Present Day Hydro Power Practise in Central Europe

This paper represents the impressions of a European trip made during the summer of the year 1929 and gives a comparative study of the conditions of European development in so far as they are either of a particular interest or different from the conditions in the United States. The advance made in Europe in the low head developments is attributed in a large part to the advanced work made in the European hydraulic laboratories and to the cooperation between the laboratory and the manufacturer of hydraulic equipment and power plant designer. The advances made in the design of the large units of Propeller and Kaplan turbines are discussed. The low head developments are stressed as the most interesting, and a short description is given of the plants in the region of the upper Rhine and the international interconnection system of this region. The extensive pumping schemes of this region are briefly described. An attempt is made to outline the power house design tendencies and the new ideas in protecting the river bed from erosion. The more interesting work done in the hydraulic laboratories is described. A short comparison between the mixing and placing of concrete as done in Europe and in the States is given.