MANGAHAO WORKS.

Shannon News, 18 January 1924, Page 3

MANGAHAO WORKS.

HUGE TRANSFORMERS ARRIVE

BIG ORDERS FOR GREAT BRITAIN

The -arrival im Wellington of seven huge, translormei's lor the Mangahao hydro-electricity works hrings into sight the must important phase of that great national undertaking as well as vne successful competition by Great Britain in what was hitherto practically an monopoly. Tne s's. Cornwall, now unloading at Wellington,, brings to New Zealand the highest voltage power transformers ever seen in the Southern. Hemisphere, These are the large 110,000-voil transformers ordered by the New Zealand Government for the Mangahao hydro-electric powe.r suipply. There a-i-e seven of these mammoth transformers, each -having a capacity of 4000 K.VA., or capable of dealing with' 5300 horse-power. t?ix will he used to step-up the voltagfe at Mangahao power station from 11,000 volts to 110,000 volts (the''highest voltage in Australia or New Zealand), for transmission to the various -stepping-down stations on the system. These transformers a-r© the'largest ever made in England. The lasiv.ui developing them was entrusted to a well-known Lancashire firm, which constructed the first high-volt-age transformer ~to be usied in England well over thirty years ago, on a well-known London undertaking. These transformers are still giving satisfactory and continuous service. The price for the transformers just arrived runs to nearly £IB,OOO. They are oil insulated, and, in torn, the oil is kept cooled by forced Avater circulation. The number of gallons of oil required by each transformer is 1400 and.the total gallons supplied under the contract is 12,250. Each transformer, Avithout its accessori.es,> weighs over fifteen., tons, hence special facilities have to be .made for their landing',.transport and equipping lor service at Mang«lh»o. The engineer responsible for this Avork is Mr Arthur Davey, MXE.Ei, M.I.M.E.