Crosscut Steam Plant, North side Salt River near Mill Avenue & Washington Street, Tempe

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER ARIZ,7-TEMP,5-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The diesel plant housed unique large engines; both the diesel and steam units provided power to the cities of the Salt River Valley during World War II and the very high growth period following. The pump ditch and pond supported operation of the steam plant.

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER ARIZ,7-TEMP,5-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Barbara Behan, Salt River Project Archives Date: June 7, # CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No. AZ-20 (page 2) The steam plant of the Crosscut power facility at Salt River Project, Tempe, Arizona, has been an important part of the utility's overall power production system. The building first housed diesel engines, then steam generators, which together provided the first non-hydro power to Salt River Project customers. The diesel portion operated from until and the steam portion from to Both diesel and steam operations were important power sources to the communities of the Salt River Valley, including Phoenix, during the second World War and following, when the Valley experienced tremendous business and population growth.

Throughout its history, the diesel/steam t plant was significant both to the utility and the surrounding community. As a historic engineering facility, it represented both standard practices and some unique features in power generation of that period. I. Background: Electric Service at Salt River Project A. Project History. One of two major power providers to the metropolitan Phoenix area in Maricopa County, Arizona, the Salt River Project has a history dating before statehood. It was established as a federal reclamation project to provide a stable supply of irrigation water to the farmers of the arid Salt River Valley. Between and U.S. Reclamation Service (U.S.R.S.) engineers oversaw the construction of the Theodore Roosevelt Dam on the Salt River northeast of the town of Phoenix.

,> This dam was the cornerstone of the Salt River Project, which now CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No. AZ-20 (page 3) manages seven dams on two rivers, an extensive canal network, and a modern electric generation and transmission system. The U.S.R.S. began generating power at Roosevelt Dam as early as First conceived to promote irrigation, the Salt River Project only gradually developed its role as the state's second largest electric utility. Over its history, the Project has operated according to a historical reclamation principle whereby a small amount of revenues generated from power production is applied to the cost of providing water. That concept is still in effect at Salt River, although the electric side of the company has come to dominate in many ways.

Organizationally, Salt River Project is divided into two separate entities which reflect its dual role of water and power f provider. The Salt River Valley Water Users Association (Association) was formed in and was responsible for building and managing the Crosscut diesel/steam plant in its early years. The Association still operates the Project's water system. In the Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District (District) was incorporated as a political subdivision of the state of Arizona. The District holds ownership of all Project properties except dams and the canal system, which the U.S. government owns. In the District took over operation of the power production side of the organization.

In when the diesel portion of the Crosscut facility was built, Salt River Project's electric system was entirely hydropowered. It had expanded significantly since the initial generation at Roosevelt Dam to include hydro plants at three more CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No. AZ-20 (page 4) dams on the Salt River: Horse Mesa, Mormon Flat, and Stewart Mountain. In addition, there were four smaller hydro plants on Salt River Project canals. One of these was the Crosscut hydro plant near Tempe, the site of which was later expanded to house the Crosscut diesel and steam units. B. Growth of SRP Electric System. In the Salt River Project's electric customer base expanded rapidly.

In the Association delivered its first electricity to residential customers, where previously it had sold power only for irrigation pumping, mining, and some small industries. The move to residential service was primarily in response to shareholders in the Association, farmers who could not get power from other providers because rural customers generally were not profitable. In the late twenties, the residential base greatly increased under a "Valley Electrification" program. By the end of the twenties, the Salt River Project electrified rural area was the largest in the world.

Like many parts of the country, the communities of the Salt River Valley were hit with economic hard times during the Great Depression of the Agriculture and mining, two of the state's most important industries, both suffered. Many farmers Salt River Project, "Long-Range Electric System Plan Phase 1 Study Report: History of Electric System," by Frank V. Martos and Jerry D. Smith, May SRP Archives, 4, Grasmoen, Hudson, "Crosscut--Forty Years of Power Plant Progress," paper prepared for the American Institute of Electrical Engineers Meeting, Phoenix, August SRP Archives, 1. CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No. AZ-20 (page 5) with membership in the Salt River Valley Water Users' Association were unable to pay assessments for their water, creating financial difficulties within the Association.

Partially in response to this, a new organization "with boundaries and interest practically identical to those of the Association" was formed in and named the Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District (District). 2 The District contracted with the Association to continue operating the power and water facilities of the Salt River Project, as the two organizations now jointly were called. Set up as a political subdivision of the state of Arizona, the District was able to refinance existing Association bonds at a lower rate because of tax advantages granted to public agency bonds. In the Association transferred management of the power system to the District.

As the thirties progressed, there were signs of economic recovery in the Salt River Valley and the Agriculture was the region's largest industry, and Phoenix was the trading center for Maricopa County. After domestic and rural customers increased and the Association made improvements to its system, including the completion of Bartlett Dam on the Verde River. By 70% of Maricopa County retail trade took place in Phoenix, although only 35% of the county's population lived there. A drought in the late thirties and early forties caused power 4 2 "Long-Range Plan," 11. CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No. AZ-20 (page 6) rationing in some areas. In response, the Association purchased considerable quantities of power, primarily from the United States and the Arizona Power Authority (Hoover Dam).

During the early years of the second world war, load growth in service territory continued to expand. Through all this, it became clear that the Project needed additional generating capacity. The Crosscut diesel and steam plants were designed to meet this need. During and after the Second World War, the Salt River Valley saw enormous population growth and economic expansion. Wartime industries prospered in Phoenix and surrounding communities, and post-war growth was especially impressive. Salt River Project's electric system was an important part of this development. f II. Overview of Crosscut Facility A. Construction. In the Association built the Crosscut hydro generating plant as a source of auxiliary power.

Its construction added nearly forty percent to the Project's generating capacity. It was built on the new Crosscut Canal between the Association's Grand and Arizona canals, in Sec. 9 of Township 1 North, Range 4 East, Gila and Salt River Baseline Meridian. This location was selected because two major electric distribution lines passed nearby. The hydro plant provided an important source of power before the Crosscut steam plant was 3 Ibid., 13, 15; Bradford Luckingham, Phoenix: The History of a Southwestern Metropolis (Tucson: University of b Arizona Press, CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No. AZ-20 (page 7) built, particularly when there were problems at the larger hydro * 4 plant at Roosevelt Dam.

From the time the Crosscut hydro plant was installed until development of the diesel and steam plants, there were few substantial changes at the Crosscut facility. Then from Salt River Project began expanding its power resources in response to shortages, load growth, and a desire to ease the system's reliance on hydropower. The Project constructed the Crosscut diesel plant in In it contracted with the U.S. Department of the Interior for the purchase of power from Parker Dam on the Arizona-California border as another way to add power resources. The following year, the diesel plant building was expanded to house three steam generating units.

A fourth t permanent steam unit was added in Another important program occurred at Crosscut from about when the SRP electric system was largely converted to 60-cycle from 25-cycle, which was becoming obsolete nationwide. Up to this time, only about a quarter of SRP power was 60-cycle, and a frequency changer existed at the Crosscut site to connect the two separate systems. The first unconverted 60-cycle power was produced at the hydro plant in The diesel units and first three steam units were installed as 25-cycle and later converted; the fourth steam unit produced only 60-cycle power. After the conversion program, only a small proportion of 25-cycle 4 Grasmoen, "Crosscut Forty Years," 1; "Crosscut," The "Current" News (November, 6. * CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No.

AZ-20 (page 8) power was produced for use by some irrigation pumping and mining customers; this lasted until Functions at the Crosscut facility have continued to evolve since the early fifties. Although the diesel and steam units are no longer in service, the hydro plant still produces power during the hot summer months. In addition, the facility today houses central construction and maintenance services for the Project as well as warehouses, records storage, a garage, and administrative offices. B. Production Statistics. During the years when electric system was expanded to meet the growing demand for electricity locally, the Project provided power to a variety of customers (See Fig. 1).

Among the largest users were the mines t near the towns of Globe, Miami, Superior, and others east of the Salt River Valley; other major purchasers of power were local municipalities and utilities, and farmers using electricity for irrigation pumping. Salt River Project also used some of the power itself, as did Valley industries, especially after the start of the war. The addition of the diesel and steam units at Crosscut provided an alternative to hydropower, which relied on the whims of nature to provide the needed amount of water. However, even after the steam unit was built, the Project's main resource was hydro generation (see Fig. 2). It also continued to purchase large quantities of power, especially during the war years. CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No. AZ-20 (page 9) Fig.

1 DISTRIBUTION OF POWER SALES BY YEAR User Percent of Total Mines Municipalities/Util.'s Irrigation Pumping Industrial .8 1.0 3.8 Cotton Gins .2 .1 .1 Misc. 2.3 1.0 2.1 Rural Domestic Service 3.4 4.4 4.1 SRP Uses 3.4 9.6 Fig. 2 DISTRIBUTION OF POWER SOURCES BY YEAR t Type Percent of Total Hydropower Purchased Power Diesel Power 1.4 4.5 1.0 Steam Power 3.0 Source: SRP Annual Histories SRP Archives). 4 CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No. AZ-20 (page 10) III. Crosscut Diesel Plant A. Background. The purpose for constructing the diesel plant was partly to provide an alternate source of power that did not depend on water. Originally, the Association produced power only as a by-product to delivering irrigation water.

As the Project's electric service area grew, it needed an auxiliary power source that was not tied to irrigation demand. The diesel plant provided this. It also would replace power purchased from Central Arizona Light and Power Company, a predecessor to Arizona Public Service Company, under a contract which expired in At the time the plant was built, diesel electric power plants were common across the country- For example, a engineering publication noted that diesel plants were in use at hotels, ice plants, farms, mines, leather factories, newspaper plants, for standby use in hospitals and libraries, and other industries. Many municipal utilities nationwide also employed diesel engines for power generation. B. Construction.

The diesel plant, as constructed, comprised the north end of the existing steam plant building. It was separated from the hydro generating building because that structure was not large enough to accomodate it. It appears that engineers designed the original diesel plant building to accomodate at least some additional equipment in the future, but 5 Roe, "Brief History, Electric Power Generation at (July 16, SRP Archives, 1; "Long Range Plan," 6 The Engineering Index CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No. AZ-20 (page 11) even this was not large enough to hold all the steam units the Project eventually required. The general contractor for the plant was Peterson, and Vinson and Pringle Co.

was the 7 subcontractor that began work on September 28, The building was constructed with reinforced concrete foundations, footings and floors. Steel structural framing was used for the columns, beams, bracing and window casements. A somewhat unique feature for the period was concrete panels on the sides and roof. The low pressure/temperature piping in the plant is mostly flanged construction, and higher pressure/temperature Q pipes are of welded construction. The diesel plant had kw generating capacity furnished by two 24 x 36-inch double-acting, 2-cycle engines capable of flk producing bhp (brake horse power). Both were manufactured ^ by the Hooven, Owens and Rentschler Company, a division of General Machine Corporation of Hamilton, Ohio.

They featured a scavenging loop system called the M.A.N. design which was German in origin and produced in the U.S. by the General Machine Corp. Many of the enginesf parts were manufactured in Germany (see Appendix A for additional engineering details) . In addition to the engines, the diesel plant housed two KVA, 25-cycle generators and auxiliaries for them direct connected to the Henshaw to Stevens Manning, Sept. 20, SRP Archives; Interview with Don Sguire, Salt River Project, Nov. 9, SRP Annual History. o Memorandum from Don Sguire, Salt River Project, April 19, CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No. AZ-20 (page 12) engines. Engineers designed the plant to be operated completely independent of the hydro plant, anticipating that the diesels 9 would require little attention.

Salt River's diesel engines were unique in that they were very large, mechanically complex, and uncommon in the United States. In they were the largest diesels in the country, along with some of the same type at Vernon, California. The largest diesel in the world, located at a Copenhagen, Denmark utility, delivered bhp compared to for these. At the time the SRP diesels were installed, two-cycle engines were common, especially for ones with high A diesel engineering trend at the time was toward refinement and enlargement of size, which was reflected in engines. Although smaller designs were simpler, the large models offered higher capacity per 4- 10 unit.

The cost of building the diesel plant was The Association funded the construction; however, a internal report states that its ownership was "vested" in the U.S. Government. The plant was completed in with the units going on line in May and December of that year. 9 General Machine Corp., "Instruction Book Hamilton M.A.N. Diesel Engine," SRP Crosscut Steam Plant Office Files; Interview with Don Squire; Grasmoen, "Crosscut--Forty Years," 2. Howard E. Degler, "Five Years' Progress of Oil and Gas Power," Transactions of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers 61 (Oct. XT 11 Roe, "Brief History," 16. CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No. AZ-20 (page 13) C- Fuel. The engines were designed to use industrial-quality diesel oil.

From early in their careers at however, a lower-quality fuel was used, probably for economical reasons. Because of this, the diesels had maintenance problems later that became quite expensive for the Project. At some point before the diesels were put out of regular service, SRP personnel experimented with other, less expensive fuels, including heavy oil and natural gas. Two supervisors of the plant thought the units could operate economically on natural gas, but by the time they reached this conclusion, upper management had decided to retire the diesel plant. 12 D. ' Operation and Production. Relative to other parts of the Project's electric system, the diesel plant had a short working life.

Its peak production years were and after which power from Parker Dam was available to the Association via a U.S. Bureau of Reclamation contract. In the plant's net delivered output rose again when post-war industry boomed in Phoenix (see Fig. 3). Originally, engineers designed the diesel plant to be operated separately from the hydro plant that already existed at the Crosscut site. However, when the plant was finished, the 12."Interview with Don Squire; Interview with John Rich, Phoenix, Ari zona, Dec. 4, CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No. AZ-20 (page 14) i Fig. 3

Diesel Plant Net Delivered Power

Year Net KWH Source: SRP Annual Histories Archives) t CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No. AZ-20 (page 15) t diesel plant's electrical control board was located in the hydro plant structure to be operated by the employee responsible for the hydro control board. This was partly due to a separation of labor that existed at that time. There were men who operated the electrical systems and different men to run the boilers and water systems and other machinery. Since there was already an electrical control employee for the hydro plant, it made sense for him to operate the diesel controls as well. In modern diesel and hydro plants, one person can do all the work required."1" The diesel engines at Crosscut were installed to produce 25-cycle power.

When Salt River Project began the program to convert its system to 60-cycle in the diesels were not converted. Power from the diesel plant continued to supply the mining customers east of Phoenix. D. Retiring the Diesel Plant. In the Association took the Crosscut diesel plant out of regular service due to high fuel and maintenance costs which made it economically less attractive than steam power. In addition, it would have been necessary to convert the engines to 60-cycle for them to be economical for the future. The Project used the diesel plant as a source of standby power until the mid-sixties, and in decided to sell the engines. This included marketing the units to Third World countries. No satisfactory sale was arranged, 13 Interview with Don Squire. t CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No.

AZ-20 (page 16) however, and in the Association sold the diesel engines to a $ scrap metal firm. IV. CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT Only three years after the diesel plant was built at Salt River Project's Crosscut facility, the building was expanded to make room for steam generating units. The steam function soon came to dominate the diesel operation, and the entire building was recognized primarily as the Crosscut steam plant. A. Background. In there was a severe power shortage at Salt River Project and the surrounding communities. Droughts had seriously affected hydropower supplies, and demand for electricity was growing in an expanding local economy. Salt River Project decided to install a steam generating plant at its Crosscut facility that year, and by three steam units were operating.

Almost immediately, the war economy in the SRP service territory began to grow rapidly as new military facilities, industries supporting the war effort, and workers moved into the Salt River Valley. The additional power from the steam plant was an essential part of efforts to meet the new demand. This growth continued through the forties and fifties, so that by 14 Interview with John Rich; Parsons, Brmckerhoff, Hall and MacDonald, Engineers, "Report on Additional Power Generating Facilities for the Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District, Phoenix, Arizona" (New York: Dec, SRP Archives Library, 14; Interview with Don Squire; Alexander to George Nielsen, May 6, SRP Archives; t Smith to Lin Bowling, August 17, SRP Records CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No.

AZ-20 (page 17) the Phoenix population had increased from in to i twenty years later. Steam generation was a logical choice for Salt River Project, as it was common in the utility industry. From before the turn of this century, steam power has been an important part of industrial America. C.A. Parsons designed the "first practical multi-stage [steam] turbine" in and his designs 1 ft were standards for several decades. Steam power plants were the primary provider of energy for industrial purposes in the United States in the late twenties. By the time SRP built the Crosscut steam plant, steam generation accounted for approximately 65% of all electricity produced at stationary power plants.

17 Steam units could be located at the Crosscut site because there was ample water available from wells and canals in the vicinity. Steam plants typically did not compete economically with hydro units, but could be operated in conjunction with them 1R in a mutually beneficial way. 15 Luckingham, Phoenix, -1 c Harris, "The Parsons Centenary A Hundred Years of Steam Turbines," Proceedings of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers 198A No. 9 17 Gebhardt, Steam Power Plant Engineering (New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1; Thomas E. Butterfield, Burgess H. Jennings, and Alexander W. Luce, Steam and Gas Engineering (New York: D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., 2 18 Butterfield, et al., Steam and Gas, 1; 2erban and Nye, I Power Plants, 3. CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No. AZ-20 (page 18) B.

Construction and Design. By September 20, the $ Association had contracted with Moore and Co. Engineers, Inc., of San Francisco, California, for engineering, equipment, and construction of most of the Crosscut steam plant. Salt River Project engineers were responsible for designing some of the electrical work. The first three units were installed during the following year and began trial operation in November and December, In May Salt River Project formally accepted the plant and the trial period ended. The three original turbine generators were 25-cycle, KVA, KW units manufactured by General Electric.

They featured "impulse blade path design" rather than reaction design, the traditional Parsons design of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century (See Appendix B for additional engineering details). Three boilers produced the supply of steam and were designed to run on natural gas or fuel oil. These were made by the Babcock and Wilcox company, and the condensers by Worthington. To install the new machinery, it was necessary to expand the existing building, and to lower the floor four feet below that of the diesel plant area. In addition, the Southern Pacific Company installed two industrial spur railroad tracks to the south end of the structure. 19 19 Interview with Don Squire; Cummings to Lawson, Oct.

25, SRP Archives; Contract between Salt River Valley Water Users' Association and Southern Pacific Co., April 7, I SRP Archives. CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No. AZ-20 (page 19) All the equipment was considered standard for the period, and the overall plant design was not uncommon. In fact, one $ former manager of the steam plant described the cycle design as perhaps a bit outdated, although very suitable for a utility the size of It was a simple, "classic header system" in which the turbines were connected to a main steam header and could operate in conjunction with any of the boilers. This was a standard arrangement in the utility industry at the time. 20 To finance the construction of the plant, the Association used funds collected by a District bond issue.

In it was estimated that the entire project would cost $2 million, but in the actual costs incurred were over As with the Crosscut diesel plant, one record from the construction period states that ownership of the steam facility was "vested in" the U.S. Government. 21 C. Additions to Steam Plant. The Crosscut steam plant became operational at the very outset of a period of rapid load growth for the Salt River Project. To meet some of the new demand, the Association augmented the capacity of the steam plant by leasing a U.S. Navy mobile steam generating unit from adding a fourth permanent turbine generator in and installing three additional boilers in 1A ^ Interview with Don Squire. 21 Henshaw to Stevens Manning, Sept. 20, SRP I Archives; Roe, "Brief History," 17.

CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No. AZ-20 (page 20) l - t Mobile Unit, After the end of World War II, the Project faced inadequate power supplies to the point of rationing power in some instances. Probably through political relationships at the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the Association arranged with the U.S. Navy to rent one of two mobile steam generating plants designed as emergency power sources for shipyards or bombed areas. The two identical units were built on railroad cars during the war by General Electric. One was located at the Mare Island Navy Yard in San Francisco Bay, California, and the other at Philadelphia.

The Project rented the Mare Island unit.*- Salt River Project was "one of seven urgent applicants for use of [the] unit," and took delivery of it in The Navy had never used it during the war. The plant consisted of six cars holding a boiler and auxiliaries, steam turbine generator and auxiliaries, electrical switchgear, a transformer and other auxiliary equipment. All this was similar enough to the Crosscut steam plant machinery that Project employees could operate it with relative ease. Personnel from the Mare Island yard accompanied the railroad cars to the Crosscut facility and remained for about three months to set it up and train Association crews. A new railroad spur line was required to bring the cars near the existing plant.

According to one source, 22 "The steam electric generating plant...," Current News (July 3; Interview with John Rich, "The steam-electric generating plant...," 3. CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No. AZ-20 (page 21) the Association paid the Navy a day to rent the mobile steam plant. / By early the Association was making plans to return the unit. The Navy wanted it back, and the Association had ordered a fourth turbine generator to install in the Crosscut steam plant for additional power. In late summer of a Crosscut supervisor accompanied the mobile unit on a four-day rail journey to Mare Island. 25 2. Fourth Steam Unit.

To supplement the original Crosscut steam plant and replace power provided by the Navy mobile plant, the Association installed a fourth steam unit in This had KW capacity and produced 60-cycle power from the outset (the original three units were KW; two of them were converted from 25-cycle after Like the original three units, the fourth steam turbine used impulse blade path design (See Appendix B). 3. Additional Boilers. In the late the Association added three new boilers to the steam plant to supply steam for the fourth unit. These were compact "express type" marine boilers featuring single-pass, header-type design and manufactured by the Babcock and Wilcox company, which also built the steam plant's original boilers.

The marine units were built 24 Ibid., Interview with John Rich; "Crosscut," Current News, 8. " Charles E. Blaine to O.L. Norman, April 16, SRP Archives Interview with John Rich. : CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No. AZ-20 (page 22) for Navy ships but had never been used, and were sold as surplus / material after the war. They were considerably smaller than the steam plant's other boilers, and contained turbine-driven fans which were unusual for a utility to use. D. Fuel. The cost of fuel historically was one of the largest single expenses incurred in steam power generation, often amounting to half the total operating costs. 27 Fuels were an important part of the Crosscut power production system, to the degree that their costs could help determine whether a plant stayed open or not.

At the steam plant, the primary fuels were oil and natural gas. Originally, it used mainly residual fuel oil of the standard specification for most utilities in the western United States. The Association received shipments of oil by rail. In the early forties, the first natural gas was used in the steam plant, and this use increased with the addition of a natural gas line supplying the Crosscut site after the end of the war. This was a six-inch line installed between the steam plant and a distribution site for El Paso Natural Gas located at Street and Hardy in Tempe. Throughout the mid-forties, the steam plant burned both oil and natural gas.

Natural gas was increasingly the fuel of choice as it was cheaper to buy and cleaner to burn SRP historic photos dated show the three marine boilers being installed that year; other sources say they were put in later; "Crosscut," Current News, 8; Vail to O.L. Norman, April 29, SRP Archives; Interview with Don Squire 27 Gebhardt, Power Plant Engineering, 25. CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No. AZ-20 (page 23) t than oil. By it appears that the Project was using only- natural gas in the steam plant. The fuel cost was per cubic feet; the Association's total cost for natural gas in was Fuel for the mobile steam plant for its short career at Salt River Project was also important. The unit used both oil and natural gas, probably in similar proportions to the stationary steam plant. D.

Plant Laboratory. The steam/diesel plant building housed a laboratory that the Association used primarily to monitor and regulate chemical balances in water used in the machinery. This included checking feedwater and boiler water for oxygen, pH balance, hardness, chlorides, solids, alkalinity, phosphates, oil, organic matter, and other substances. Other possible functions were testing oil samples and preparing and analyzing other solutions required in operating the equipment. The Project employed at least one chemist to staff the laboratory. 29 TQ Interview with Don Squire; Interview with John Rich; "Steam Costs," unpublished report, SRP Archives,* Parsons, et al., "Additional Power Facilities," 15. 29 Relfe to J.A. West, Dec.

17, SRP Archives; Babcock and wilcox Co., "Instructions for the Care and Operation of B & W Equipment for the SRVWUA, Phoenix, Arizona, for Tempe, Arizona," SRP Archives; "Crosscut Steam Plant Lab Manual," SRP Archives. CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No. AZ-20 (page 24) E. Indian Bend Pond and Pump Ditch. The Association used a # combination of water sources to supply the various needs at the overall Crosscut facility. These included wells, the Grand Canal which runs just south of the Crosscut site, and a small waterway called the Indian Bend pump ditch. The water systems for the steam plant were an important part of the facility design. An integral part of the steam plant operation was a small pond used to hold water from the Indian Bend pump ditch.

Its primary purpose was to supply "makeup" water to the cooling tower for the steam plant. This was one of the most important water systems at the Crosscut facility.30 (See Photos HAER No. A2-20-A) The Indian Bend ditch was originally built as a channel for waste irrigation water. In Association Engineer T.A. Hayden arranged with property owners east of the Crosscut site for the construction of a ditch to move water from their land to the Salt River bed. The ditch head was located near a natural drainage channel known as Indian Bend Wash, then travelled generally south and west to the river bed. Probably in the late the ditch was connected to the Association's Grand Canal near the Crosscut facility site to make use of the ditch water in 30 Interview with Don Squire.

The pond has mistakenly been called a "fire pond" and its purpose thought to be providing water to put out fires. Another water system, not connected to the Indian Bend pond, existed for this purpose at the steam plant, although pond water may have been used in an emergency. Correspondence with Moore and Co., the steam plant engineers, confirms that the main purpose for the pond was to provide makeup water to the cooling tower (files in SRP X Archives). CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No. AZ-20 (page 25) the Project's irrigation system. The Association also installed f wells in the Indian Bend area to augment its water supply, and the ditch carried this water as well.

By two other sources of water occasionally appeared in the ditch: street drainage from the City of Scottsdale, and storm water from the Indian Bend TT x. 31 Wash. Like the ditch, the site of the Indian Bend pond also was in use before the steam plant was built. The first structure there was a pumphouse containing a shallow well to supply water to the Crosscut diesel plant. The water table was only about 24 feet below the surface in that location. In the Project approved work on the Indian Bend ditch to include underground piping of a segment. In the Association and its consulting engineers were planning the construction of the steam plant, and decided to use water from the Indian Bend pump ditch in the circulating water system.

Several 25-cycle pumps were installed near the former diesel plant well, and a holding pond excavated. The pond was constructed so that only pump ditch water would normally collect there, but water from the Grand Canal could also be used if necessary. The engineers considered putting the pump 31 "A Study of the Indian Bend Wells and Irrigation Facilities: Their Use and Improvement," by R. Juetten, ca. SRP Records SRP Annual History; A. Lee Talbot to Chet Andrews, July 21, SRP Records X CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No. AZ-20 (page 26) controls at the steam plant but finally decided to install them # at the pond site itself. 32 Over the span of its useful life, the Indian Bend pond primarily provided makeup water for the cooling tower of the steam plant.

However, in the early years of the steam plant, the Association used pond water for the condensers in the circulating water system for the plant. Water was pumped to basins near the cooling tower, through the condensers, and then returned to a channel leading to the Grand Canal. To make the most of the water, the Project installed a small 25-cycle hydro generating unit on the bank of this channel, the tailrace of the Crosscut Canal, directly across from the main Crosscut hydro plant. Water that had been used in the condensers passed through the hydro unit on its way back to the Grand Canal. This system apparently was fairly successful from an engineering standpoint, but the water contained minerals which, over time, built up on some of the machinery controlling water flow.

This caused enough problems in the overall circulating water system that the entire steam plant occasionally had to be shut down. Eventually the small hydro unit was shut down. It remains standing today, but has not been maintained. 33 (See Photos HAER No. AZ-20-B) 32 Diesel plant right of way drawing, Indian Bend Pump Ditch Work Order, approved Dec. 4, SRP Annual History; Lawson to Cummings, Feb. 21, SRP Archives; Interview with Don Squire; Interview with John Rich; Correspondence with Moore and Co., SRP Archives. 33 Interview with John Rich; Interview with Gene Ayers, Salt t River Project, Nov. 9, CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No. AZ-20 (page 27) After the Indian Bend pond was constructed, there were few # substantial additions or alterations.

However, the Project faced problems with trespassers in the fifties and sixties because the pond became known as "one of the best fishing holes in the [Salt River] Valley." Fishermen frequently destroyed the fences around the pond. In addition, vandals had destroyed considerable amounts of property in and around the pumping plant. In the late fifties, Project management was very concerned about these problems because of the importance of the pond to the operation of the steam plant, and also because of the safety hazards they posed. In and again in new fencing was installed to try to keep trespassers out. It is possible that other new fences had to be put in at other times as well.

At least by the early seventies, the Association had abandoned the Indian Bend pumping plant (the steam plant last produced power for the SRP electric system in The pond and a portion of the pump ditch near the Crosscut facility were destroyed in to facilitate re-routing of Washington Street in Tempe. 34 Weesner to Whalin, August 7, SRP Records 35 Morong to F.E. Ealy, Feb. 14, and Preliminary Construction Budget Request for Chain Link Fence at Indian Bend Pumping Plant, Aug. 29, both from SRP Records A May, memorandum from Chet Andrews to Bob Earll, both of indicates that the pump ditch near the pond was in a state of disrepair, and likely disuse, at that time. From SRP X Records CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No. AZ-20 (page 28) F. Use and Operation of Steam Plant.

The Crosscut steam # plant, augmented by the diesel plant, was Salt River's only- source of self-generated power not produced by hydroelectricity during the high-growth years of the forties. As such, it was an important part of the electric system, without which the Project might not have met its customer needs. In the early fifties, Salt River built a second steam plant, the Kyrene Generating Station, at Tempe. After this time, the Crosscut steam plant was not needed for full capacity operation to the degree it had in the past, although it continued to produce power for about twenty more years. In national power costs were comparable to what they had been in Although loads had increased greatly, operating efficiency promoted throughout the industry was successfully keeping costs down.

Management at the Crosscut steam plant worked hard to meet high standards for operation and safety. From plant personnel received company awards for "no lost time accidents," skipping only the year The plant's cleanliness, "one of the hallmarks of operating efficiency," was especially noteworthy. 37 37 Zerban and Nye, Power Plants, 1; "John Pioneered Concepts that Shaped Project Pulse (July 20, 8; Crosscut steam plant office materials; Captain Burr W. Leyson, The Miracle of Light and Power (New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., 27. % CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No. AZ-20 (page 29) G. Retiring the Steam Plant. Sometime in the early seventies, the Project decided to discontinue operation of the steam plant. Throughout that decade and in light of uncertainties in the national power industry.

Salt River kept open the possibility of starting up the steam plant again. In it appeared that to do this would require major work on the cooling tower, which was in a state of serious disrepair. In actuality the plant never did produce power for the electric system after The Project sold some of the steam plant machinery for scrap. Today, the turbines and boilers remain in the building along with various other parts. It was considered more expensive to move these than to leave them in place. 39 V. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS * The Crosscut facility at Salt River Project is historically significant in many ways. The entire site is one of the oldest continuously operating locations in the Project.

It was here that the company first branched out from hydropower, first to diesel and then to steam electric generation. Historically, the site was unique because hydro, steam, and diesel generating operations functioned simultaneously, an unusual occurrence in 38 Interview with Don Squire; Hitt to Randy Dietrich, Nov. 13, SRP Records Carl Sparks to John McNantara, April 19, SRP Records 39 Interview with Don Squire, CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No. AZ-20 (page 30) the utility industry. It was made even more so by the addition t of the railroad-mounted mobile steam plant after World War II.

The Crosscut diesel plant was an important generating resource during its regular operating career, It offered relief from dependence on water power and, as such, marked the first departure from an electric system built wholly on hydro generation. In and it was especially productive before Salt River Project began receiving purchased power from Parker Dam. The diesel plant is significant in the history of engineering because the engines it contained were large, complex, and rare in the United States. Very few units like them were operating in the country when the SRP plant was built, and this type of engine was the largest capacity operating f in America.

The steam plant at Crosscut was important to the company because it produced reliable power during a high growth period, particularly the forties and fifties. In addition, it was the first of several projects in steam generation in which SRP participated. The plant represents standard design and machinery for the period in which it was built, as well as some unique features. It was unusual that SRP acquired rights to rent the mobile steam plant from the U.S. Navy in the immediate post-war years. This unit furnished much-needed power for the expanding local economy in the period before Salt River Project installed the fourth unit in the Crosscut steam plant. In addition, the three marine boilers added to the steam plant in were unique simply because they were designed for use on a ship.

The steam % CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No. AZ-20 (page 31) plant as a whole was an integral part of the SRP electric system # during its operational life. {For additional information on the Crosscut Hydro Plant, see HAER No. AZ-30) t CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No. AZ-20 (page 32) APPENDIX A # CROSSCUT DIESEL PLANT ENGINEERING DETAILS 2 Engines Identical hp Rating 167 rpm 8 cylinder, 2 cycle, double acting, crosshead piston design. Water cooled pistons and fuel valves (injectors); solid injection. Electric motor operated scavenging air blower - 400 hp Closed cooling system: common to two engines Heat exchanger cooling medium: irrigation canal water or fluor atmospheric cooling tower. Lube Oil System Centrifuge and Fullers earth filters used on sump oil. Straight mineral oil (no detergent).

Sump capacity gals. Electric auxiliary oil pump for starting and stopping. Fuel System main storage tank 3 - gal. day tanks 2 - Sharpies centrifuges 2 - Honan-Crane filters Electrical System General Electric Generators, Direct Connected Exciters KVA Volts KW 25 Cycle Normal Operating Load - KW Maximum Emergency Load - KW Starting System Compressed air - 900 psi 2-stage compressor 4 - storage bottles Fuel 22 gravity 5% carbon residue sulphur Daily consumption 150 hrs,/engine at KW Source: Equipment Inventory, ca. SRP Archives t CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No, AZ-20 (page 33) Engine Construction. "The engine is of the double-acting, two-cycle, diesel type, with 8 cylinders of 24" diameter and # 36" stroke. The effective area on the lower cylinder is of the area of the upper cylinder.

The engine normally develops approximately at 167 with an effective mean pressure of 66# per square inch, and with a corresponding indicated horsepower of which gives a mean indicated pressure on top of and bottom This gives the engine a mechanical efficiency of The main features of construction are: a) Vertical type with crosshead construction. b) The injection of the fuel is of the so-called Solid Injection System. c) Each cylinder side has its own fuel pump. For the lower side, a special distributor is provided to take care of the even distribution to both the fuel valves. The regulation of the fuel oil supply is controlled by the governor, keeping the engine at normal speed for all loads. The overspeed governor shuts the engine down should the speed exceed 16% above normal.

The hand control of the fuel is used in starting. d) The scavenging air is supplied by electrically operated Turbo Blower." Working Principles of Engine. "The engine operates on the double-acting, two-cycle principle; i.e., at each revolution, both on top as well as on the bottom, the compression stroke, firing, and expansion stroke occurs, at the end of which the exhaust and scavenging takes place. The scavenging of the cylinders is carried out on the M.A.N. patented port scavenging loop system, where the scavenging air is blown into the cylinder through ports arranged below the exhaust port on the same side of the cylinder. Both scavenging and exhaust ports are controlled by the piston.

The scavenging air sweeps across the piston and is deflected by the piston to the opposite cylinder wall towards the top, then returns along the cylinder head and flows back along the other side of the cylinder wall to the exhaust ports. On the bottom side the scavenging port is directed in such a way that the scavenging air passes on both sides of the piston rod without interference from it. The engine is started by the use of compressed air; each lower cylinder side has one starting valve, which is automatically operated as soon as the starting air line is put under pressure. By starting, some fuel oil is admitted to the fuel valve, and I CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No.

AZ-20 (page 34) as soon as the first firing occurs, the starting valve acts as a check valve and prevents further starting air from being admitted to the cylinder." Source: Quoted from General Machinery Corp., "Instruction Book, Hamilton-M.A.N. Diesel Engine," (Hamilton, Ohio), Crosscut steam plant office, t CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No. AZ-20 (page 35) APPENDIX B 9 CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT ENGINEERING DETAILS (After

Turbine Room Design Data

Turbines #1 and #2 - 60 cycle General Electric Turbine and Generator 60 cycle, geared unit (converted from 25 cycle) Turbine speed rpm Generator speed 720 rpm 10 pole Throttle pressure 410 psig Throttle temp. 750 F.

16 stages Bleed points for regenerative feedwater heating 4th stage - feedwater heater and evaporator coils 9th stage - " " stage - " " Generator ratings KW KVA Volt Turbine #3 - 25 cycle Turbine and gear reducer identical to Units #1 and #2 Turbine speed rpm Generator speed 750 rpm Generator ratings KW KVA Volt Turbine #4 - 60 cycle Direct Connected Unit - General Electric Turbine and Generator Speed rpm 15-stage turbine Bleed points 6th stage - evaporator coils stage - feedwater heater Generator ratings KW KVA Volt Normal Operating Load All Machines KW I CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No. AZ-20 (page 36) 30ILER ROOM DESIGN DATA # Boilers Nos. 1, 2, 3 - Babcock and Wilcox #1 hr. integral furnace boilers Boilers Nos. 4, 5, 6 - Babcock and Wilcox #1 hr. marine type boilers.

Superheater outlet pressure - 415 psi Superheater outlet temperature - 750 F. Feedwater temperature Boilers Nos. 1, 2, 3 - 365 Boilers Nos. 4, 5, 6 - 260 inlet to economizer Fuel System Natural Gas Supplier - El Paso Natural Gas Company Require approx. cf/day Gas pressure from EPNG - psi Gas pressure at burners - 4-7 psi Fuel Oil - Standby fuel Obtained from Pacific coast rail delivery Require approx. bbl./day - full load on oil Pressure at burners - psi Temperature as fired - Boiler Feed System Approximately 1% makeup water Water is filtered, Zeolite softened and double distilled Storage for condensate - gal. Main Feed Pumps 1 steam turbine drive, centrifugal standby 4 electric, centrifugal Feedwater Control Boilers Nos. 1, 2, 3 - Bailey - 3 element Boilers Nos.

4, 5, 6 - Copes - 2 element Combustion Controls Boilers Nos. 1, 2, 3 - Bailey Automatic firing of either oil or gas Boilers Nos. 4, 5, 6 - None t CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No. AZ-20 (page 37) f CONDENSING AND CIRCULATING WATER SYSTEM Units Nos. Marley cooling tower 10-cell Induced draft Fan diameter Motor - 30 hp Quantity circulated - gpm Wet bulb approach - 17 design Circulating Water Pumps 3 - gpm Ingersoll Rand Condensers 3 - Worthington sq. ft. surface Divided water box; 2-pass Unit H Cooling Water from Cross Cut canal - no pumps Once through system Condenser Worthington - sg. ft. Divided water box; 2-pass Source: Equipment Inventory, ca. SRP Archives # CROSSCUT STEAM PLANT HAER No. AZ-20 (page 38) f I