HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 11 January 1929, Page 4

HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER.

SOUTH CANTERBURY i DEVELOPMENT. TWO HUGE MACHINES. (By Telegraph—Speoial to The Stax.) WELLINGTON, Jam 10. The Minister of Public Works, the Hon. E. A. Ransom, announces -that tenders have been accepted by the Government for the first two units' for electrical power generation connection with the South Canterbury scheme on the Waitaki river. The approach railway from Ivurow is completed! and work is in progress on the big- gravity dam. The initial power development will be -by itrwo units, each generator having a capacity of 16,666 K.V.A., generated at 11,000 volts, this being stepped up by transformers to 110,000 volts for transmission. The generators are to bo coupled to Francis reaction, turbines of 13,000 horse power each. They will be similar to those installed at Arapuni, though much laager. These _ machines will foe impressive in their dimensions, os the diameter of the generator is 29 feet. Its speed will (be 125 revolutions per minute. The total weight of the the generator and the turbine is over 400 -tons. The weight of the moving parts plus 1 the, hydraulic thrust will be 250 tons. This 1 will be! • carried principally on ai Michell thrust bearing, similar to that in successful -operation in marine practice carrying the impulse of propellers. These giant machines will need a large supply of water. They are designed for a head of seventy feet, and the inlets will be concrete continual tions of the main dam. Each turbine will be fed through a water -passage 36 feet wide and 20 feet deep, permitting a flow of 3000 cubic feet per second. The Roadworks ore designed ■ for five units, the first .two of which are to be constructed in England.