When the President Street Power Station was constructed, supply
tenders were invited. Although the cheapest was for a
steam driven plant,
consultants recommended a
gas engine scheme which promised sufficient savings in
fuel consumption to recover the increased capital cost within a few years.
The estimated power needed by Johannesburg, almost 10
MW, required gas engines bigger than any previously built. Mordey & Dawbarn, the consulting
engineers, recommended the following supplies, which were adopted by the
municipality:
460/520 volts DC for a 230+230 volt 3 wire distribution with
earthed centre to provide
power and
light for the
city centre.
3,000 volt 2-phase 50
HzAC for transmitting power to outlying districts and to supply motor converters for distant DC tramway feeds.
Stewart and Company, the
Scottishcontractors, supplied untested and
experimental engines. There had been a history of costly failure of gas engines in the
UK linked to the problem of breakdowns caused by the
impurities in
bituminous coal. Apparently no one had checked before starting on the scheme whether the bituminous coal to be used in the
gas producers was suitable for the installation. Within months the engines ran into serious problems. New engines and producer plant proved
unreliable and expensive to operate and there were heavy
maintenance costs.
An
explosion in the
boiler house in March 1907 led to the entire installation being shut down in May 1907. By mid-1907 the
city council rejected the whole scheme and instituted
legal proceedings against the suppliers to recover their losses.
When the President Street Power Station was constructed, supply
tenders were invited. Although the cheapest was for a
steam driven plant,
consultants recommended a
gas engine scheme which promised sufficient savings in
fuel consumption to recover the increased capital cost within a few years.
The estimated power needed by Johannesburg, almost 10
MW, required gas engines bigger than any previously built. Mordey & Dawbarn, the consulting
engineers, recommended the following supplies, which were adopted by the
municipality:
460/520 volts DC for a 230+230 volt 3 wire distribution with
earthed centre to provide
power and
light for the
city centre.
3,000 volt 2-phase 50
HzAC for transmitting power to outlying districts and to supply motor converters for distant DC tramway feeds.
Stewart and Company, the
Scottishcontractors, supplied untested and
experimental engines. There had been a history of costly failure of gas engines in the
UK linked to the problem of breakdowns caused by the
impurities in
bituminous coal. Apparently no one had checked before starting on the scheme whether the bituminous coal to be used in the
gas producers was suitable for the installation. Within months the engines ran into serious problems. New engines and producer plant proved
unreliable and expensive to operate and there were heavy
maintenance costs.
An
explosion in the
boiler house in March 1907 led to the entire installation being shut down in May 1907. By mid-1907 the
city council rejected the whole scheme and instituted
legal proceedings against the suppliers to recover their losses.