Association For Preservation Technology International (APT)

A Primer on Water Turbines
Author(s): Robert A. Howard

Source: Bulletin of the Association for Preservation Technology, Vol. 8, No. 4 (1976), pp. 44-63
Published by: Association for Preservation Technology International (APT)
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A PRIMER ON WATER TURBINES
by
Robert A. Howard*
This article is intended to familiarize the reader with some mechanical
concepts
relative to the water turbine. It is written in
generalized
terms
based on the writer's research and
experience,
and reflects observed
practice
in the Middle Atlantic
region
of the United States.
Man's
application
of
technology
should in no
way
be considered
perfectly
rational. Most turbine installations,
for
example,
are somewhat modified
over
time, either for sound mechanical or economic reasons
and/or
because of
some
quirk
on the
part
of the local
operator.
In the 19th
century
the term waterwheel was
applied
to both what we
call waterwheels and what we define as water turbines. To
compound
the
confusion,
both wheels and turbines are found oriented
horizontally
and
vertically.
In order to differentiate between wheels and
turbines, anything
with buckets or blades each in a
single plane
is a
waterwheel,
and
anything
with curved vanes is a water turbine.
Let us
begin
with
Figure
1 and trace the water flow and define
parts
of
the
hydraulic system using
a turbine.
In most
systems
the water enters the race
(sometimes
called the head-
race)
above or at the dam. This race or canal maintains the water level
nearly
at the dam level. The number of water turbines served
by
a race can
vary
from one to
many. Generally,
if several turbines are
serviced,
the
race will narrow
slightly
after it
passes
the inlet for each. It is not
economical to move more earth than needed when
building
a race; however, the
race has to be
sufficiently
wide in
every place
to maintain the
velocity
of
the water
flowing through.
Should the water flow too
fast,
a
scouring
action will occur and the walls of the race will erode
away.
Most races
with which the writer is familiar are
masonry
walled
being
stone lined.
Earthen trenches have also been observed. Often there will be control
gates
and trash racks at the inlet of the race
and,
occasionally,
some sort of
fixed or
floating
barrier will be
provided
to
stop large floating logs.
To
get
water from the race to a
turbine,
a
flume
or
penstock
is
employed. Occasionally
a
penstock
will
begin
at the dam and no race will
be
present.
Flumes
may
be
open
or
enclosed, while a
penstock
is
invariably
a
watertight pipe
constructed of
iron, steel,
or wood. At the inlet end of
*Mr. Howard is
Engineering
Curator at The
Hagley Museum,
Greenville
(Wilmington),
Delaware.
A^F
Vol. VIII No. 4 1976 Page 45
D RIVE
DETAILS
TAI L-
RACE
TYPICAL
SCHEME OF TURBINE
AR RANGEMENT
Figure
1
Ar
Vol. VIII No. 4 1976 Page
44
,4f
v"_s..b r -I*98~ir~L~~
.4' Xe ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~I
Figure
2 Scroll case turbine at The
Hagley
Museum.
Courtesy
of The
Hagley
Museum
AD[ Vol. VIII No. 4 1976 Page
46
the flume or
penstock
there is
usually
a control
gate.
This allows
servicing
of the
waterway.
In the case of
gunpowder
mills this
gate
is used to control
the flow of water to the turbine so that the
operator
is some distance
away
from a mill in case of
explosion.
Most flumes and
penstocks
have a fine
grating
at the inlet
point,
also called a trash rack. This
prevents
debris
from
floating
into the turbine.
Control Gates: Control
gates
are found in
many arrangements.
The
principle
of a
gate
barrier
lifting
to
regulate
the flow is
nearly
universal.
The
types
of lift mechanisms observed
by
the author include a lever attached
to the
gate,
several
types
of rack and
gear mechanisms,
a threaded rod with
a
large
"nut" with handles,
and worm
gear
to threaded rod drives. A "chain
fall" attached to a
gateway
has also been observed in 20th
century
installa-
tions.
The water turbine can be one of
many settings.
The scroll case is an
early type
still
being
made. The case is
designed
to
impart
an
angular
momentum to the water. This
type
has its own
pressure
case which is bolted
directly
to the end of the flume or
penstock.
An
example
in
operating
condition can be found at Batsto Iron Works or in a static
setting
at The
Hagley
Museum
(Figure 2).
In the
open flume setting
the end of the flume has a hole in the bottom
which is
plugged by
the turbine
(like
the
plug
in the
sink).
In order for
the water to
escape
it
passes through
the
turbine, imparting
its
energy (see
Figure 3).
Tub Turbine: A wooden tub is fixed to the end penstock. This tub has
a hole in the bottom. The turbine rests between the penstock inlet and
this hole. In the
top
of the tub are sealed
joints (called packing glands)
through
which the turbine shaft is exited and
through
which a control rod
passes.
The
Hagley
Museum
operates
this
type
of turbine in the wheel mill
restoration
(Figure 4).
Other Pressure Cases: Instead of
using
a wooden tub,
or an iron scroll
case,
some sort of
pressure
case is
required
when the level of water
entering
the turbine exceeds the
height
of the container in which the turbine sits.
The
pressure
cases
may
be iron, concrete,
or fabricated steel. The
pictured
example (Figure 5)
is at The
Hagley
Museum and is at the bottom of a column
of water 24 feet
high.
Speed
Control on the Turbine: Most
processes operate
best when the
machinery
is
operating
at a
precalculated speed.
For
example,
the stone on
a
grist
mill revolves at a
speed slightly
in excess of one hundred revolu-
tions
per minute, while the wheels in a
gunpowder
mill revolve around the
spindle
at ten revolutions
per
minute.
Hence,
maintenance
operating speed
is
critical,
and if a new machine is turned on in a mill, as the bolter in
a
grist mill, then all the
previously operating machinery
will slow down.
The turbine then has to be
readjusted
so that the flow of water is increased
and the desired
speed
is re-established.
Usually
this is done
by
a
gate
arrangement
on the turbine
(Figure 6).
There is a
type
of turbine -- the
ADr
Open Flume
FIGURE 3
Vol. VIII No. 4 1976
Page
48
A^r
Figure
4 Tub
setting
for a turbine at The
Hagley
Museum.
Courtesy
of The
Hagley
Museum
ATr
Page
49
Kaplan type
--
in which the blades of the runner are
adjustable.
These are
found both with and without
gates.
The
Kaplan
turbines were invented in the
20th
century
and are not common in historical situations.
Governors: Some water turbines have feedback devices called governors
(see Figure 7).
These machines
regulate
the
speed
of the turbine
(as
much
as the
governors
or steam
engines regulate
the
speed
of the
engines) by
controlling
the flow of the water into the turbine.
They automatically
adjust
the
previously-discussed speed
control. The
topic
"Governors" is
treated in detail in Feedback Mechanisms in the Collections
of
the National
Museum
of History
and
Technology, by
Otto
Mayer.
It is rare to find a
governor
in a small
installation,
but in
hydroelectric plants
and
large
installations
governors
are
invariably present.
Draft Tube: The draft tube is a section of
pipe
below the turbine
designed
as a suction device. These
vary
in
length
from nonexistent to
almost the total fall of the
site,
but not more than 20 feet. In some set-
tings
the turbine is set
just
below the level of the race and the tube is
several feet
long. Generally,
installations with the draft tube are a bit
more efficient than the ones without. There is a trade-off. When one
gains
by
draft
tubes, one in some measure loses
by
an effect called cavitation.
This is a more
rapid
erosion of the vanes of the turbine caused
by
the
bombardment of bubbles.
Many 19th-century
installations avoided cavitation
by placing
the turbine two feet below the level of the tailrace
(see
Figure 8).
Tailrace: The
spent
water flows out of the turbine and into the tail-
race.
Generally,
where the tailrace intersects the
river,
there is a small
deflection dam built into the river to allow the
discharge
to flow
smoothly,
and in some
cases,
to
gain
extra
power by taking advantage
of the
continuing
fall of the river
(refer
to
Figure 1).
Turbines in General: Water turbines have several marked
advantages
over
conventional waterwheels and a few drawbacks. Turbines are not as
badly
affected
by
ice as waterwheels. However,
a
phenomenon
called "anchor ice"
can raise
problems.
Not
every
installation which has
freezing
conditions
has this
problem.
Since turbines sit under
water, most
ice,
wooden debris
and
floating
debris is not as much of a
problem.
Turbines
generally require
less maintenance than waterwheels,
are easier to
install,
and are much
easier to service.
Turbines
by
no means
approach perfection.
For
example,
a turbine will
run
very efficiently
in
only
a small
range
of the
possible
flows
(see
Figure 9).
The late
Kaplan
turbines were built with
adjustable
vanes to
allow
higher efficiency
at several flows.
Many
small
mills,
in areas where
water was scarce, converted back to waterwheels, since waterwheels are
consistent in their
efficiency throughout
their
operating range. Single-
function mills where the
power requirement
was
consistent,
as cotton mills,
merchant
grist
mills and machine
works,
were best served
by
the water
turbine as were other mills where the amount of water available
proved
not
to be a
problem.
Hence,
in some cases inefficient utilization of the
energy
was more desirable than the maintenance of other
power
sources.
A^r
Vol.
VIII
No.
4 1976
Page
50
tl~ :::!
'Y:;; ::: :~:,x~;::iiii~:~
i,I
iw 1,' ...J*!.-.
X J j . :x?.*
^
:S
-
A --
:i
"
-
?'
;;
''e:"
^ss Jl
J.. :
I , % ..:... ...::..
: ***? .. .: I ( .*
Figure
5 Steel
pressure
case
being
set at The
Hagley
Museum
hydroelectric
plant
reconstruction. Water enters from
pipe
at
right
and
discharges
through opening
in bottom. Brackets at
top support
the
generator.
Courtesy
of The
Hagley
Museum
A)r Vol. VIII No. 4 1976 Page
51
I
or
f-
l^x
le I iL
eI 9 sILo '.: iBw' 1t
..
i
:
i: . Z
drive shaft
v
gate
controll
,
, I
run n
,
gates
thrust
bearing
draft
tube
CUTAWAY TURBIN
FIGURE 6
A^Zr
Page
52
E
As the 20th
century dawned, ancillary
semi-diesel
engines
became
popular
and the
problem
of water turbine
efficiency
in small
multipurpose
mills was
less
important. Large
mills had been
using
steam
power
to
supplement
water-
power
as common
practice
since the second
quarter
of the 19th
century.
As an
aside, the U. S. census indicates that steam passed water in
popularity
as a
power
source in the decade between 1860 and 1870.
Historically,
the earliest turbines in the U. S. of which we are aware
were installed in the
early 1840's,
and their
popularity
increased as the
century passed. Many
installations went from waterwheel to water turbine.
For those
studying
such a
building
this
presents
several
problems.
First,
the mill drive train will show
signs
of
change.
Waterwheels turn
usually
around six revolutions
per
minute. The median
speed
for small turbines is
two hundred revolutions
per
minute. Hence,
when
looking
at the mill,
the
transmission
system
and
gearing
has to be
compatible
with the
power
source.
Historians
studying
turbines will encounter the terms inward and outward
discharge.
The
early
turbines
discharged
the used water around the circum-
ference of the runner while most later turbines
discharged through
the bottom.
The illustration in
Figure
6 is an inward
discharge.
Turbines were
cheaper
and easier to install than waterwheels. In fact,
it was common
practice
to install more than one turbine in small installa-
tions which served more than one function. For
example,
at the Black Rock
Mill in
Maryland
one turbine
powered
the
gristmill
while a second one
powered
a sawmill. The writer does not believe these
multiple
turbines were all a
manifestation of the
efficiency/water problem,
but more
just
a
simpler way
to
gear up
the
machinery. [In
the same Middle Atlantic
region,
all observed
waterwheel installations for
multipurpose
small mills had a
power
takeoff
from the
gristmill machinery
in whatever else was done
(as sawmill, etc.)]
The use of
multiple
wheels in small mills was not observed.
Having briefly
discussed the salient
parts
of a turbine
operation,
the
remainder of this article is devoted to restoration advice.
If one has an installation that was
initially wheel-powered
and subse-
quently
converted to
turbine-powered,
there has to be a decision as to which
mode the restoration will follow. Waterwheels are
by
far more
spectacular,
and also more trouble. Wheel installation and
operating
costs are also
higher.
The writer likes
working
with turbines more than wheels as the
technology
for
dealing successfully
with them and
obtaining
the correct
appearance
of
parts
are both
conveniently (almost)
current. If the decision
for turbine
power
is made,
the
following
comments
may prove
useful.
Archaeology:
The
archaeology
has two
purposes.
The first is to find
out how the installation was
assembled,
and the second is to
physically
remove
the debris in the
way
of reconstruction. The
job
is dirty, heavy
work and
can encounter undesirable inhabitants as
poisonous
snakes, spiders
and the
ever-present
rat. Gristmills have rodent
problems
--
especially operative
ones when
grinding.
With the
archaeology
there is a trade-off between
retrieval of
knowledge
and
allowing
reusable
parts
to remain undisturbed.
A'r
Page
53
Figure
7 Governor of the Civil War
period
in
original
location at
The
Hagley
Museum.
Courtesy
of The
Hagley
Museum
A)r
Page
54
Beware of
great
timbers set and the
surrounding
wall
being
erected around
them. If the timber has been
continually wet, it will
probably
be in
good
shape. Removing it,
on the other hand, could necessitate the
rebuilding
of
a whole foundation.
Archaeology
in wet
pits
does not have to be concerned
too much with the strata of fill.
Although
this is
heresy,
the
simple
truth
is that all material exclusive of the
original
installation is
scrap
that
dates in the last one hundred
years
or so. Since the
pit
will
undoubtedly
be wet and need
pumps
to
keep
water out, the strata will not be definable
as
every
shovelful of mud will be
immediately replaced by
more mud.
On occasion the
archaeology
will find the
original
turbine in the
pit.
The effort in
removing
was
usually greater
than the
scrap
value and it
survived because it was worthless. Turbines are
basically
cast iron. Heat
and
pounding
have the
tendency
to crack
castings.
Removal of turbines should
be done
carefully
unless one
only
wants to
scrap
it. Turbines are held in
place by
some form of bolts and brackets. These must
go
before the unit is
lifted. Bolts and brackets are either
wrought
iron or steel. Since
they
will be too corroded to work
conveniently,
the bolts will have to be sheared
(carefully). Getting
the turbine out after it is loose is no
problem
if one
is careful. Remember it will
weigh
from one-half ton to several
tons,
and
the
approximate weight
needs to be known before
choosing rigging.
Lift
straight up.
This
might
well mean that a frame will have to be made for the
job
to hold the chain fall.
Quite
often old turbines can be
rebuilt;
there-
fore it behooves the
project manager
to take
special
care in
extracting
an
old unit.
In historic
settings,
the lower one
goes
the better the conditions of
the
setting
because the lowest
parts
were
constantly wet,
and
barring changes
in river
levels, probably
remain wet. Since the
original
builders had the
propensity
of
setting
massive wooden beams and then
building
foundations
around
them,
the reuse of sound
original
members can result in a
great savings
in
money,
time and
aggravation.
The wheel mill at
Hagley
reuses all
original
1880-vintage
timber 3 feet below the water line.
To test such
surviving
wooden
beams,
a Swedish increment
boring
tool is
useful,
since wood often seems fine on the outside but in the
process
of
wetting
and
drying
the center had rotted out.
If the
original
iron is intact and
basically
sound
enough
for
reuse,
be
sure to check it
again
soon after
start-up.
Experience has shown that vibra-
tions from
running
will shake the
rusty
scale
loose, thereby reducing
the
dimensions and
producing "slop"
in the
system.
Since exact
alignment
of
parts
is essential to smooth
operation
and low maintenance costs,
the above
is
very important. Upon completion, servicing
becomes the new
problem
of
the restoration.
Determining
the condition of
masonry
work is
fairly simple
as rocks are
visually obvious,
and the mortar can be checked with a screwdriver. One can
pretty
much assume that
repointing
will be
necessary.
Cement installations
should be
inspected by
a civil
engineer.
A
Fr
Page
55
t?+\,--
?r 1
cs
r
?,
r
C
1 fi 1
k
?e ~"
?ci?.L 'L
cl *' I 4
1 IC'
? ?
r I .C
E 1 ?e r
Figure
8 Draft tube which will be bolted to the
opening
in the bottom
of the
pressure
case shown in
Figure
5.
Discharge
end in the
foreground.
Courtesy
of The
Hagley
Museum
A)^r Vol. VIII No. 4 1976
Page
56
*~~~~~~~~~ . .
-.t .v -, " "%.
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.
.
,
,
%
- -N -
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. -
80
WHEEL
o
70
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44
rM
50
XS HYPOTHETICAL EFFICIENCY COMPARISON
^
40 BETWEEN A WATERWHEEL AND TURBINE
40
30
1 5 3 7 FULL
2 8 4 8
Amount of Flow
FIGURE 9
A)r
r -- ?--
-- ... __
Selecting
a Turbine: If
replacement
of the
original
turbine is
necessary
there are several factors to consider. One needs to know the head
(nominally
the difference in elevation between the
top
of water in headrace and
top
of
water in the
tailrace),
the flow
(usable
cubic feet
per
second in
power
source),
and the
power requirement
of one's mill. Turbines come in
high-head
and low-head varieties. This means
that,
if the difference between the water
intake level and the tailrace is
great (say,
100
feet),
the turbine is a
high-head
turbine and has the curve of the vanes calculated to run
efficiently
with the
great pressure.
If the difference is minimal
(10
feet or
so),
the
turbine is a low-head turbine.
Supposedly
the turbines were
originally
supplied
to each installation calculated for its head. The basic
principle
to
know, however,
is
having
a turbine the same size as the
original,
for
the site will in no
way
assure efficient
operation
and the same
power output.
There are several variables to take into account.
REINSTALLATION -- SOME HINTS
Penstocks: If one has the
responsibility
of
setting
flume
(penstocks)
pipe,
note that "level"
pipe probably
will incline downward at least
1/4
inch
per
foot. This allows for
drainage during servicing.
The lower one
gets
below the level of the race,
the
higher
the internal
pipe operating
pressures.
This means that
pipe joints
need to be
carefully joined, sealed,
or caulked and filled. The
technology
of wooden
pipe,
bell and
spiked
cast
pipe,
and fabricated sheet metal
pipe
varies
considerably.
At this
writing
all forms of
pipe
are still available, although large-diameter
cast iron
pipe
is more difficult to obtain and
quite costly.
Setting
a Turbine: Modern industrial
specifications
for
"setting" (or
leveling)
a turbine are t.005 inches
per
foot. If this can be achieved,
do
it. One can
buy
a machinist's level (ours
is a
Starrett)
which will read to
that tolerance. The more
accurately
the installation is
initially
set
up,
the less the maintenance
problems
in the future. Old
buildings quite
often
settle and
problems
arise.
When
settling occurs,
there are two solutions. One can tear out the
culprit
and rebuild
it,
or one can shim it. All accurate
settings
have some
shims. One
deliberately
builds the base a small fraction of an inch low and
then shims
up
to true. This method is
vastly superior
to
grinding
excesses
away.
A
settling problem
will
require
careful examination to determine the
best solution.
Generally
a turbine will have two sets of
bearings,
the thrust and
collar. The bottom set takes all the
weight
and is called the thrust
bearing (see Figure 6).
The shaft is held true
by
a series of
adjustable
blocks
forming
a collar
bearing.
These have
historically
been made of the
wood
lignum
vitae.
Lignum
vitae is dense, oily
and
requires
no lubrication
beyond
the water which flows
through
the turbine. Both the turbine case and
the shaft have to be installed
accurately.
Do not set the case on askew and
correct with the collar
bearings.
ADr
Figure
10 Generator floor under construction at the
Hydroelectric
Plant,
Hagley
Museum. This
project places
in service a
Smith-Kaplan
turbine
(seen
here
being
lowered into
pressure case)
and General Electric
generator (origi-
nally
made for the 1932 Winter
Olympic
Games in Lake
Placid)
on a site
origi-
nally developed
as a
hydroelectric plant
in the late 1890s. The
plant
is not
a restoration. It will
develop enough
electric
power
to
supply
the needs of
the Museum and will return in
savings
on the investment cost at a
high
rate.
There is a Visitor's Room with
explanatory panels
and a
viewing
area for see-
ing
the
generator
floor. The foundations and exterior of the
building
visu-
ally duplicate
the
original plant.
The
machinery
and switch
gear
meet modern
standards.
Waterpower
is still the cleanest and
cheapest practical
source of
energy
available.
Courtesy
of The
Hagley
Museum
Ar Vol. VIII No. 4 1976 Page 59
Figure
11
Hydroelectric plant
under construction. Generator
to
right partially
obscured
by
at the
Hagley
Museum.
in
center,
oil
pump
to
generator.
Generating
floor
left, governor
Courtesy
of The
Hagley
Museum
A
:
Vol. VIII
No. 4 1976
Page
60
I
If the turbine is set in a tub or
pressure case, the driveshaft and
control rod will
protrude
via a
stuffing
box
(see sketch).
These are not
bearings; they
are
accurately aligned
water seals.
Bearings, Couplings
and Shafts:
By
the time turbines came into common
usage,
the form of the
essentially
modern
bearing
had evolved. The
speeds
of a turbine are considered "low
speed" by
modern standards. The bronze or
babbit
bearings
are both correct
(for
mid-to-late 19th
century).
Roller and
ball
bearings
are more
usually
found on 20th
century
installations. While
modern roller
bearings
are found concealed in
restorations,
it is not
necessary,
and
perhaps
undesirable
mechanically.
Roller
bearings
will heat
up
if a roller breaks,
which can cause a
safety
hazard as in the case of a
gristmill
with dust in the air. Of course, the modern
bearings
are not
correct in older historical
settings.
As a
general
rule of
thumb, go
with
the
original technology.
The writer has had
experience
with
"improvements"
which cause
nothing
but
grief.
The
original,
fabricated to the best attain-
able
accuracy, usually gives
the best results.
Fortunately,
most turbines are
directly coupled
to iron shafts
geared
with all-iron or one iron-and-mortise
gear
on another iron shaft. In some
installations,
wooden shafts still remain to
power ancillary equipment,
but
this is
usually light
in terms of
power requirements.
Iron shafts and
gears
are
simpler
to work with than wood and
infinitely
more
pleasant
to maintain,
and use
easily
available stock
parts.
Start-up:
The initial
start-up period requires
close
supervision.
Gears
will "wear in" and will need
adjustment; pieces
will shake loose and need
realignment;
and
pieces
that are
inherently
weak will break. Schedule down-
time soon after
start-up
for
inspection.
After
running
the installation there
becomes a threefold maintenance
problem.
The first is lubrication,
done at
least
daily, usually by
the mill
operator. Also,
trash racks need
daily
inspection
and
cleaning
when
necessary,
which varies
seasonally. (At Hagley
we have
weekly inspections
of the
machinery by
the maintenace staff,
which
results in occasional minor
overhauls.)
These include
aligning gears,
bearings,
and
tightening stuffing
box seals.
Major
overhauls on turbines are
uncommon but
require major dismantling
and machine
shop
work. At
Hagley
trash racks are cleaned as needed
by
the
grounds
crew.
Corrosion Problems: Most water turbines are cast iron. If the turbine
is
kept wet,
the corrosion
problem
from
rusting
is
virtually
nonexistent.
Wetting
and
drying
will accelerate the rate of
rusting;
hence,
the
advantage
to the installations which rest below the tailrace. The cavitation
problem,
where
vapor
bubbles bombard the runner and
literally pop
off the metal, is
encountered with most draft tube turbines. The erosion
problem
is slow and,
since most restorations
operate
in terms of demonstration instead of
produc-
tion,
the erosion is a factor in
long-range planning (like replacing
tires on
an
automobile)
and not a deterrent in
doing
a restoration.
A^r
Page
61
Maintenance Routine: Part of the
planning
for
every
restoration should
be maintenance. Machines need lubricants,
adjustment,
and
parts replaced.
All of this is a factor
usage.
Beware of dirt
getting
in
lubricants,
as it
will
effectively
convert
grease
to
grinding compound.
There is no
economy
in
reusing
the lubricant which works out of the
fittings.
The service
policy
at
Hagley
is to have the
operator
each
day
check lubricant levels,
and
replace
low levels where accessible. As
previously mentioned,
the service
department
makes routine checks (as does the curator who
put
the mill
together).
The
operator
should be able to detect
things going wrong by
the
change
in sound
of the
machinery
of vibrations. He should be trained to
report
the
problems
to the
proper persons
to make the
necessary repairs. During
all
servicing
except morning lubrication,
two men should be
present
for
safety.
Mills
were
designed
to increase man's
strength
and
consequently present
a hazard
to a lone man.
Conclusion: Turbines allow mechanical restorations to function
reliably
at a
very
low cost for
energy.
The
Hagley Museum,
for
example,
has
several,
one of which was
put
into service three
years ago
with
virtually
no
trouble. The institutional faith in this source of
power
is
being
demon-
strated
by
the erection of a
power plant
(on the site of an 1893
power house)
which will
provide electricity
for the entire
property.
Turbine
technology
is an
example
of a
technology
which was
perfected
to
a
high
level over a hundred
years ago,
and is a
technology being
utilized
today
with
only
a few
improvements. Hence,
when
considering
to
attempt
a
turbine-powered restoration,
one should be
encouraged
as the
problems
are
not that
great.
APPENDIX
Known Firms
working
with Water Turbines
James Leffel & Co. (manufacture and
repair)
426 East Street
Springfield,
Ohio 45501
Barber
Hydraulic Turbine,
Ltd. (manufacture and
repair)
Box 340
Port Colburn,
Ontario
Canada L3K 5W1
Allis-Chalmers
Corp. (large plants)
Turbine Division
1126 S. 70th St.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201
Hydro
International (civil contractor -- work with
1 Court
Drive, Apt.
C.
Empire
&
Niagara)
Wilmington,
Delaware 19805
A)r
Page
62
Harry
J.
McKay
68 Tennessee Ave.
Port Colburn,
Ontario
Canada L3K 2R9
(erector only)
(repair
and
erecting) Empire
Company
General
Delivery
Woodland, Maine 04694
Niagara
Water Wheels
706 E. Main St.
Welland,
Ontario
Canada L3B 3Y4
Robert L. Johnson
Whistles in the Woods
Route 1, Box 265-A
Rossville, Georgia
30741
Campbell
Waterwheel
Company
420 South 42nd Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
19104
(new/repair/design)
(will produce
odd
parts
such
as wooden
gears)
(general services)
A Fr

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A Primer on Water Turbines

Author(s): Robert A. Howard

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