TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Re: Gas Refrigerator (was 25 Hz Power)

Re: Gas Refrigerator (was 25 Hz Power)

William Warren (william_warren_nonoise@speakeasy.net)
Wed, 15 Mar 2006 12:21:13 -0500

Wesrock@aol.com wrote:

> On 13 Mar 2006 11:02:58 -0800 hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote:

>> Someone mentioned Bell using jet engines for central office power
>> backup. I'm kind of surprised at this. The electric companies use
>> them for summer supplements. They are very expensive to run, but can
>> get up to speed very quickly. I believe the phone companies use more
>> conventional diesel engines to power generators. If there is a power
>> failure, central office battery has enough capacity to keep things
>> going for a while, more than enough time to power up a diesel engine.
>> The jet engine has the advantage of being smaller.)

> Every "emergency engine" I ever saw in a telephone building was a
> conventional diesel engine. My father-in-law was shop foreman for a
> company that sold and service large earth moving equipment in Enid,
> Oklahoma, and from time to time they were called upon to routine the
> auto-start emergency engine in the Enid c.o. It was a conventional GM
> diesel engine like those used on earth moving equipment and
> locomotives.

[snip]

New England Telephone went with turbine-powered alternators in the
large Boston-area buildings, most with capacities far in excess of
what was required for the C.O. itself: the unit at Back Bay was rated
at 2500 KW.

If I had to guess, I'd say they got a good deal because Allison and
other turbine manufacturers were selling the aeronautical power units
that they had stockpiled during the Vietnam war.

The power technicians didn't like them, because they were a major
change from the diesel units, but they could power a small city and
they were, as I said, used to generate power for the commerical grid
during summer peak load periods.

Suburban offices with more modest needs remained on diesel.

William Warren

(Filter noise from my address for direct replies)

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