The Optical Magic Lantern Journal (December 1900)

The Gptical Magic Lantern Journal and Photographic Enlarger. 161 important plants; it is operated by the Gin and Leleux process. It utilises the water-power of the Esteche, one of the confluents of the River Adige. The fall has a height of about 280 feet. The canal is less than a mile long; it passes in a tunnel for a part of the way, and then two metallic conduits, 6 feet in diameter, bring the water to the turbines; there are five of these, of the Garry pattern, with horizontal shaft. To these are coupled five alternators of 1,200 horse-power each. Of these, two are used for the carbide plant, to which the current is transmitted by two cables in subway and overhead line ; these furnish 2,000 horse-power to the plant. A deposit of crystalline marble, very pure, is found near the works. It is carried by an aerial transporter to the calcining furnace. The lime and coke are elevated by a bucket . conveyer to the grinders, passing thence to the mixers, and finally by a conveyer to the furnaces. The latter have a capacity of 260 kilowatts each; they are disposed in battery in a large room 35 by 130 feet. These furnaces are claimed to give, per kilowatt day, over 11 lbs. of crystallised carbide. Among the plants shortly to be erected is that of Petrozeny. The fall of the Szill River here situated belongs to the Acetylene Company of Vienna. It is about 75 feet high at a maximum, and a mean of 4,800 horse-power may be obtained. Another projected plant is that of Almissa, on the Cetina River. This large fall belongs to a syndicate, including Ganz & Company (of Budapest), the Belgium Aluminium Syndicate, and others. The fall is to be obtained by a derivation from the Cetina, using for the purpose a tunnel five miles in length, and in this way 50,000 horse-power could be realised. Another fall on the same river is to be utilised by Descovics & Gin, who have obtained the concession; a head of water of nearly 300 feet is assured, which will give 6,000 horsepower. Acentral station is to be established below the fall, and the energy to be transmitted to the port of Olmissa by the high tension system at 12,000 volts; at the latter point will be located the carbide works. The carbide industry in the United States was the subject of a paper read by Mr. John A. : 88 dollars. | duced at these works, which are Matthews, who, after giving an historical ; resumé of the subject, describes the Niagara and Sault Sainte Marie plants, and brings out the fact that the former works turn out most of the carbide consumed in America. He gives the selling price of carbide as varying from 70 to 90 dollars per ton, and estimates that it requires a SS = 300 horse-power for 24 hours to produce a ton of carbide. The cost per ton he estimates at The carbide produced at Niagara is guaranteed to give 5 cubic feet of acetylene per lb., but the production of gas is usually greater. Mr. Matthews says that acetylene lighting is being extensively introduced in the Western States. Another interesting paper was that read by M. A. Rossel, upon the state of the industry in Switzerland. “Up to the time of the discovery of carbide of calcium, hydraulic power was but little used in that country, and there were only two important electro-chemical works, that of Neuhausen, which utilised a part of the fall of the Rhine for the production of aluminium, and the Vallorbes plant, making various electrochemical products. The first carbide was made in the latter works, and soon after the Neuhausen plant followed its example, as also the Luterbach works. From this point the carbide industry developed rapidly, and a large amount of capital was obtained for establishing hydraulic plants for this purpose. The Neuhausen Company greatly increased its plant, and erected that of Rheinfelden; Siemens & Halske, with the Wyman Company, installed a carbide works at Lagenthal, etc. M. Rossel then gave a short account of the leading plants. The Neuhausen works use hydraulic power to the extent of 2,000 to 2,500 horse-power, from the fall in the Rhine. A part of the energy is utilised to generate direct current, and auother part for alternating current on the two-phase system. Both aluminium and carbide are proin active operation. The Veriner factory takes its energy from the large hydraulic plant at Chévres; it utilises about 7,000 horse-power in the shape of two-phase alternating current. The primary tension is 2,000 volts, and a series of transformers reduces this to 200 volts to operate the furnaces. There are thirteen of the latter, twelve using 500 horse-power and one of 1,000 horse-power. The Langenthal works was destroyed by fire on June 5th last. It was erected in 1897 by Siemens « Halske, and operated by them in conjunction with the Socicté Electrique de Wynan. The station at the fall produced triphase alternating current at high tension, which was brought by overhead line to the carbide plant, 4 miles distant ; it was transformed here to 45 volts and 3,000 amperes by three transformers. The three furnaces installed here produced about 500 tons of carbide per year. Another