TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Buffalo NY 25 hz Power

Buffalo NY 25 hz Power

John Bachtel (lilburn.ga.30047@att.net)
Fri, 03 Mar 2006 12:34:48 -0500

In 1957 and 1958, after graduating from Kenmore High School, near
Buffalo, I was a turbine operator at Niagara Mohawk's Charles R. Huntley
Steam station in Tonawanda, on the Niagara River. We were still
operating units 25 hz 24, 25 and 26 and a reversable frequency changer.
Total cap. was abt. 200 MW, alongside 1000 MW of 60 Hz power in the
newer sections of the plant. Operation varied with the business
climate, from full bore 24/7 to daily startup/ shutdown, occasionally
with only one unit. Interesting work ... I got to do the throttle ups
and enjoy the synchrozation process during startup. It could get
dicey with our 30-50 year old equipment and synchroscope like a giant
clock up on the wall. Equally exciting were sudden power dumps as
happened during severe weather. Big building quake, followed by opening
of steam safety valves atop the adjoining boiler house.

While there I saw tail end of demo. of three older 25 hz units 21-23
with new installation of turbine and generator units 67 & 68, in their
place in the existing building shell along with two enormous B&W
boilers in a new bldg. I resigned in Nov '58 to enter engineering
school in U of FL, but worked at the electric bldg downtown two
summers in 61 and 62. To my knowledge the 25hz units were still
running in '62.

John Bachtel
Lilburn, GA
de NR4JB

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. Note: Address modified to avoid so-called "spam". To reply via .
. e-mail, delete the ".30047" from address! tnx/jrb .
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[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: All the articles in this issue of the
Digest have been re-dated to Friday, March 03, to accomodate Usenet
which has a habit of tossing things with stale dates (i.e. more than
two or three days old) on them. I also used the first two or three
issues today to mostly accomodate my paying customers (the
newsletters, etc), knowing that the rest of you would probably stick
around a while anyway, and be more understanding. And thanks, John,
for your interesting reminisence with Niagara Power Company. PAT]

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