The Pratt Institute steam system

addiator

Let me first state, that as someone enthusiastic about the use of steam in all manners, be it high or low pressure, for power, heating or industry, I am amazed, and very happy to see that there is such following for steam heating. Kudos to people like Dan Holohan, who keep the knowledge alive.



Some time ago, a friend of mine from the US has turned my attention towards an incredible power plant in New York City, in Brooklyn to be exact, which is a living testament to the reliability of old time American engineering. This is the Pratt Instititute power plant, which has been preserved in all its glamour by the wonderful Conrad Milster, chief engineer. The plant is interesting, because it is probably one of the last surviving, working examples of what was once very common in NYC - it is a co-generation plant. Equipped with three AMES 75 kW steam engines from 1900, running on 120 psi, exhaust steam being used as heating steam by the institute, and the local buildings. The plant boasts three boilers, now running on natural gas, and previously on oil. As they are high pressure boilers (120 psi), they are fitted with feed pumps. When Conrad has taken position of chief engineer, steam driven feed pumps were fitted back to the system (original ones were scrapped in the 50's) in addition to electric ones. The has an exquisite marble switchboard, full of ornate meters. It is also fitted with exquisite vintage gauges all around. In the plant found home many industrial artefacts - such as a collection of whistles, which used to be blown for new years and graduation - a practice that has ended in 2014, due to the ever so common excuses of safety concerns by the administration.




And I should mention also - the place is famous as a home to many stray cats.

Why am I writing about this? Because the place is in danger. The institute administration has been fighting tooth and nail with Conrad for years, and from the cynical point of view of some people, the place is prime real estate. Conrad has been 'dealt with' by the administration, and relegated to a lower position after 50 years work. You can read about the affair here: http://gothamist.com/2016/10/06/pratt_conrad_milster_cats.php

Some more resources on the Pratt plant and mr. Milster, a true steam guru:
https://www.asme.org/getmedia/745d7e61-1b79-40cc-847e-e2c0afaeebf6/25-Pratt-Institute-Power-Plant.aspx - An article from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
- Chief engineer Conrad - a short documentary
- Conrad and the steamplant - a more recent documentary
http://steampunkworkshop.com/visit-pratt-university-steam-plant/ - a photo gallery from the plant
http://neme-s.org/2016/Pratt_Institute/pratt_institute.htm - a more boiler-centric gallery

The plant is not officially a historic landmark (which it clearly should be), so noting the administrations recent actions in regards to the plant and its CME, the situation is uncertain. I hope, that maybe here, we can find someone who could help preserve the plant - as I am sure I will find many here who will at least appreciate it!

I had considered adding this to another category, possibly "Politics of heating", but in the end this one seamed most appropriate.

Jamie Hall

Have you tried contacting the National Trust for Historic Preservation (https://savingplaces.org/)? They might have some ideas to help. But in these politically correct and profit centric times, I wouldn't hold my breath.

Bio

I was there this past summer and that Steam engine room is just AMAZING!, did a tour around the facilities where every room still had radiators (two pipe)

I believe that Steam engine still generates power to all sorrounding buildings, it will be a shame if it's taken down

gerry gill

AWESOME!

Fred

@Jamie Hall Anyone can nominate a property for the National Registry but the owner(s) have to agree to allow it to be registered. Also, unfortunately, once it's on the registry, it isn't protected from demo/removal. As you say, they may offer some suggestions but, at the end of the day, the titled owner(s) holds all the cards and have to be willing to cooperate. Sounds like they have made a decision in favor of immediate financial gain over historic significance. Probably only a significant pubic outcry and a lot of potentially adverse implications for the Pratt Institute can change minds.

Fred

This power Plant has already been named a National Engineering Landmark. You may be able to leverage that status and, if they do intend to eliminate that facility, I believe they must provide a substantial mitigation plan. @addiator , Do you know if they actually want/intend to try to do away with this facility and market the land or are they just retiring its chief engineer? Are they wanting to sell the facility, intact, in hopes that a new owner will assume responsibility for its historic significance or is it their intent to clear the land for redevelopment? Do they have a mitigation plan that would possibly retire and sell/donate the equipment so that a replication of the layout/configuration might be replicated elsewhere? We need to understand exactly what the intent is.
"East Hall is located directly behind Main Hall and faces Grand Walk. Designed by William Windrim, a main feature of the brick building is the large smokestack which served the Institute’s power generation plant. Within the Hall are a variety of services for students including Career Services, Student Activities, International Student Affairs, and the Pratt Chapel. Located in the lower level of the building is Pratt’s continuously operating, privately owned, steam-powered electrical generating plant built originally to serve the power needs of the school. In 1977 the facility was recognized by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and named a National Mechanical Engineering Landmark.[32] The plant, located in the basement is available for public viewing from a two-story balcony."

Jamie Hall

Fred said:

@Jamie Hall Anyone can nominate a property for the National Registry but the owner(s) have to agree to allow it to be registered. Also, unfortunately, once it's on the registry, it isn't protected from demo/removal. As you say, they may offer some suggestions but, at the end of the day, the titled owner(s) holds all the cards and have to be willing to cooperate. Sounds like they have made a decision in favor of immediate financial gain over historic significance. Probably only a significant pubic outcry and a lot of potentially adverse implications for the Pratt Institute can change minds.

True enough -- in part. No, it wouldn't be protected from demo and removal -- quite. However, if any government funds are to be used for demo or removal, a complete environmental and historical impact statement must be prepared for the work and show that the benefits outweigh the losses.

Not saying that everyone does that. There are any number of registered properties which have been bulldozed in the middle of the night by unscrupulous developers, and I'm afraid that academic institutions and government agencies are among the worst offenders.

However... since it is already an engineering landmark, it might not hurt to investigate the historical aspect as well. At least give some greedy bean counter something else to think about.

DanHolohan

Mr. Milster gave me a tour of the plant, along with Frank Gerrety, more than 20 years ago. I will never forget it. I think the university people have treated Mr. Milster with disrespect, and I've written about this in our newsletter.

Brother Pratt was a member of The General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen of the City of New York, as am I. I think he's spinning in his grave over this.

addiator

I am very happy to see that I have found like minded people here. Again, I am amazed - you folks give me hope for the future!

@Fred It is hard to say what the intent really is. What we know, is they have before made moves to redevelop staff housing on campus into expensive dorms for rich kids - and amongst others they were throwing out Mr. Milster to the curb. Thankfully in that instance the staff had the support of the press. Pratt Institute administrators are on board with gentrification. They will probably not sell their facilities, but they are eager to make money building dorms for the more affluent. For now, the power plant has been sealed, for everyone, including Conrad - despite the fact that many of the instruments and tools there are his private property! Sealing the plant is a travesty in itself, as it was clearly designed to be viewed and admired by the public.

@DanHolohan I am glad to hear that you know of the plant, and that you sir have favourable opinion of it. My friend from the US was intending to contact you about this matter, being a great admirer of your work, and I hope he will soon. It is true that Mr.Milster has been treated with disrespect. In fact, they acted like that to a lesser extent in the past. I have been told of several instances. For example, sometime in the 70's or 80's, Mr. Milster brought a AMES unaflow engine to the grounds, with the intent to use it as an AC power source for the campus - as the old engines are coupled to DC generators, and DC was being phased out at the time. The dean of grounds at the time has purposefully let in scrap thieves to steal all the bronze fittings and make the engine useless. Another instance, more recent, was when due to a hurricane most of Brooklyn went dark - but Pratt stayed lit, thanks to the DC generating engines. What was the administrations action? Instead of thanks and gratitude for the feat, they went in and ripped out the cables out of the generators, under pretences of there being asbestos in the insulation. I am not able to discern what drives those people to do all this. Maybe its just a knee-jerk reaction to something that is to great for them to understand?

Preserving something historical is only one angle from which the plants existence can be justified. But it would also be a very progressive thing to do. After all, NYU has just built a new co-generation plant. Co-generation is being pushed by the government as a way of making the energy industry more sustainable, and rightfully so. As a mechanical engineer working as a researcher in the field, I can provide a professional opinion that simply outfitting the engine-generator sets with inverters to produce AC (simple of the shelf equipment, very cheap these days, thanks to the advancements in solid state energo-electronics!) Pratt would have a state of the art co-gen plant. And they could probably get all sorts of state funding for it. If they fired the boilers with gas-turbine exhaust instead of simple burners (a more controversial idea that would need some evaluation, and more funds), the plant would be one of the most efficient (and green!) in the country, while being a great testament to turn of the century engineering. So why wont they do it? Fact of the matter is, the whole world is returning back to co-gen after a few decades of cheap and ample grid power. A few years ago, some could call the plant outdated - but it is cutting edge again!

BobC

It's sad to see a man who has worked his whole life to preserve this example of engineering excellence get tossed aside in the name of progress.

This is an example of greedy administrators torpedoing something that they don't understand, people fear what they don't understand. They will stop at nothing in their pursuit of money.

I hope there is a way to bring this to the public so they might be shamed into doing whats right.

Bob

DanHolohan

The Gothamist has been covering the story, and I've been linking to their articles in our Thursday e-newsletter.

srmaietta

I graduated Pratt in 2004... Used to love to go down there and see everything working, talking with the man himself. The steam calliope (whistles) -what a sight to behold! If this system and equipment gets ripped out that would be a monumental blunder. Plus, the room is in the basement of an administration building, smack dab in the center of the campus. Not sure what they would do with a relatively small basement level area... ?

Greedy **** with no vision except for the bottom line. Truly a shame, especially at a place like Pratt which has such a great engineering/design/art history.

With everyplace becoming more and more same-same sterile, places with treasures like this should be fighting tooth and nail to keep them! Who are these administrators? They definitely do NOT deserve to be in the position! Its sickening.

~Steve

Steam

Well, if they decide to get rid of it, I'll transform my property into the Pratt institute satelite location, provided I can generate electricity and send it to the grid.

Alot of ppl think because a system is old, it is some sort of inefficient piece of garbage. In most cases this is furthest from the truth. These systems are also durable, and last short of forever, provided they are properly maintained.

addiator

What I have so far gathered from my "informants":

• Conrad has been fired from the plant and relegated to a janitorial role in other facilities
  
• The power plant/engine room has been made "off limits" to everyone, including Conrad Milster
  
• There is a portable boiler outside
  
• There is a new chief engineer, who has spearheaded the effort to scrap all the antiques that Conrad has gathered over the years
  
• The NYT wanted to write an article, and the Pratt administration silenced them somehow. A student writing about the plant in an institute paper apparently received "a severe talking to" also
  

The portable boiler points out to them either not being able to run the plant without Milster or them fidgeting with the old boilers. Most probably both. So, can anyone from the area or the institute actually shed some light on this?

The power plant is a true treasure. The engine room is well known - and hopefully the administration will not do much damage to it. The rest of the plant is of immense value too however. Mr Milster has during his many years of service fitted it with lots of antique gauges and other machinery saved from various places - often over a 100 years old. He also kept the exquisite engines in the engine room running on steam - something they might make impossible by changing the boilers and the plumbing. The Pratt administration knows full well that what they are doing by trying to destroy the place is wrong - therefore they have been hiding information from the public. Their website for example still lists Conrad as the chief.

For now, I am just mad from hearing the stories of the new CME keeping his legs on the antique desk that Conrad has varnished.

As I am not in the US I cannot do much. But I would like to here ask any hvac professionals from Brooklyn or the area, who might somehow get to deal with the institute now, to help stop the orgy of destruction.

BobC

It sounds like the MBA's are in full control and while they know the cost of everything they know the value of nothing.

It's a very sad commentary on an administration that throws someone out on his ear with no regard of what they have done for the school. I can hear it now "yes that was all very nice but what have you done for me today?"

A pox on them all.

Bob

Steamhead

You can't fix stupid!

EBEBRATT-Ed

Best bet is to get someone in the media to expose what is going on.

gerry gill

the media? - really?

They too are useless

Mad Dog_2

Ed. I here ya, but Gerry is right. The Main Stream Media are no longer trustworthy. Where's Shame on you and Arnold Diaz when u need em? Mad Dog

Mad Dog_2

Me thinks a MOVEMENT is getting going here...let's March on Pratt! Mad Dog

A_E_Karnes

That would quite possibly be the only protest march I would be interested in attending. I have loved reciprocating steam power in all its forms and power engineering as a whole for nearly all my life, when I first saw the very last of the reciprocating engines at work in industries "between the cracks" as it were. @addiator showed me Dan Holohan's steam heating discussion some time ago which I found tremendously interesting, and it was our idea to contact you about this in the first place. New York City has a rich history in steam both power and heating, and yet the history has been destroyed at a faster rate than other places due to the high real-estate turnover and rush to modernise that is synonymous with New York City. Some friends of mine and I are going to work on the triple expansion engines of the SS Lilac, currently tied up on the Hudson River.

@Holohan I found your discussion most informative and it only added another branch to my interest in steam power that it had not occurred to me to study before, that being the area of heating grids, traps and piping arrangements for condensate return that would not have otherwise occurred to me.

I met Conrad in 2013 after many people telling me I needed to visit the power plant at Pratt. I had no idea it was as complete as it is, or was until recently. He was very generous and gave me a tour and since that time I have participated in the whistle blows with several of my own large steam whistles I have salvaged over the years. As I visited I became increasingly aware of the disastrous and cancerous political situation that was eroding the power plant's integrity as well as Conrad's position.


It should be noted Conrad was recently removed from his position of Chief Engineer over the re-hashed issue of cats in the power plant. There have always been cats in that power plant and for good reason; mice can wreak havoc on power machinery especially wire insulation and blocking small spaces, their urine is incredibly corrosive and their nests can be fire hazards around high voltage switch gear.


This is not an issue of economics, it is an issue of a frankly corrupt administration that despises Conrad because he is too different. People who are small in mind tend to fear what they cannot understand, Conrad is as much an artist and a curator as he is an engineer, and during his stay the power plant he used the shop there to build his own model engines, repair everything from clocks to the steam engine of the Steam Yacht "Kestrel", and many things besides. The place has become an engineerium thanks to him and by rights, even though the plant on paper belongs to the institute, the plant really has come to belong to him and should belong to anyone who's mind works that way.

Even with the motor-generator set present, and the very sad story of the Ames Uniflow engine and alternator set that would have paved the way for AC cogeneration if the dean of grounds and his chronies had not gotten to it first, today a small solid state inverter could be procured for comparatively cheap money and put in another area of the campus. Alternatively and preferrably, a larger AC/DC motor-generator set of some age and hence more reliable engineering could be procured as salvage from any number of sites or possibly unexhibited museum collections instead. Two of the three DC generating engines is in running order (No. 3 has commutator bars that are seperating from the armature, Conrad had not had time or reason to address it.) and each one is rated for 75 KW. Even with two turning, that would be a fair amount of juice being put into the grid.