THE PELTON WATER-WHEEL

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 110, 11 July 1885, Page 7

THE PELTON WATER- WHEEL

The Pelton reaction hurdy-gardy waterwheel, which is an American invention, \ras patented iti 1880, and claims to be the champion water motor of the world. The Idaho Mining Company held a competition at Grass Valley, California, with a view to ascertaining which of the many would be the best wheel to adopt. There were four in the contest, and the other three gave tnach less satisfactory teeultft than the Peltou, The Pelton iised 162-98 cubic feet of water per minute, and the average efficiency «»M 107 h.p., or 90 p*M cent. The Idaho Company forthwith adopted this wheel,

anil ar* now using eleven of them. Irrespective of their superiority in power, i these wl eels have advantages which at i once commend them over either the turhine or water engine. They are inexpensive, substantial, and simplicity itsolf. The ttirbine is somewhat fragile, and a small chip of wood in the water is liable to stop, and probably injure- it. The water- engine is an excellent motor, but liable to wear, and after a year's use requires rene.wing at considerable cost. Even then it quickly becomes unreliable and leaky, tho friction upon, and conse qnently wear of, its vital parts being being great. Anyone can gain a good i idea of ihe principle of the Pelton wheel for himself. Lot him take a suiiHng, ami, making a hole in the middle of it, pass a pin through it. Each end of the pin should rest upon something, say nn inch in heigh t^ so as to allow unple spare for the shilling to revolve. If a ti.iy jet of water were allowed to play upon tiie milling of the dhillim;, the shilling would revolve, and thus he would lure an illustration in miniatme of the Pelton wheel. Tne milling of the shilling would correspond wit.i the buckets of tiie wheel. JJut what is the bucket, like ? If the rea lor c\\\ piclaie to himself the mould of a pan loaf stuck on to the. outer rm — not the Hut si ie, 'out the- curve. — of a wheel live or six feet in diameter, he will have a passable, although not strictly on oof, idea of the nneket of the IVUou wheel. The coiners v>f the hue vet. are nicely curved oil", so . s to facilitate the escape of the water when it has spent its force. The*c« wheels have 'ot been introduced more tiiaii two yars, .md yet nea- !y ail batteries have discarded their former appliances for wheels of this principle. At Waiofongomai Butteiy turbines on the Lefell an-l Fouineynon principles, have had to give place to it. At tiie Tiiani s Gol len Ciown battery a five feet Pelton drives twenty stampers seventy blows a minute, the motive power being two j sluice beads of water, supplied thiongh ! a two-inch nozzle, at a pressure of 55 lbs to the inch. A considerable number of small, but in other respects similar wheels, are now in use on tiie Thames, for driving tailings plant, sausage mai chines* lathes, and light machinery of various kinds. To say that the exhibits shipped by Messrs Price Bios, are specimens of the ironworker's art in every way creditable alike to their makers and this provincial district were superfluous. Amongst them are two Pelton wheels. The large one is six feet iv diameter, and has 24 buckets. It would be capable, with the pressure usual ou the Thames — averaging from 55 lbs to 58 lbs — and about four sluice-heads of water supplied through a three-inch nozzle, of developing 60 horse-power, considerably more than sufficient to drive a 40-staraper battery. The smaller wheel is toy-like, so tiny is it. It is exquisitely finished and enclosed in glass, so that the principle of jet-playing upon the wheel is rendered obsei vable. Although only 1£ feet in diameter, it is capable of developing three or lour horsepower with ease. Tne firm has an order from the Hon. Mr Laruach foy a similar wheel. — HePald.