University of Virginia Library

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY

The Scott Laboratory of Electrical Engineering.—This laboratory was
initially equipped and endowed by Mrs. Frances Branch Scott, of Richmond, Va.,
as a memorial to her late son, an alumnus of this University. During the year
1910 the equipment was substantially increased through the generosity of the Hon.
Charles R. Crane, of Chicago, Ill., a friend of the University. In recent years a
large number of new machines, measuring instruments and pieces of auxiliary
apparatus have been purchased. Improvements are constantly being made and
items of equipment added. As a result the laboratory is now well supplied with
the best modern equipment.

Power is supplied to the laboratory from the University distribution system
through a transformer vault located in the building. There is also installed a
motor generator set consisting of a synchronous motor driving an alternator and
a three-wire direct-current generator. A complete three-panel switchboard for
the control of this set is equipped with the necessary instruments and includes an
automatic voltage regulator for the alternator. Power is carried from the switchboard
to distribution panels located at convenient points. Universal plug- and
receptacle-connections facilitate the setting up of all experimental combinations.

For the machine testing there are available several direct-current motor
generator sets with automatic control; numerous series, shunt and compound
motors and generators; synchronous and induction motor driven generator sets;
high voltage direct-current generator; steam turbine driven three-phase alternator
with exciter and control switchboard; two experimental test sets for alternating
current single or polyphase generator operation; single-phase induction motor;
single-phase repulsion-induction motor; two-phase induction motor; three-phase
squirrel cage induction motors of the general purpose, high reactance and double
cage types; wound rotor induction motors; induction generator; wound rotor induction
motor set for concatenation; Fynn-Weichsel synchronous induction motor;
frequency changer set; synchronous motors; rotary converter; arc welding generator
set; constant potential transformers; constant current transformer; polyphase
transformer; induction regulator; mercury arc and thermionic rectifiers; a number
of different types of A. C. and D. C. fractional horsepower motors; prony brakes
for all motors; adjustable resistances, inductances and capacitances.

The instrument room is unusually well equipped with all of the types of high
grade portable meters required for the laboratory tests, including frequency and
power factor meters, watthour meters, synchroscopes, tachometers, instrument
transformers, recording voltmeters, ammeters and wattmeters.

For testing and calibrating the portable instruments and for more precise work
in electrical measurements there are available a set of laboratory standard instruments
with standard shunts and resistances; standard cells; standard condensers,
inductances and resistances; galvanometers of the best modern type and numerous
other pieces of apparatus of the highest precision such as the Wolff potentiometer,
Siemens and Halske-Thomson double bridge, Carey-Foster bridge, Koepsel permeameter,
Fahy simplex permeameter and others.

For experiments in illumination and photometry there are a Station photometer
with Lummer-Brodhum screen, a Macbeth illuminometer, General Electric
and Weston portable foot-candle meters.

Equipment for the study of communication and power transmission includes
a complete artificial transmission line; an adjustable frequency test oscillator;
bridge; vacuum tube voltmeter-ammeter; representative pieces of modern telephone
equipment including two central office ringer sets; equipment for the study of
vacuum tube performance; model network distribution system; all with the necessary
auxiliary apparatus.

The laboratory is equipped with three oscillographs which are available for
the study of wave forms and transient phenomena. Two of the oscillographs are
of the latest portable type—one a six element and the other a one element. All
are complete with the necessary accessories for both visual observation and photographic
recording.