o 



990 REPORT— 1898. 



spinning mills, where the engine may he highly economical and j-et as little as 

 1 per cent, of its power applied to the fabric or cotton itself. 



Electric power is advantageous in both, hut more particularly in the former 

 class of works. The importance of this subject is emphasised, seeing that one 

 firm may use as much energy as lights an average provincial town. 



An instance of the wastefulness of driving by scattered engines is the old plant, 

 now replaced by electric power, at Messrs. T. Richardson, Son, & Co.'s, of West 

 Hartlepool. Here there were 31 engines of 94 horse-power downwards, using an 

 average of 51 lbs. of steam per I.H.P. hour, generated in 8 main and 23 auxiliary 

 |)oilers. Now there are two main boilers and two steam alternators, with one 

 ' stand by.' Again, at the Bristol Waggon Works, 5 Lancashire boilers, and 5 

 engines are being replaced by 1 Lancaster boiler, and 1 engine. 



Referring to the different sources of loss in the use of scattered engines, a 

 serious one is that due to condensation in long steam pipes. This loss is the 

 equivalent of one half-ton of coal for every square foot of bare pipe continually 

 vxnder steam per annum, and for lagged pipe it may be one-fourth to one-sixth of a 

 ton. At Messrs. Richardson's there was 1,200 feet of steam pipe; at the Bristol 

 Waggon Works 750 feet of pipe is being replaced by .30 feet. 



The present system is wasteful, not only in fuel, but in water and stores, and 

 in labour in firing boilers and attending engines. 



The loss in shafting and gearing was 25 per cent, to 70 per cent. — average 4 

 per cent. — at Messrs. Richardson's ; about 50 per cent, at Messrs. Furness, West- 

 garth, & Co.'s, of Middlesborough ; and from 37 per cent, to 75 per cent. — average 

 50 per cent. — at the Bristol Waggon Works. 



The loss in electric transmission, including dynamo, conductors, and motors, 

 need not exceed 24 per cent. But the loss in conductors and motors occurs only 

 during use, and not when the motors are standing ; on the other hand, the loss in 

 the shafting is continuous whether the machines are standing or not. This fact 

 seriously adds to the comparative inefficiency of transmission by shafting. 



Small engines are generally badly governed or overloaded, both of which facts 

 give rise to variations in the speed of the tools and a consequent reduction of out- 

 put. Electric motors run at a constant speed, even with a considerable excess of 

 the full load, and effect an increased output. At the Bristol Waggon Works one of 

 the engines is pulled up to one-half its normal speed when a large tool is thrown 

 on. Electric power gives greater flexibility in providing for extension — an addi- 

 tional motor is so easily added — while with separate engines there is a difficulty. 



Tht Old Steam Plant at the Bristol Waggon Works. 



There are 5 horizontal engines, 3 being antiquated and having slow-speed 

 throttle-governors, the valves being set to cut off as Jate as 83 per cent, of the 

 stroke, so that hardly any expansion is obtained. Two of the engines are modern, 

 though using low-pressure steam with long steam pipes. Steam is generated in 

 6 Lancashire boilers. 



The steam consumption, calculated from the diagrams, varied from 96 lbs. to 

 32 lbs. per I.H.P. hour. This excluded loss in cylinders and pipe condensation 

 and leakage past the piston. One engine is very inefficient, and there was found 

 to be excessive leakage on removing the cylinder cover. Probably 26 per cent. 

 , would be a small allowance for this and cylinder condensation, which, together 

 with the calculated loss in 158 feet of steam pipe, shows the actual consumption 

 to be nearly 150 lbs. of steam per I.H.P. hour in this case. 



The loss of steam pressure between boiler and cylinder was sometimes 40 per 

 cent., and the annual loss by condensation in steam pipes was 2,575,000 lbs., the 

 equivalent of 154 tons of fuel. 



The total fuel consumption is about 2,500 tons per annum. The average load 

 on all engines is 254 I.H.P., the working hours per annum about 2,800, and the 

 total energy about 710,000 I.H.P. hours per annum. The total steam consumption, 

 allowing 10 per cent, for leakage and cylinder condensation and the above loss in 

 pipes, is 41,62.'J,000 lbs., and the evaporation about 7-5 lbs. of water per lb. of fuel. 

 The average consumption of fuel is 7'9 lbs. per I.H.P. hour. 



