Mechanicville Hydroelectric Plant
Encyclopedia
Mechanicville Hydroelectric Plant is a 18.3 acres (7.4 ha) national historic district
located at Mechanicville
in Saratoga County, New York
. The listing included one contributing building
and three contributing structures. The district dates to 1897 and includes notable Queen Anne
architecture.
The district includes the powerhouse
, an earth embankment, a concrete non-overflow dam, and a 700 feet long concrete gravity overflow dam. They were built in 1897-1898 by the Hudson River Power Transmission Company and span the western channel of the Hudson River
between the Saratoga County shore and Bluff Island.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1989.
The station was designed to produce 5000 kilowatts from seven hydraulic turbine-generator units. Extensive renovations starting in 2003 have turned the plant into a working museum.
watershed runs to the Adirondack Mountains and covers 4600 square miles. Construction started July 1897 but was delayed by a major storm in November; the first generator was tested in May 1898 and power delivered to the General Electric plant in July 1898. The original five turbines were completed by August 1898.
turbines manufactured by King's SB&SV company, each equipped with four runners 41 inches in diameter, producing 1000 HP. These turbines drove a 750 kW generator at 114 r/m. The generators produced 12,000 volts three-phase power at 38 Hz. Two exciter turbine/generators were initially installed to provide 125 V and 250 kW of DC excitation power for the main generators, but DC power has been provided by a static system for more than 50 years. Generators and controls were designed by Charles Proteus Steinmetz
.
Only five of the initial turbines had been completed when all seven units were replaced with new turbines in 1902. The new turbines were made by the S. Morgan Smith company and were now rated at 1250 HP and 125 r/min. The water passage for the turbines was modified and the operating frequency
of the generators raised to 40 Hz. At the same time, a recpirocating Corliss steam engine
was installed in the plant to provide supplemental capacity during low water flow; this drove the No.7 hydraulic generator through a rope drive. This was only kept for 5 years. One turbine failed in 1932 and has not been replaced. Each of the turbines has three water-lubricated lignum vitae
wood bearings in the turbine chamber and an oil-bath bearing in the generator hall. Up until about 1950, the speed of the turbines was regulated by a hydraulic governor.
900 feet long, an earth embankment dam
about 900 feet long and 20 feet high, and a powerhouse. The powerhouse is 220 feet wide and 50 feet long, made of reinforced concrete. The horizontally mounted turbines in upstream water passages drive shafts running through packing boxes on the upstream headwall which is 6 foot thick concrete. The arrangement of horizontal runners, packing box and generators was patented at the time; the layout of the station was a model for many future projects.
The original 12 kV switchgear
used open switches operated by 3-foot wooden sticks. This arrangement was quite dangerous by modern standards and resulted in one fatality and several near miss accidents. In 1902 the switchgear was replaced by oil-enclosed lever-operated switches, and in 1920 the system was again renovated with remotely-controlled oil-filled circuit breakers. The 1920 switchboard has been retained to the present day.
In 1949 two motor-generator frequency changer
sets were installed so that the plant could provide power to standard 60 Hz networks.
, which owned many hydroelectric facilities in New York State, had begun a program of demolition of older, smaller facilities in favor of larger central stations. Although Niagara Mohawk (which owned the Mechanicville plant) planned to demolish it, by 1985 a competitive plan for developing waterpower at the site encouraged retention of the plant. A new 50-year water license, required for continued operation of the plant, was obtained in 1993 but in 1997 the company shut down the plant since it appeared power generated at a refurbished plant would not be competitive with other sources. The plant remained closed until, after litigation, ownership was transferred to Albany Engineering Company in 2003 and generation restarted. Extensive structural repairs and enhancements were carried out to modernize the plant. Renovation plans include restoration to the original 1898 exterior appearance while maintaining output from the plant. In 2005 Albany Engineering obtained permission to study a possible additional, underground, generator unit of 20 MW rating,
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
located at Mechanicville
Mechanicville, New York
Mechanicville is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population is 5,196 as of the 2010 census. It is the smallest city by area in the state. The name is derived from the occupations of early residents....
in Saratoga County, New York
Saratoga County, New York
Saratoga County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 219,607. It is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county seat is Ballston Spa...
. The listing included one contributing building
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
and three contributing structures. The district dates to 1897 and includes notable Queen Anne
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
architecture.
The district includes the powerhouse
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
, an earth embankment, a concrete non-overflow dam, and a 700 feet long concrete gravity overflow dam. They were built in 1897-1898 by the Hudson River Power Transmission Company and span the western channel of the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
between the Saratoga County shore and Bluff Island.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1989.
The station was designed to produce 5000 kilowatts from seven hydraulic turbine-generator units. Extensive renovations starting in 2003 have turned the plant into a working museum.
Project origins and construction
Robert Newton King (1846-1943) , president of the Stillwell-Bierce & Smith-Vaile Company of Ohio, selected the site for its hydro potential and proximity to industrial areas of Albany, Troy and Schenectady. Hudson River Power Transmission was the company formed to develop the project. The Hudson RiverHudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
watershed runs to the Adirondack Mountains and covers 4600 square miles. Construction started July 1897 but was delayed by a major storm in November; the first generator was tested in May 1898 and power delivered to the General Electric plant in July 1898. The original five turbines were completed by August 1898.
Turbines and generators
The initial design of the plant used seven horizontal Francis-typeFrancis turbine
The Francis turbine is a type of water turbine that was developed by James B. Francis in Lowell, Massachusetts. It is an inward-flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts....
turbines manufactured by King's SB&SV company, each equipped with four runners 41 inches in diameter, producing 1000 HP. These turbines drove a 750 kW generator at 114 r/m. The generators produced 12,000 volts three-phase power at 38 Hz. Two exciter turbine/generators were initially installed to provide 125 V and 250 kW of DC excitation power for the main generators, but DC power has been provided by a static system for more than 50 years. Generators and controls were designed by Charles Proteus Steinmetz
Charles Proteus Steinmetz
Charles Proteus Steinmetz was a German-American mathematician and electrical engineer. He fostered the development of alternating current that made possible the expansion of the electric power industry in the United States, formulating mathematical theories for engineers...
.
Only five of the initial turbines had been completed when all seven units were replaced with new turbines in 1902. The new turbines were made by the S. Morgan Smith company and were now rated at 1250 HP and 125 r/min. The water passage for the turbines was modified and the operating frequency
Utility frequency
The utility frequency, line frequency or mains frequency is the frequency at which alternating current is transmitted from a power plant to the end-user. In most parts of the world this is 50 Hz, although in the Americas it is typically 60 Hz...
of the generators raised to 40 Hz. At the same time, a recpirocating Corliss steam engine
Corliss Steam Engine
A Corliss steam engine is a steam engine, fitted with rotary valves and with variable valve timing patented in 1849, invented by and named after the American engineer George Henry Corliss in Providence, Rhode Island....
was installed in the plant to provide supplemental capacity during low water flow; this drove the No.7 hydraulic generator through a rope drive. This was only kept for 5 years. One turbine failed in 1932 and has not been replaced. Each of the turbines has three water-lubricated lignum vitae
Lignum vitae
Lignum vitae is a trade wood, also called guayacan or guaiacum, and in parts of Europe known as pockenholz, from trees of the genus Guaiacum. This wood was once very important for applications requiring a material with its extraordinary combination of strength, toughness and density...
wood bearings in the turbine chamber and an oil-bath bearing in the generator hall. Up until about 1950, the speed of the turbines was regulated by a hydraulic governor.
Civil structures
The project consists of a spillwaySpillway
A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of flows from a dam or levee into a downstream area, typically being the river that was dammed. In the UK they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways release floods so that the water does not overtop and damage or even destroy...
900 feet long, an earth embankment dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
about 900 feet long and 20 feet high, and a powerhouse. The powerhouse is 220 feet wide and 50 feet long, made of reinforced concrete. The horizontally mounted turbines in upstream water passages drive shafts running through packing boxes on the upstream headwall which is 6 foot thick concrete. The arrangement of horizontal runners, packing box and generators was patented at the time; the layout of the station was a model for many future projects.
Electrical switchgear and distribution
Most of the power generated by the Mechanicville plant was sent to the General Electric plant in Schenectady. Some 40 Hz power was used locally for lighting and motors until 1949. In 1899, the Hudson River Power Company took over control of the plant from the original developers, and began operating the plant in parallel with a new larger plant called Spier Falls; regulation of the Mechnicville units speed was done manually until automatic governors were installed in 1902. From 1935 through to the end of WWII, the HVDC Mechanicville–Schenectady DC transmission system sent power to the GE plant and also served to convert from 40 Hz to 60 Hz.The original 12 kV switchgear
Switchgear
The term switchgear, used in association with the electric power system, or grid, refers to the combination of electrical disconnects, fuses and/or circuit breakers used to isolate electrical equipment. Switchgear is used both to de-energize equipment to allow work to be done and to clear faults...
used open switches operated by 3-foot wooden sticks. This arrangement was quite dangerous by modern standards and resulted in one fatality and several near miss accidents. In 1902 the switchgear was replaced by oil-enclosed lever-operated switches, and in 1920 the system was again renovated with remotely-controlled oil-filled circuit breakers. The 1920 switchboard has been retained to the present day.
In 1949 two motor-generator frequency changer
Frequency changer
A frequency changer or frequency converter is an electronic device that converts alternating current of one frequency to alternating current of another frequency. The device may also change the voltage, but if it does, that is incidental to its principal purpose.Traditionally, these devices were...
sets were installed so that the plant could provide power to standard 60 Hz networks.
Restoration and conversion to a museum
In the 1960's, Niagara Mohawk Power CompanyNational Grid plc
National Grid plc is a multinational electricity and gas utility company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. Its principal activities are in the United Kingdom and northeastern United States and it is one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the world.National Grid is listed on...
, which owned many hydroelectric facilities in New York State, had begun a program of demolition of older, smaller facilities in favor of larger central stations. Although Niagara Mohawk (which owned the Mechanicville plant) planned to demolish it, by 1985 a competitive plan for developing waterpower at the site encouraged retention of the plant. A new 50-year water license, required for continued operation of the plant, was obtained in 1993 but in 1997 the company shut down the plant since it appeared power generated at a refurbished plant would not be competitive with other sources. The plant remained closed until, after litigation, ownership was transferred to Albany Engineering Company in 2003 and generation restarted. Extensive structural repairs and enhancements were carried out to modernize the plant. Renovation plans include restoration to the original 1898 exterior appearance while maintaining output from the plant. In 2005 Albany Engineering obtained permission to study a possible additional, underground, generator unit of 20 MW rating,