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March, 1910 THE POWER EQUIPMENT OF A MODERN SHIPYARD, At a recent meeting of the Liverpool Engineering Society, J. H. Collie read a paper on "The Power Equipmént of a Modern Shipyard." The paper gave a description of the power plant and the distribution and ap- plication of power at Cammell Laird & Co.'s new Tranmere works, as affording an example of one of the most modern shipyards. When this power supply was first considered, gas power was making considerable headway and giving results with which no steam plant of moderate size could compare; consequently, it was decided to install gas equipment entirely -for furnace heating, electric, pneumatic and hydraulic engines, and so far the decision has been justified by the re- sults. The gas producers are three in number, of 2,000 horsepower each. The plant is very simple in working, and is so designed and constructed that a min- imum- amount of labor is required for its operation, the gas production being automatically controlled so as to give 'only the amount required by the gas engines even under variable load. 'This is regulated by a small gasometer, which acts as a governor, opening the steam valve of the engine driving the draft apparatus when there is a demand for gas and shutting off steam as the de- mond for gas is reduced. The stand-by losses are also very small. All the en- gines can be started up at a few min- utes' notice, even if the producers have been standing idle for a week or more. The fuel used at present is a mixture _ of Lancashire gas slack. and costs about $2.60 per long ton. As regards cost of production, the average for the four weeks ending Dec. 1 last was 0.64c per unit. night shift running with a light load, which made the cost higher than it would have been for day shift only. The guaranteed coal consumption per indicated horsepower per hour was 1 pound of coal, and the results on trial were slightly better» than this. There are at present installed in the power station three generating sets of 250 horsepower and two of 400 horsepower, with a third of 400 horsepower under construction, together with two 260- horsepower air compressing sets and two 80-horsepower hydraulic sets. The 250- horsepower generating sets consist of single-cylinder horizontal positive scav- enger engines, coupled direct to 240- kilowatt compound wound generators with a capacity of 500 amperes at 440 volts. The governing is done by vary- ing the quality of gas, and is within 3 per cent from full load to no load. The starting is accomplished by compressed air, which is stored in reservoirs at 200- pound pressure, charged by a motor- During this period there was a "TAE MARINE. REVIEW driven compressor. The air compressors are of three-crank compound intercooling type, with a capacity of 1,200 cubic feet of air per minute each. They are direct coupled to Westinghouse 260-brake horse- power three-crank vertical gas engines running at 190 revolutions per minute, having cylinders 20-inch diameter by 22- inch stroke. The hydraulic engines are of the three-crank horizontal type, 34-inch plungers, 12-inch stroke, belt- driven from 80-horsepower gas engines. Electric Power Distribution. Direct current at 440 volts is used for power, and 220-volt three-wire system _for lighting, with separate mains for power and lighting. Compound wound motors are used for most of the ship- yard tools, as the heavy flywheels, with which they are fitted, require a consid- erable amount of power in starting. One rather interesting motor drive is that for the wet basin dock gates. At the 90-foot entrance there are four 20-horse- power series wound motors, driving a worm wheel. through friction discs, which transmit the power through a -train of gear wheels to the chain drum. The friction discs are set to slip when the motors are overloaded, and this al- lows the gates to come up to the wall without a jar and without opening the overload circuit breakers, which, when they come into action, throw the con- troller drums into the neutral position. All four motors are controlled from the same chamber, a special multicore sub- marine cable being laid across the dock for the motors on the opposite side. A 150-ton revolving crane is fitted with a 110-horsepower motor' fdr (hoisting, a 60-horsepower motor for topping-up, and . series" two 12'%4-horsepower motors in for slewing. .A 40-ton traveling crane has a 50-horsepower motor for hoisting, a 33-horsepower motor for slewing, and a 33-horsepower motor for traveling. The mains from the power station to the shops are 0.6 square inch lead-cov- ered paper concentric cables, drawn into fibre tubes set in concrete, with drawing- in manholes at 100-yard intervals. Spare ducts .are provided for future cables. These mains terminate in iron distribu- tion boxes, from which aerial cables with simple double-braided cotton cover- ing, served with preservative compound, supported on insulators well out of reach of any workmen, are run to various groups of machines. The cables from the shipbuilding sheds to the slips are covered with vulcanized bitumen, and are laid on the solid system; these sup- ply a number of cast iron distribution boxes at intervals of 100 feet, from which power and lighting are obtained for ships during construction, and for supplying current to the electric winches on the derricks. In the engine shops with. 121 the aerial cables are carried on insulators | from column to column, and branches are tapped off and run down the col- umns to cast iron drawing-in boxes and then through galvanized iron piping to the motors. For the supply of power to the Birkenhead Iron Works, which are distant about half a mile from the power station, four aerial aluminum cables are used; these are strained on insulators mounted on post office tele- graph poles. As far as possible through- out the works the mains consist of aerial cables carried on insulators. -MARINE ENGINEERS' BENEFI- CIAL ASSOCIATION ELECTIONS. No... 1; Buffalo, «N. Yor. President, John Bustead; vice president, Carnelius Wild; second vice president, William Garrett; secretary and treasurer, W. D. Blaicher; business manager, W. D. Blaicher. No. 5, Baltimore Md.: Wilham H. Hyman, « presidents. John -D, ~ Tapman, vice president; John Mittendorf, record- ing secretary; Nicholas S. Harp, cor- responding secretary; F. M. Nelson, financial secretary; William J. Kane, treasurer. ; No.:...6, St. Louis, «Mo... President, Clifford E. Shrodes; vice presidents, George T. Heckmann, Albert M. Jen- sen; secretary, Frank A. Kremer; treas- urer, Charles -B. Jackson: chaplain, uk. F. McClintock; conductor, Tony J. Cos- tello; doorkeeper, Harry Chandler; trus- tees, David Duffy, George M. Williams, Charles F. Bottum; representative to national convention, Clifford E. Shrodes; district deputy, William L. Albert. 'No, 9, Milwaukee, Wis.: President, William G. Fell; first vice president, Charles W. Moderson; second vice pres- ident, Ralph H. Reynolds; treasurer, © Joseph R. Mason; financial secretary, William J. McSweeney; corresponding secretary, William L. Bridges; recording secretary, T. J. McSweeney; delegate to national convention, W. L. Bridges; alternate, F. H.. Krueger. No. 13, Philadelphia, Pa.: President, John C. Coote; first vice president, Har- vey K. Carter; second vice president, Harry Hartman; financial secretary, Joseph Brooks; recording secretary, R. M. Lodge; corre'ponding _ secretary, Robert B. Dick; treasurer, Charles Comer. ME: B Al No, 16, Morgan City, La.:° President, D. W. Gonner; vice president, Fred Gonner; secretary, Arthur St. Clair; treasurer, Albert Teorner; chaplain, Austin Philips; conductor, Evan Benbow; door keeper, Hezkiah Gant; district deputy, John A. Wilks. No. 72> Cincinnats, 20). President, Albert Johs; vice president, Melvin