Power transformer design with an IBM 650

THE OBJECTIVE of a power transformer design and estimate cost program is to supply accurately and quickly output data which not only meets the desired design characteristics, but also results in the most efficient utilization of labor and materials. A program to supply complete core and winding, tank and cooling equipment and estimate cost data for any two or three winding power transformer of 2,500 to 50,000 kva requires 7 times the available internal storage of the IBM (International Business Machines) 650 digital computer. The 650 magnetic drum permits a maximum storage space of 2,000 ten-digit words, with each instruction or constant constituting one word space. The program instructions and constants are loaded by punched cards, which makes it desirable to maintain iterative calculations within the capacity of the drum; the alternative is to reload data. Some iterations would necessitate the loading and reloading of decks of punched cards a number of times.