T H E S I S

ex

HYDRO- ELECTRIC POWER PLANT

Submitted to the Faculty

of the

O R E G O N A G R I C U L T U R A L C O L L E G E

fer the degree of

Bachelor of Science

in

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

by

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APPROVED:

Department of

HYDRO- ELECTRIC GENERATING STATION ON THE MINUM RIVER IN OREGON.

Introduction.

The data used in the design of this hydro -electric

generating station was furnished by Hon. Walter M. Pierce

from a survey conducted by T. R. Barry C. E. in the ser-

vice of the Grande Ronde Water Co. during the summer of

1906.

In the preparation of this thesis there were several

important factors which we were compelled to consider. The

Cove generating station of the Grande Ronde Electric Co.

with which we intend to connect in parallel, transmitts

power to substations at La Grande, Island City, Union and

Hot Lake at 33,000 volts,- so it will be necessary to step

up the pressure to meet this requirement; the power is to

be supplied to the towns of La Grande, Island City, Union

and Hot Lake and for the electrification of The Central

Railway of Oregon. During the day, although there would

be a small amount of lighting, the load will be mostly

that furnished by motors; at night, the electrical energy

consumed for house and street illumination would be quite

large for some hours, while that used by the traction

company would probably be undiminished.

Upon careful investigation of natural and economic

conditions entering into the design of this generating

station and destributing system, the conclusion has been

reached that it can be made both an engineering and a

a o

.

Engineering Data.

In the near future the town of La Grande will use 500,

Union 100, Island City 75 and Hot Lake 75 kilowatts in addi-

tion to the power which they are now getting from the Grande

Ronde Electric Co. The Central Railway of Oregon will require

when electric service is installed 1000 kilowatts, making a total of 1750 kilowatts.

The elevation of the Little Minum River at the point

where Boulder Creek flows into it is 3988.5 feet above sea

level. The minumum flow at this point is 2400 miners inches

per minute. The location of the intake is a very favorable

spot to construct a dam of rock filled cribwork with a con-

crete spillway, which is to be so constructed that it will

divert the water clear of the headworks in the flood season

when the maximum flow is four times the normal amount.

The ditch to convey the water to the heed of the pipe

line 16 to be of very simple construction, merely an earth

canal 6 feet wide on the bottom 1.5 feet deep with a side slope 1.1 and to be so constructed EL8 to give 1 foot of

solid "berm" after the hill ( inclined 25 degrees to the

horizontal) has been levelled. This canal is to be 9040

feet long from the intake to the head of the pipe line at

the low saddle above the Horse Ranch. The elevation of

this pass over a high "hog back" between the Little Minum and Minum Rivers is 3952 feet, thus giving a uniform gradient of 21.12 feet per mile. Two concrete spillways are to be provided in the canal to facilitate repair in case of accident and are to be operated by rack, pinion

3

and pawl. Very near the intake a basin is to be constructed

to catch all stones and other debris. Its capacity will be

48 cubic yards. The ditch will terminate in a forbay, the

dimensions of which are to be as follows 12 feet long by 8

feet in depth below the level of the canal. Before the water

is allowed to enter the forbay, it is to pass through two

gratings 25 feet apart, oneto be of iron burs, spaced 1.5

inches between centres and placed at an angle of 45 degrees

and the other to be a wire screen with 1.25 inch mesh in-

clined at an angle of 60 degrees.

''he pipe line is to follow very closely the usual

practice for high heat°. The elevation of the proposed

generating station floor being 3091 feet gives a net fall

of 861 feet. The slope of the mountain from the saddle

to the Horse Ranch is 35 degrees to the horizontal thus

giving a pipe line 1495 feet long with an additional 85

feet for power house making 1580 feet total length. The

pipe is to very from 30 to 20 inches in diameter and from

.25 to .50 inches in thickness. All this line i to be

kept below the me n hydranlic gradient and is to be placed

in a covered ditch. There are to be five anchorages of 5

foot solid concrete cubes. The total available power under

these conditions ic 2916 kilowatts. This plant is designed

for a maximum output of 2000 kilowatts. The spouting vel-

ocity at the nozzles will be 14088 feet and the peripheral

speed of the water wheels will be 6774 feet per minute.

-

.

4

A good site for the power house is selected on the flat

near the Horse Ranch. The building is to be of reenforced con-

crete. Everything but the cement and steel and necessary

lumber for forms is to be found nearly. The tail race is

be very short and will have sufficient fall to easily take

care of the water.

The building as designed is 27 feet wide by 80 feet in

length with a transformer room of the following size 16 feet

by 37 feet. These rooms are divided from each other by a con-

crete wall, which will also help to sustain the floor of the

vil switch room above which is to contain the high and low

tension remote control vil switches.

The walls of the generator room are designed to carry a

10 ton hand crane which will run on reenforced concrete girders

supported on columns of same construction.

The roof is to supported by steel trusses and to be covered

with galvanized iron. The foundations for the machinery are to

be constructed of solid concrete resting on granite bedrock and

are to be independent of those of the station.

There are to be four main generating units each to consist

of one 450 kilowatt, 6600 volt, 60 cycle, three phase, generator

running at 558 r.p.m. Each of which is to be by a 700

H. P. Felton wheel 4 feet in diameter, direct connected to the

generator shaft. A 12 inch pipe is to convey the water through

a specially designed nozzle in which the pressure head is chang-

ed into that due to velocity, before its impact with the moving

blades.

to

A

At full load the nozzles will be at their highest position

and the jets will strike squarely on the centres of the buckets.

At no load the jets will be clear of the vanes and will strike a

baffle plate which will divert the water into the tail race. The

mechanism which will govern the lowering and deflecting of the

nozzles is to be operated by hydraulic governors which are to be

provided with electric control motors operated from the switch-

board. These governors maintain the speed within a 4 per cent

variation from no load to full load and are of great service

when sychronizing the various generators. The exciters are to

be on the s me shaft as the alternators and there will be one

for each unit.

In the transformer room there are to be 12 high tension

transformers of 125 kilowatts arranged in four banks of three

each. The ratio of transformation is 6600 to 33000. There are

to be four solenoid operated type which are to connect the 6600

volt bus bars to the low tension side of the transformers, four

of the motor operated t:Tpe for the high tension side to the bus

bars and one of motor operated type which is to control the trans-

mission.

The circuits for all these motors solenoids and signal lamps

are to be connected to the exciter busses. All these switches

can be operated by hand if necessary; in good practice however

oil svitcher are usually satisfactorily employed.

The wiring of the plant to be on the duplex system through-

out, to admit of any generator being connected to the transmission

line through any of the four banks of transformers independently

or in parallel.

is

6

When the route to be followed by the transmission line was

surveyed, special consideration was ejven to facilities for pal-.

roling as the climatic conditions are rigorous, The voltage in

this case is to depend upon that of the Cove power plant of the

Braude Ronde Electric Co. which is 33000 volts. This will neses-

sitate a rather high pressure for a line which is to be only 11.6

in length. The route of transmission is to follow the pipe

and ditch lines back to Boulder Creek and from there through the

natural low pass to the Cove plant, and will keep in the open

country the greater part of its length through the Blue Mountains

Forest Reserve.

The transmission line is to leave the power station at the

top of the lightining arresters, the wires to pass through glass

enclosed in tiles, the 35 foot cedar poles are to beset 110 feet

apart with fir crossarms which are to be fastened to the poles

with a bolt and two iron braces. The gains are to be cut slanting

so they will not make a pocket for the moisture. The crossarms

are to be 4 by 5 inches and five feet long. The wires are to be

52 inches apart triangularly arranged, the top insulator being

bolted to the pole. Eight feet below the crossarm a private tele-

phone line is to be put on bracket insulators with a transposition

every fifth pole to cut down the inductance. The transpositionxline

is to be transposed every two miles. At all turns the poles have

doubled crossarms and insulators ant suitable guys are installed.

miles

.

Power House

Generators

COST OF CONSTRUCTION.

Impulse Wheels Hydraulic Governors Switchboard Instruments Transformers Wiring Power House Ditch Line Concrete Dam Forbay Pipe Line Ditch and Anchorage for pipe Transmission Pole Line. No. 6 Copper Wire Transmission Line Telephone Line Labor

TOTAL

OPERATING EXPENSE.

3248.

14800

2576 827

83 464

12500 193

1598 217 189

7612 1324 6842 2916 863

18600

74860

One Superintendent 2400 One Engineer 1800 One Assistant Engineer 1400 Two Linemen 1800 Depreciation 3100 Taxes 750 Oil and Waste 100

TOTAL 11350

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