Certainty of Operations:

Transcription

1 Certainty of Operations: the origins of reliability engineering in Boston s fire alarm and transit systems A presentation for Boston s Reliability Chapter Gilmore Cooke gilcooke@ieee.org 8 May 2013

2 Outline Introduction Electrical technology in 1850s? none William Channing s great innovation Boston s electric fire alarm system Introduce Fred Stark Pearson Electrification of Boston s rapid transit system 1889 Pearson s engineering methods and techniques New York City s electric conduit system Pearson s great hydroelectric projects Q & A

3 State Street

4 Electrical technology in 1850s? none Poor construction methods, materials, glass insulators, test instruments, few skilled technicians Telegraph lines exposed to bad weather Telegraph lines overhead on poles and roof tops. No underground yet

5 In 1852, Boston designed and built the first telegraphic fire alarm system in the world. A precursor of "Call 911 Emergency.. 5

6 William Channing Moses Farmer

7 Channing / Farmer schematic * Redundant isolated wires diagram * * * *

8 8

9 ```` 9

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11 FIRE ALARM TRANSMITTER engineered to prevent operator errors Original keyboard of 1852 Allowed the control operator to automatically initiate the correct alarm codes quickly and accurately by pressing one single button.

12 System reliable enough to give Bostonians accurate time. The city subscribed to a first class chronometer signal from Harvard s Observatory in Cambridge. Old South Church

13 22 bells were struck by telegraph at noon each day.

14 Boston s fire alarm system.. FAS saved lives, property, and preserved wealth Effectiveness in 1854: 195 alarms, 12 false alarms; 6 alarms were unexplained or false; the other 6 alarms were reported incorrectly Adopted nation wide in US and Canada: towns and cities 150 towns and cities Gamewell Fire Alarm Company was incorporated in Overall performance: in 150 years of service, the system has never once broken down. Reliability requirements adopted by the NFPA Awarded the IEEE Milestone in 2004

15 Fred Stark Pearson: Pearson s memorial in Barcelona was dedicated 19 May

16 Electrification of streetcars in 1889 was a quantum leap in engineering, construction, and manufacturing of heavy equipment. 16

17 Electric traction had iffy start

18 Central Power Station

19 Central Power Station

20 was 3 times the size of earlier generator

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22 Pearson s signature mirror image layout for operator function & piping design

23 Capacity tests with machine shop Field tested this double decker

24 CPS upgraded in 1897

25 CPS controlling room

26 The accomplishment was real! 9000 horses were replaced by electricity

27 Pearson s engineering methods included.. 1 Independent engineering review by prominent engineers 2 Rapid startup using temporary power plant 3 Layout arrangement and space for future upgrade 4 Provisions for cutover to final configuration 5 Mechanical strength: acid test for tracks, towers, piping, structure steel, foundations 6 Redundancy in mechanical, electrical cables, and piping 7 Provisions to sectionalizing and controlling duplicate equipment 8 Operator training school 9 Routine inspections of cars, etc. 10 Routine inspection of rolling stocks, surveillance stations on transmission lines 11 Company machine shops with foundry, major repairs and fabrication 12 Field trials on motors with press release to Boston Globe 13 Rapid construction 14 Periodic testing of cable 15 Trails on different types of cable insulation and manufacturers 16 In-situ tests of building steel elements 17 ISO 9000: personally addressed important problems as they occurred 18 Encouraged project engineers to write articles for Engineering News, Electrical World,

28 real and rapid accomplishments! 9000 horses were displaced in 8 years powered by a reliable network of steam power stations 28

29 The conduit system a masterpiece in electric traction 29

30 Pearson s reliability engineering ideas were imbedded in Manhattan s conduit system Metropolitan Street Railway System c Dash lines are mechanical cable Solid lines for electric conduit 30

31 The existing Siemens & Halske conduit system in Budapest 31

32 96th Street Power Plant (1897 -??) 32

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35 Redundancy was extended throughout electrical, mechanical and piping

36 Duplicate and segregated AC System 36

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38 Toronto Power Station

39 Passive duplicate ice protection

40 Ice floats over Horseshoe Falls instead of clogging up water turbines Ice barrier # 2 Ice barrier # 1

41 hydroelectric development in Necaxa Mexico

42 Mexico Light and Power Company

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44 landmark transmission lines in Brazil

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46 A magnificent avenue called the Avenida Central has been finished.. Pearson 1907 taking the public point of view as regards to certainty of operations.pearson 1900 Connected to a backup emergency generator

47 THANK YOU QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?

48 References IEEE Milestone documents Boston Electric Fire Alarm System 1852 held at the Copley branch of Boston Public Library. The Boston Electrical Handbook (AIEE), The Boston Elevated Railway Company. Boston MA, 1904, pp F.S. Pearson, The Latest Developments in Electric Conduit Railways, Cassier s Magazine, August 1899, pp Walter A. Pearson, The Electrical Distribution System of the Metropolitan Street Railway Company, New York, Street Railway Journal, October 5, 1901, pp Gilmore Cooke, The Slot in the Road: Manhattan s Forgotten Underground Electric Trolley System. Electric Power Conference on the History of Electric Power IEEE. Gilmore Cooke, An Extreme Power Engineer: the accomplishments of Fred Stark Pearson (2 parts). IEEE Power & Energy Magazine. Vol. 1 No 6 Nov/Dec 2003 and Jan/Feb and 2004 IEEE F. Koester, The Necaxa Plant, Mexican Light and Power Co, in Hydroelectric Developments and Engineering. New York: Van Nostrum, 1909, pp Stockholders Records and Corporate Records of the Somerville Electric Light Company, Boston Edison series; beginning Feb 10, Special Collection, Baker Library, Harvard Business School.

49 Photo credits Boston Public Library BFD Noonan photograph collection Bostonian Society Manufacturers trade catalogs Author s collection Others from public domain sources Contact me later for specifics