e lecture, with a c c o m p a n y i n g lantern slides, m a y be secured for p r e s e n t a t i o n upon application to the general offices of the society, 2 9 West Thirty-ninth Street, New York City. Reservations should be made considerably in advance of the dates of presentation, as only a few sets of the lecture are available at this time. A small service charge covering the cost of upkeep and delivery is made for this lecture and for a similarly prepared lecture on " Store L i g h t i n g . "
The Flow Meter and Its Relation to Plant Economy. J . H . Itot'¢;~l. (General Electric Re~'iew, vol. xx, No. 8, p. 649, August, J917 . ) - T h e turbine and o p e r a t i n g - r o o m s of the a v e r a g e p o w e r plant are provided with an up-to-date s w i t c h b o a r d c a r r y i n g e v e r y type of electrical i n s t r u m e n t needful for the efficient distribution of power. P,y sharp c o n t r a s t in the boiler-room, the fireman m u s t struggle to hold tim load on the boilers, with no guides to assist him but a p r e s s u r e - g a u g e and a w a t e r column. T h e electric g e n e r a t o r s o p e r a t i n g m parallel on the bus-bars are equipped with wattmeters to show exactly the load on each. T h e s t e a m boilers operating in parallel oi1 the main header are being operated blindly, with nothing to indicate in w h a t m a n n e r they are dividing the load. T h e m a n who a p p r o v e s the coal bill does not stop to analyze the load efficiency curve of the boiler. H e p e r h a p s does not k n o w that at one particular rating the best t h e r m a l efficiency is obtained, and that this efficiency drops rapidly when the boiler is very much below or above this point. T h e big o p p o r t u n i t y for reducing costs lies in the boiler-room. No one would expect the electrical end of the plant to be operated satisfactorily without some instruments to guide the operators. Yet the press'ure-gauge and water column have been and are a b o u t all the a v e r a g e boiler a t t e n d a n t has to help him. F o r the rest, he is expected to be able to get along by using his eyes to judge the condition of the fire. T h e r e are some men naturally gifted w h o can do fairly well even u n d e r these circumstances, but the p r o b l e m need not be left to h u m a n judganent w h e n it can be easily simplified by providing a few t h e r m o m e t e r s , a s t e a m flow meter, and a draft-gauge. A t the present time the flow m e t e r finds its g r e a t e s t field of usefulness on individual boiler units. It is the ammeter of the boiler. Various designs of the instrument have been brought out for this use, having its respective field of application. In one large plant the boilers are equipped with standardized indicating i n s t r u m e n t s to show the o u t p u t of each unit at a n y instant in boiler h o r s e p o w e r . C h a n g e s of load affecting the efficiency are indicated and recorded, m a k i n g it possible to g o v e r n the o u t p u t of each boiler for the best efficiency. VoL. 184, No. Ito2--4~
CURRENT
Topics.
587
non-technical p a p e r of interest to p o p u l a r audiences. T h e paper covers some t w e n t y pages of reading m a t t e r and l)aragraphs descriptive of the lantern slides. T h e lecture, with a c c o m p a n y i n g lantern slides, m a y be secured for p r e s e n t a t i o n upon application to the general offices of the society, 2 9 West Thirty-ninth Street, New York City. Reservations should be made considerably in advance of the dates of presentation, as only a few sets of the lecture are available at this time. A small service charge covering the cost of upkeep and delivery is made for this lecture and for a similarly prepared lecture on " Store L i g h t i n g . "
The Flow Meter and Its Relation to Plant Economy. J . H . Itot'¢;~l. (General Electric Re~'iew, vol. xx, No. 8, p. 649, August, J917 . ) - T h e turbine and o p e r a t i n g - r o o m s of the a v e r a g e p o w e r plant are provided with an up-to-date s w i t c h b o a r d c a r r y i n g e v e r y type of electrical i n s t r u m e n t needful for the efficient distribution of power. P,y sharp c o n t r a s t in the boiler-room, the fireman m u s t struggle to hold tim load on the boilers, with no guides to assist him but a p r e s s u r e - g a u g e and a w a t e r column. T h e electric g e n e r a t o r s o p e r a t i n g m parallel on the bus-bars are equipped with wattmeters to show exactly the load on each. T h e s t e a m boilers operating in parallel oi1 the main header are being operated blindly, with nothing to indicate in w h a t m a n n e r they are dividing the load. T h e m a n who a p p r o v e s the coal bill does not stop to analyze the load efficiency curve of the boiler. H e p e r h a p s does not k n o w that at one particular rating the best t h e r m a l efficiency is obtained, and that this efficiency drops rapidly when the boiler is very much below or above this point. T h e big o p p o r t u n i t y for reducing costs lies in the boiler-room. No one would expect the electrical end of the plant to be operated satisfactorily without some instruments to guide the operators. Yet the press'ure-gauge and water column have been and are a b o u t all the a v e r a g e boiler a t t e n d a n t has to help him. F o r the rest, he is expected to be able to get along by using his eyes to judge the condition of the fire. T h e r e are some men naturally gifted w h o can do fairly well even u n d e r these circumstances, but the p r o b l e m need not be left to h u m a n judganent w h e n it can be easily simplified by providing a few t h e r m o m e t e r s , a s t e a m flow meter, and a draft-gauge. A t the present time the flow m e t e r finds its g r e a t e s t field of usefulness on individual boiler units. It is the ammeter of the boiler. Various designs of the instrument have been brought out for this use, having its respective field of application. In one large plant the boilers are equipped with standardized indicating i n s t r u m e n t s to show the o u t p u t of each unit at a n y instant in boiler h o r s e p o w e r . C h a n g e s of load affecting the efficiency are indicated and recorded, m a k i n g it possible to g o v e r n the o u t p u t of each boiler for the best efficiency. VoL. 184, No. Ito2--4~