Being a slow day, I thought I'd pass along a short story which
happened in my early days, when I was a engineering student. I suspect
many woodworkers on this NG may have similar backgrounds. Our class
was allowed to visit the Bergen Generating Station in the NJ
medowlands.

We were shown around the facility and then treated to a chalk talk
about the ME aspects of of the boiler and steam turbines we saw. The
power station at that time could be fired by steam coal or natural
gas. Our lecturer explained that the thermal efficiency of the plant
could be calculated by dividing the temperature of the cold body by
that of the hot body.

Thus the efficiency was controlled by the temperature of the cooling
water in Overpeck Creek which cooled the condensers and the maximum
steam temperature which the turbine fan blades could withstand on a
sustained basis.

We were told the plant ran at the highest possible thermal efficiency
and that your reputation as a future engineer would be made if you
could improve it one tenth of one per cent.

Pushing the envelope of technology is not easy!

Joe G