New Lexington Gas-Fired Porcelain Insulators

New Lexington Gas-Fired Porcelain Insulators.

The New Lexington High-Voltage Porcelain Company, of New Lexington, Ohio, has adopted natural gas exclusively for burning the kilns in which are fired its insulators for transmission line service. The insulator, being of vital importance to the transmission engineer, who desires to offer to his power users uninterrupted service, is worthy of the best efforts of both engineer and manufacturer. The use of the gas fire benefits the insulator very materially, the company states, in two distinct ways. First, it eliminates from the glaze of the insulator any impurities which are found there when the insulator is burned in a coal-fired kiln. There may be a considerable amount of metallic substance in the impurities, but the principal difficulty is experienced from the fact that coal contains sulphur, and this is deposited in the glaze on the insulator and causes it to arc over under test at a lower voltage than it otherwise would. After this arcing, streaks may be found on the surface of the insulator which are impossible to rub off, and are a sure telltale for sulphur in the glaze. Second, it can be readily understood that it is easier to regulate twelve gas burners by turning a valve a little one way or the other, so that the temperature in all parts of the kiln will be the same, than it is to regulate twelve coal fires to accomplish the same results. By using the gas fire a more even temperature is obtained throughout the kiln, and when the insulators are drawn from the kiln they will be of uniform color and vitrification, free from foreign matter in general, and have a clean and neat appearance.