American
Optical News
Volume
XVIII
August
8, 1957
When
the AO’s new spray-cooling system was turned on just before noon on July
12 it more than satisfied those who had curiously watched its growth along
the banks of the pond.
Power
Plant “Baby”
Bernard
Devine and his crew at the Power Plant are mighty proud of their “baby”
and appreciated the smiles of those who viewed it during its initial try-out
on the 12th.It continued to pump
and spray 8,000 gallons a minute through the noon-hour so that all those
out-of-doors during that time felt that they were in an AO Rockefeller
Plaza.
Water
Saving
Water
is necessary to the operation of the turbine condensers in the Power House.This
water is drawn from the densers; from the condensers where it picks up
10-12 degrees of heat, the water is drawn off by a second series of pumps.Prior
to the installation of the new system, the off water was emptied into the
river, where it flowed off.With
the present water shortage and any that may occur in the future, the spray-cooling
system was installed.
This
will enable the Power House crew to force the water from the 2nd set of
pumps through a pipe line and into the spray-cooling system.The
system itself consists of 20 pipes painted with specially treated red lead
paint and have a 4” bronze nozzle at the end of each pipe.As
warm water is of no use in the condensers, when it passes through the nozzle
sprays it is cooled as it sprays back into the pond from whence it originally
came, ready to be used over again.The
pipes themselves begin with a 20” one from the Power House end and graduate
to an 8” one at the other end, thus enabling the water to pump through
at the same pressure, making the spray uniform through-out.
Used
When Pond is Low
The
new system will be in use wherever the pond water is low, thus alleviating
the necessity of drawing from the head waters of the river and ponds beyond
the AO itself.Whenever the water
is high enough and flows freely, the spray will not be necessary; but whenever
it is in use, those viewing it at work are delighted with the scene.
Sept 1999