Document 6b0dZZ3k7y0474nyNb89JKNZg

Marmaduke `Dehydrates' AjV absM--100.000X 1orps*s** of phss vtd ! <ellbrts id. sUtfron mr4MO|> In Nolta labomtarlu. Attvol dlontt> of tpkarst H 0.1S rnlfo--.OOOOOV7S lock**! Sight--lAtsrllno pcl- holdsr in *<kwhi of NoUo Uction mlcrsuops. Last week when George Edward* came to town Phil Swain reserved'one of oar private dining rooms on the 53rd floor, arid all us editors had an interest* ing time swapping experiences during lunch. George came up with' one that I wanted to get Marmaduke Surfaceblow's ideas on. So next morning I stopped in at tho-old consulting engineer's office above O'Houlihan's Machine Shop A Engine Works. The old boy seemed a little annoyed os he looked up from his roll-top desk and saw me. "George Edwards told us about some fancy trouble-shooting I'd like to get your comments on," I began. M8u.eBWATaft on troudlr smoothic," roared Manny, popping his safeties. "Ill tell you about a plant that needed dehydrating--and I'm the guy that did it--in record lime." With that the old gent shored aside The Racing Form he had been studying, plopped his feet up on his desk, and blasted away. "Bsek In 1932 I was a boiler inspec tor down in Matne. One of my plants was a small paper mill. The chief en gineer was out the first time I called, so I doubled back on my traeka a few weeks later becauae I wanted to meet him and point out a few dangerous things I found In his plant "Arriving in town that evening, I called him at his home from my hotel. I introduced myself and mentioned some of the thinga I wanted to aee him about next day. He answered the phone, said he had just arrived home and had a tough day. 'Then as an afterthought he said, to my utter surprise, "Glad you called, in spector,' because the turbines, motors, switchboards and cables in the main engine room will hove to be dehydrated.' "'Dehydrated?' I yelled Into the re ceiver, thinking I was dragging my anchor. 'Sat that acain.' "That's right,' he came back talking as if s little tired.' `You see, sir, the sprinkler heads opened up under the roof right over that equipment.' " The heads opened up?' t echoed. 'Why?' " `Well,' he said calmly, `the roof oought on firo last night, so we had to break out the hose and put the roof fire out--but that fire Is what opened up the heads.' " 'Now, wait a minute,' I eut in, get ting up a full head of steam. 'Haw come the roof was on firo?' " 'It's like this,' he explained pa tiently. That short in the bus bars, in back of our lS-panel main switchboard, set on firo the temporary plywood shield that we put over the bus!' "'Hold it again, Mac,' I yelled. `Hold It. Now--what in hell did you soy shoal a SHORT?' u 'Maybe you noticed those bus bars "4are % inch thick and four inches wide,' he explained. `Well, 15 of them burned away completely for about two feet of their length!' " 'Batten down the hatches for a sec ond,' I cut in again, 'and tell me why those bars burned.* - " That's easy,' he answered, They burned becauae ao much moisture col lected on tho bus structure that the bos bars shorted explosively and knocked, out all the power in the plant.' "By that time l was fanning mysslt with my derby and sweat was pouring down my face as though l had taken a `green one* over the bow. ** 'Listen,' I hollered into the receiver. 'How did moisture get on those bus bar* in the 6m place?' "'How?' he repeated, a little *' . noyed. "'Why, it just couldn't help getting on the bus bars because it *** (Continued on page 220) How they assist research ^toward better Water Treatment ^PERHAPS even loo small to make good marbles for ^microbes, these tiny spheres help Nalco Scientists in Vtheir investigations of the microscopic realms of matter t^i'oniy recently made visible to the human eye by the ^electron microscope. $fUie of the electron microscope in water treatment re'^search is significant because it typifies the continuing jj. efforts of the entire Nalco organization to keep the ' 'Nalco System representative of <he first and best in all phases of modern industrial water treatment % you arc not already participating in the economy and efficiency of the Nalco System in your plant, write v-for details on real water treatment security today. NATIONAL ALUMINATE CORPORATION 4222 Wvtl S6ih flees CMcogo 31, llllnoti / Canada: Airbtm Limiltd, Dnrlinglen, Ontaria SYSTEM . - Serving industry through Practical Applied Scionee RIANT OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE SECTION