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Commonwealth Electric Company
| Name | Commonwealth Electric Company |
| Ortssitz | Chicago (Ill.) |
| Art des Unternehmens | Elektrizitätsversorgungsunternehmen |
| Anmerkungen | Erzeugt um 1904 Drehstrom in drei Werken (s.d.) Fisk Street Station, 56th Street Station und Lake View Station. Versorgung durch sechs Unterwerke; Übertragung durch Drehstrom, 9 kV, 25 Hz, Verteilung durch Vierleiter-Drehstrom 2300/4000 Volt, 60 Hz. Auch Stromabgabe an die "Chicago Edison Company" und die "Chicago & Oak Park Elevated Railway". |
| Quellenangaben | [Am. Inst Elect. Eng.: Chicago electrical handbook (1904) 67] |
| Produkt |
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Kommentar |
| Elektrizität |
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Drehstrom 25 Hz und 60 Hz |
Zeit = 1: Zeitpunkt unbekannt
| ZEIT | 1904 |
| THEMA | Beschreibung |
| TEXT | The Commonwealth Electric Company has three sources of electrical energy, the Fisk Street Station, preeminent with a capacity of 18,000 kilowatts; the 56th Street Station, a 3,000-kilowatt, 60-cycle generating plant, built four years ago, and a subsidiary steam plant, the Lake View Station. Besides supplying its own six substations, it furnishes current to the Chicago Edison Company and also to the Chicago & Oak Park Elevated Railway. The transmission is effected in a 9,000-volt, 3-phase, 25-cycle system, while the distribution is a 3-phase, 4-wire, 2300/4000-volt, 60-cycle, overhead system, which serves the more recently developed residential districts and suburbs of Chicago. In three of its substations there are installed frequency changing sets of 4.500-kilowatt capacity, while the remainder are static transformer installations. While its own patronage of 11.000 customers, with a connected load of 728.000 incandescent lamps and 9.220 horse-power in motors, calls for about 6.500 kilowatts of generating capacity, the Chicago Edison Company demands the remainder for the supply of its numerous substations. The twofold aspect of the company is thus apparent - as generating a supply for the substations of the Chicago Edison Company; as a generating
and distributing agent supplying its own independent territory. |
| QUELLE | [Am. Inst Elect. Eng.: Chicago electrical handbook (1904) 67] |
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| ZEIT | 1904 |
| THEMA | Beschreibung des Unterwerke |
| TEXT | The substations, with the exception of those located in the generating stations, are all detached, fireproof
structures, of handsome architectural design and distinctive appearance. In the more modern, all wires enter and leave the building underground, thus obviating a feature which always detracts from an otherwise pleasing exterior.
In the interior of these substations we find a standard of construction equal to that of the Chicago Edison
Company. There is the same uniformity of converting apparatus and auxiliaries and also of operating appliances. The frequency changing sets, all of the revolving field type, are of two sizes, 500 and 1,000 kilowatt capacity, and consist of a 9,000-volt, 3-phase, 25-cycle motor mounted on the same shaft and base with a 2300/4000-volt, 3-phase, 60-cycle generator, with neutral connected to neutral of system. No transformer is used with this set and all regulation is effected by means of individual regulators on the 60-cycle distribution feeders. The starting of these machines is accomplished by means of a starting compensator used in connection with several machines. A double dial synchronizer is used for synchronizing, the method being to throw in the machine when both 25 and 60 cycle synchronism is indicated. The dial synchronizer really consists of two General Electric synchronizers mounted in the same case; one synchronizer indicating 25-cycle synchronism while the other denotes 60-cycle synchronism. The motor generators are equipped with oil switches, electrically controlled, while outgoing 60-cycle lines are operated by means of hand-controlled oil switches. These feeder switches in the later substations have overload attachments, thus dispensing with fuses. The special double-throw oil switches are wired for transferring the motor from the starting compensator bus to the transmission line and also for transferring the single phase 60-cycle circuits from one phase to another for balancing the load on the 60-cycle generator. |
| QUELLE | [Am. Inst Elect. Eng.: Chicago electrical handbook (1904) 77] |
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| ZEIT | 1904 |
| THEMA | Lake View Substation |
| TEXT | This plant, a brick building located on an alley near Lincoln and Diversey avenues, was acquired some five years ago by the company and was gradually modified until now there remains only one engine-driven generator, the other electrical equipment of this plant being entirely new. One battery of two National boilers of 75 horse-power each and one of two Standard boilers of 375 horse-power each, furnish more than sufficient boiler capacity for the only remaining engine, a 500-horse-power, cross-compound Buckeye, which is belted to a 500-kilowatt, 3-phase generator.
This generator delivers energy at 4,150 volts delta, 60 cycles, the distribution system voltage of the Commonwealth Electric Company. The generator is really a half of a frequency changing set, similar to those installed in the other substations of the company. A large pulley, belted back to the engine, which plays the part of a motor,
will ultimately be displaced by a motor, and the substation, which at present occupies seventy-five per cent of
the present station building, will be the only occupant. The output of the generators is distributed along with
the output of the frequency changing sets over the same buses, and the two are sometimes operated in parallel. Five hundred volt service is supplied from a small machine, but the load is fast disappearing and is altogether insignificant. Some exhaust steam heating is also done from this plant, for the station is run non-condensing, being remote from both river and rail facilities. Installed in the engine room of the subsidiary steam plant is the substation portion of the plant, which has attained dimensions greater than the steam plant. It is the principal distributing center of the northern district. The equipment of this plant consists of one 1,000-kilowatt and one 500-kilowatt motor generator frequency changing set. These two units operate in parallel on both the 25 and the 60 cycle ends. A 50-kilowatt induction motor exciter set, fed by the transmission line, furnishes exciting current for the two frequency changing sets. The 25-cycle switchboard is installed on a gallery, and the 60-cycle switchboard is on the main floor of the station. This plant is notable in that the first frequency changing set (of 250 kilowatts capacity and since removed) was installed here, and displaced two engine-driven, two-phase generators. |
| QUELLE | [Am. Inst Elect. Eng.: Chicago electrical handbook (1904) 80] |
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| ZEIT | 1904 |
| THEMA | West Madison Street Substation |
| TEXT | This substation is the only one containing frequency changing sets exclusively, and is the principal distributing center for the western district. It is located in the rear of a handsome office building which faces West Madison street, as shown on page 82. The office building is three stories in height, with living rooms on the top floor, a district repair office on the second floor, and a district Superintendent's and supply department on the first floor. Beyond the substation, in the rear, is a storeroom designed for the extension of the substation. On the main floor of the substation are the frequency changing sets, one 500 and one 1,000 kilowatt motor generator with two 50-kilowatt induction motor-driven exciter sets. All oil switches are in the basement, the controlling and instrument panels only being on the first floor. All lines enter and leave this station underground. |
| QUELLE | [Am. Inst Elect. Eng.: Chicago electrical handbook (1904) 81] |
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| ZEIT | 1904 |
| THEMA | Morgan Street Substation |
| TEXT | A modern rotary converter installation, distributing direct current entirely to a Chicago Edison District, and combined under the same roof with a group of high-tension oil switches for controlling a number of the
25-cycle, high-tension transmission lines. The building is located on an alley and is capable of extension to
a capacity of five 1,000-kilowatt rotary converters. At present one 1,000-kilowatt rotary unit and a battery with
a capacity of 370 kilowatts furnish most of the current for this, the extreme western portion of the Chicago Edison Company's territory. The upper floor of the building is occupied by the storage battery, the rotary converter and the switchboard being on the first floor, while a three-unit, 30-kilowatt booster set and the high-tension buses of the transmission system occupy the basement. A thoroughly modern open bus construction similar to that at the Fisk Street Station, and the provision of means for using the booster as a balancing set on the system, are among the features of this station. |
| QUELLE | [Am. Inst Elect. Eng.: Chicago electrical handbook (1904) 82] |
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| ZEIT | 1904 |
| THEMA | South Chicago Substation |
| TEXT | About nine miles southeast of the 56th street Station, which supplies it with current, as described in another
place, the South Chicago Substation is located on South Chicago avenue. This is a small brick building, containing three 100-kilowatt transformers, into which the three-phase lines are led, the pressure being reduced to 4,000 volts delta. The lines are brought into the building and taken out on pole lines, as the. district is well out in the suburbs. All pressure regulating is done back at the generating station. |
| QUELLE | [Am. Inst Elect. Eng.: Chicago electrical handbook (1904) 83] |
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| ZEIT | 1904 |
| THEMA | Hyde Park Substation |
| TEXT | Purely a distributing and regulating center, this plant is in a class by itself. It contains no converting machines
of any kind, the only equipment being indicating instruments, regulators and oil switches. It is located about
two and one-half miles from 56th Street Station, upon which it depends for its supply of energy. The building itself stands on an alley just north of 50th street and east of Cottage Grove avenue, in the middle of a residence district. The exterior of the building in no way betrays its purpose, and it much resembles a detached two-flat building oí the type so often seen in the nicer residence districts. The incoming transmission lines from Station A are led into a switchboard bus and from there the three-phase, four-wire and single-phase circuits are led, out through oil switches and pressure regulators to the district for distribution. Excellent regulation and great facility in handling trouble is thus attained. |
| QUELLE | [Am. Inst Elect. Eng.: Chicago electrical handbook (1904) 83] |
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| ZEIT | 1904 |
| THEMA | Freileitungssystem |
| TEXT | Operating under a franchise permitting the employment of an overhead transmission and distribution system, the Commonwealth Electric Company supplies the outlying districts of the City of Chicago, a territory of about 150 square miles, with 60-cycle alternating current service. The nucleus of this system was the combination of the different alternating current systems of varying pressures and frequencies in vogue at the advent of the Commonwealth Electric Company, and whose only feature of similarity was the overhead transmission. Upon combination, however, a grand unification in the form of a three-phase, four-wire, 4,150-volt delta, with 2,300 volts to neutral system, was effected. Two-wire, single-phase circuits, with pressure regulators and pressure compensators, take care of the bulk of the lighting business. All pressure regulation refers to the feeder ends, at which points recording voltmeters show any departure from constant pressure. Single-phase motors ranging in size up to 5 horse-power, and in
special cases somewhat larger ones, are permitted on these circuits. Four-wire, three-phase circuits, with one-phase wire and the neutral equipped as a single-phase lighting circuit, take care of the power and isolated lighting business, many elevator motors being included. The transmission to the Hyde Park Substation, the more important distributing center, is effected by duplicate, three-phase, four-wire lines carried on poles through the residence district for a distance of about two and one-half miles. These lines are run underground at boulevard crossings, the pole lines being supported by poles from 30 to 50 feet in height. The pressure is not raised on this transmission, the energy delivered being simply distributed and regulated at this substation. The pressure on the transmission line to the South Chicago Substation, about nine miles distant, is raised to about 8,000 volts by means of step-up transformers, and lowered again at the substation to the normal system pressure. Alley pole lines eliminate the unsightliness so often the basis of popular prejudice of urban property owners against overhead systems in streets, and afford a means of service entrance into the rear of buildings. Transformers mounted on the cross arms of the pole supply the district with service, the secondary mains being carried on the same poles. All transformers on power circuits are connected in star on the high-tension side and in delta on the low-tension, with neutral grounded on all secondaries. A block of customers is usually supplied from one or more individual single phase transformers
feeding secondaries, the employment of large interconnected secondaries feeding a network being comparatively rare. Primary taps are fused in many instances, and all phase wires on the circuits are fused back at the station.
Some very large customers are connected to this system, notably the Sans Souci Park, a very extensive and profusely illuminated amusement garden located about two and one-half miles from the 56th street plant. This park has a connected load of 5,000 16-candle-power incandescent and 60 arc lights. The distribution system in the Northern and Western districts is effected by means of substations equipped with 25/ 60-cycle frequency changing sets; but in general the distribution system is identical with that of the Southern district. The same variety of service, business and residence, with their sub-classes, is taken care of here as elsewhere, and with equal success. At this writing approximately 1,000 miles of wire are used on the primaries of the alternating circuits and 300 miles on the secondaries. Triple braid weather-proof wire of the best quality is used in all cases. On the same pole lines are carried about 400 miles of series arc circuits, which have suffered a great reduction in number during the past five years and are now all localized in the southern district and fed from an old arc plant adjacent to the 56th Street Station. About 20 miles of 500-volt conductors, also finds a place on the overhead transmission system; but this service, like that of the series are, will soon be abandoned. At a very early date, therefore, absolutely all dis-
tribution in the outlying and scattered suburban districts of Chicago will be by means of the 2,300/4,000-volt, 60-cycle overhead system, which is so admirably adapted for this condition. Likewise also the distribution in the
heavy business and older residential districts will be exclusively by means of the 115/230-volt underground system, particularly adapted for such service, while the transmission from large power houses is 25-cycle, 3-phase current at 9,000 volts. |
| QUELLE | [Am. Inst Elect. Eng.: Chicago electrical handbook (1904) 84] |
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| ZEIT | 1904 |
| THEMA | Organisation |
| TEXT | Although the Chicago Edison and Commonwealth Electric companies are two separate and distinct corporations as to financial organizations, securities, boards of directors, operating territory, contracts and accounts, they have executive officers and heads of departments who hold the same positions in both companies, and occupy general offices in common. The Chicago Edison Company, as previously stated, operates a territory practically coincident with the old city, covering approximately 15 square miles, with the present business center as a nucleus. It transacts all of its general office business in its downtown office, known as the Edison Building. The Commonwealth Electric Company maintains, in addition to its general offices in the Edison Building, three branches or district offices, located north, west and south of the main offices, eacli answering as a local headquarters for its respective district. Each of the three district organizations is presided over by a District Superintendent, who has direct charge of men of all departments reporting at his district office. In general all dealings with customers that pertain to immediate income, collection of bills, complaints and similar matters of local character, are expeditiously handled under the immediate supervision of the District Superintendent. All questions of policy in soliciting new business, all disbursements, all engineering and operating and similar matters which affect directly the entire company are handled by Heads of Departments under the supervision of the executive officers of the company. A Contract or Soliciting Department, consisting of about seventy persons, solicits for and receives applica-
tions and contracts for the sale of electrical energy. This work is somewhat subdivided and specialized, covering
incandescent lighting, power, arc lights, wiring construction and signs. Electricity is sold for incandescent lighting on meter basis at a list price of 20 cents per kilowatt hour, using the Wright Demand system, the maximum indicators being read monthly, and the first 30 hours' use of the maximum demand consumed in each month being sold at list price, secondary or excess hours at 10 cents per kilowatt hour, with a schedule of extra discounts for quantity only. Power is sold on a similar maximum-meter basis, with a list price of 10 cents per kilowatt hour. Considerable arc light and sign business is sold on a flat-rate basis - so much per week - the companies controlling such lighting by locked switches operated by their patrolmen, so no advantage can be taken of them. This department
also contracts for wiring construction to be done by the companies, sells motors, heating appliances, and so on. The Edison Company furnishes free, and the Commonwealth Company a limited number, of incandescent lamps for original installation, while both companies furnish free incandescent lamps for renewals. Arc lamps, and, under certain conditions, signs, are furnished free by the companies. Solicitors are employed on the salary basis, with small commissions for special and excess work. Contracts, upon being obtained, are first submitted to the Accounting Department for credit approval, with as few deposits as possible. After approval of credit, advices are sent to the Inspection Department, which passes upon the wiring installation; to the Line and Service Construction Department if service wires are required, and to the Meter Department to prepare meters. After approval of the wiring, the Inspection Department advises the Operating Department to install meters and lamps and to connect the service. The
latter, after executing order, returns advices through the various departments to the Accounting Department, where an account is opened for the new customer on the books, and the order slip is filed. The Accounting Department, with branches at the district offices, makes out all bills for service and construction work, keeps and collects all accounts, and has the custody of all contracts. The mails are used for the distribution of bills, and such money as is not paid at the companies' offices is attended to by collectors. Modern labor-saving devices for accounting work are used as far as possible, such as addrcssographs, sealers, etc., and the loose-leaf type of ledgers and records prevail. Employees are all paid by check, the office force being paid semi-monthly, and the station operatives, construction men, street laborers, and others, weekly. The Meter Department, as its name implies, has entire charge of all meters on customers' premises. Mechanical meters, principally Thomson-Houston and Fort Wayne, are used. The meters are generally read monthly, but a very considerable portion of business is handled on a weekly basis.
The Inspection Department examines and keeps a record of all customers, lighting and power installations, and also a record of all transformers and alternating current service connections. In addition, this department checks the character of service rendered to customers and investigates all cases of lost and stolen current. The Interior Wiring Department employs more men than any wiring concern in the city; does a large volume of business, is more than self-supporting, and is looked upon as a valuable adjunct for securing new business. The policy of the company as to this department is not to sharpen competition, but rather to encourage and maintain the highest standard of interior wiring construction, so essential to the best lighting and power service.
A Supply Department combines with the companies' stores a Sales Department for selling of supplies to contractors and the general public. It is also directly profitable, and an aid in business-promotion work by displaying lighting devices and selling apparatus. The Operating Department has charge of the generation and distribution of all electrical energy to the companies' patrons. Among its duties might be mentioned the operation of the various stations and substations, the extension and maintenance of all underground and overhead lines, all meter work, customers' repairs, and the trimming and patrolling of arc lamps.
The Engineering Department, employing a considerable number of engineers and draughtsmen, is in direct charge of the erection and equipment of all stations and substations, and has general charge of all the engineering work of the two companies.
A Statistical Bureau collects and preserves in accesssible and useful form all general and department data of every kind.
In addition to these various working departments, the employees sustain a library supplied with all the technical and many of the standard magazines, and a good and growing collection of standard technical books.
A magazine called the Electric City, with a monthly circulation of 25,000 copies, having for its object the complete electrification of the city, is published in the interests of the two companies. This entire organization has been the growth of a dozen years under the present administration, and is, with the growth of the companies, constantly being elaborated and extended. During the past six years, being the period covered by the operations of both of the
companies, the combined connected load of the central stations has increased from 600,000 16 candle-power equivalents in 1898 to a connected load at date of 2,000,000 16 candle-power equivalents. Single customers consuming 500,000 kilowatt hours of energy annually are common, and over ten times this consumption has been reached in individual cases. The companies are making special efforts to obtain this large business and remove or prevent the installation of isolated plants, but at the same time in no way neglecting the smaller business. The field for the extension of business seems to increase with the facilities for supply. Especially does this seem to be true in the matter of electric power. The policy of the present administration is, and has been, one of liberality and aggressiveness, utilizing the highest economies of production which the most modern apparatus can give, keeping the condition of the property up to a high standard, and selling the product at the lowest price consistent with a fair return to the shareholders. |
| QUELLE | [Am. Inst Elect. Eng.: Chicago electrical handbook (1904) 86] |
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