The East River Generating Station of the New York Edison Company

This paper deals with the design and operating characteristics of the East River Generating Station of the New York Edison Company. This station, having an ultimate capacity of 1,240,000 kw., occupying as it does a site approximately a quarter of a mile long by 200 ft. wide, presents a number of design and operating features which are a departure from normal practise. Among the items of particular interest are: 1. The location of all of the circulating water pumps in a pit at the river end of the station, each set of pumps supplying its condenser through cast iron circulating water pipes six feet in diameter. 2. The adoption of steam turbine drive for the essential auxiliaries. 3. The adoption of pulverized fuel firing in what had hitherto been an exclusively stoker territory. 4. The burning of pulverized coal in a completely water cooled furnace containing practically no refractories. 5. The use of the largest boiler yet built. 6. The first use of a double winding generator which is also the largest generator in operation. The paper presents some of the major considerations influencing the decisions reached on these items of design and the extent to which the expectations of the designers have been realized.