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 direct from the 4,000-volt distribution
system of the local power company through a modern substation located in
the building. This substation forms a part of the main electrical laboratory
and all equipment is available for inspection and study. In one end of the
laboratory is located the main light and power switchboard for the entire
building, consisting of seventeen steel panels containing a complete array of
instruments, relays and low tension circuit breakers together with the control
switches for the eight electrically operated high voltage circuit breakers
which are located in the adjacent fireproof vault. The vault also contains
six single-phase induction regulators, a 300-Kv.-a. bank of transformers
for the power supply, a 225-Kv.-a. bank of transformers for lighting
and a 75-Kv-a. autotransformer. Adjacent to the vault is the battery room
containing a 120-volt and a 24-volt storage battery, the former furnishing
control current for the substation. Near the main switchboard are located
two motor generator sets for supplying direct current to the laboratory. These
sets consist of synchronous motors driving three-wire direct current generators
of 100 and 50 kilowatts capacity respectively. There is also an alternator
of 50-Kv-a. capacity which is provided with a Tirrill regulator. Automatic
control for the synchronous motors is provided on the switchboard.
From the main switchboard power is conducted through the permanent
wiring system to four distribution panels in the electrical machinery laboratory
and four panels in the adjacent communications, photometry, and measurements
laboratories. These panels make available six different sources of
power at convenient locations. The panels and all of the experimental equipment
are fitted with universal plug receptacles to facilitate the making of necessary
connections.
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; FynnWeichsel
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 instruments 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-Brodhun screen, a Macbeth illuminometer, General
Electric and Weston portable foot-candle meters.
The lighting system for the building has been designed so that it will
serve as a complete up-to-date laboratory of commercial and industrial lighting,
illustrating the best lighting equipment available at the present time.
Equipment for the study of communication and power transmission includes
a complete artificial transmission line; an adjustable frequency test
oscillator; impedance 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; relays of different types; radio transmitting and receiving
sets; microphones, amplifiers and other sound equipment; phototubes and
amplifier tubes of various types; all with the necessary auxiliary apparatus.
In addition the automatic dial telephone system installed in the building
is available for examination and study.
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.
