FUEL OIL IN THE PRODUCTION OF ELECTRICITY The production of electricity in the United States in 1919, according to the U. S. Geological Survey, totaled 38,900,000,000 kilowatt-hours, of which 24,160,000,000 kilowatt-hours, or 62.1 percent, were produced by fuel power. During the year 1919 the total fuel consumption for the production of electricity by public utility plants was as follows : Coal, 35,000,000 short tons; oil, 11,050,000 barrels; gas, 21,700,000 M. cu. ft. The quantities of fuel consumed in January, February and March, 1920, by states, in the production of electric power are given in Table 20. From this table it will be seen that California, Texas, Florida, and Arizona depend chiefly upon oil as a source of power. Table 21 shows the source of power in the United States for these three months.
The figures for January, February and March are based on returns received from about 2,800 power plants of 100 kilowatt capacity, or more, engaged in public service, including central stations, electric railways, and certain other plants which con tribute to the public supply. The capacity of plants submitting reports of their op6ration is about 90 perent of the capacity of all plants listed. The average daily production of electricity in kilowatt-hours for the three months was as follows : January, 124,600,000; February, 119,800,000; and March, 121,800,000. Of this electricity, 33 percent in January and February and 38 per cent in March were produced by water power.
The mean daily output for the first quarter in 1919 was 105.3 million kilowatt-hours and the mean daily output for the first quarter of 1920 was 122.2, an increase of 16 percent.
In 1918 in California, $4,742,000 was spent for fuel oil by companies engaged in the production of electricity. The follow ing description of California oil-burning installations in central stations is of interesta: "It has been found necessary in line with the Pacific Gas & Electric Company's policy of continuous service to maintain narily the steam turbines are connected in parallel with the trans mission line and then if the line goes out of service the turbines automatically pick up the load. Station A in emergency cases
has generated one-third of the company's entire output. It is operated 365 days yearly.
Probably no other electric light and power plant in the world can handle its fuel in such large quantities and so quickly as Sta tion A. The oil is stored in two steel tanks, one of 25,000 bar rels capacity and one of 10,000 barrels capacity. Two separate pipe lines lead from the. tanks to the company's wharf, through which oil may be diScharged from steamers.
The plant uses 5,000 barrels of fuel oil a day at the maximum and 2,500 barrels a day on the average. The oil is heated to a temperature of 165 to 175 degrees and fed to the furnaces at a pressure of 65 lbs. The fuel oil pumps discharge into a common pipe 4 inches in diameter-that leads to the burners. (See fig. 81.) The burners are of special design, and were made by the com pany's workmen. Steam for atomizing the oil is supplied to the burners at normal load of 200 lbs., through a hole, but on a heavy load the steam is by-passed through a 72-inch hole. The plant originally was equipped with 27 boilers, but with the installation of a new 15,000:kilowatt turbine in July, 1919, four of the original boilers were removed and eight 822 horsepower vertical water tube boilers were installed. There are four fuel oil pumps and four oil heaters in the boiler room. (See fig. 82.) In December, 1908, a 9,000 kilowatt turbine was installed in the Oakland steam plant of the Pacific Gas & Electric Company, but in 1911 it was deemed advisable to further protect the con sumers of the company by installing a sister unit of greater capacity to meet any emergency that might arise, so in 1911 a 12,000 kilowatt vertical turbine was installed. This new turbine is supplied with steam from four 773-horsepower water tube boil ers of the Parker type, each boiler containing 366 four-inch tubes 20 feet long, heating surface 7,734 square feet and grade surface 48 square feet.