pa1778data.pdf

U.S. STEEL DUQUESNE WORKS
HAER No. PA-115
(Page 240)
the midpoint of the first floor near the inside western wall,
drew air from the outside by means of a hole cut into the wall
and pushed it downstairs into the basement, thereby ventilating
the facility.
The basement houses eight large centrifugal pumps which
provided service and process water to the different plants within
the works. In the original section of the building there are
four Worthington, 800 hp steam turbine engines which each drive a
Wilson-Snyder Pump rated at 15,650 gpm. Equally spaced, each
steam turbine/pump arrangement is laid out on an east-west axis.
The northern annex of the building contains two electric
motor/centrifugal pump arrangements, each laid out on a east-west
axis. The northern most arrangement consists of a 800 hp Western
Electric induction motor driving a 14,000 gpm centrifugal pump
manufactured by the DeLaval Steam Turbine Company. The other
arrangement consists of an EM Heavy-Duty Squirrel Cage induction
motor driving a 14,000 gpm Wilson-Snyder Pump. The southern
annex contains two equally spaced 880 hp Elliot Steam
Turbine/26,000 gpm Wilson-Snyder pump arrangements which are laid
out on a north-south axis.
Construction dates: original pump house, 1896; northern
annex, ca. 1910; southern annex, ca. 1925.
III. Water Treatment Filter Building and Reaction Tanks: Laid
out on a northwest-southeast axis, the Water Treatment Filter
Building and Reaction Tanks are located approximately 150' north
of the blast furnace ore yard near the western boundary of the
works. The structures and equipment—consisting primarily of
four 43* diameter, 487,700 gallon reaction tanks and a two story,
66*-6 1/2" long x 57'-6 1/2" wide brick building—within this
area were used to soften and remove excess particulate from water
to be used in the works 1 boiler or steam production system.
Water was delivered from the main river water pump house to one
of the reaction tanks where it was treated with water softening
chemicals (i.e. lime, soda ash, sodium aluminate, and polymer)
before being pumped over to the filter building where it was
passed through gravity sand filters in order to remove remaining
particulate. Upon passing through the sand filters, the water
settled into a reservoir where it was decanted before being
pumped to the boiler feed water system located in Blow Engine
House No. 2.
Located between the reaction tanks, which are laid out in
pairs forming two rows, is an approximately 30' square x 9' high
corrugated metal shed. The shed provides a covering for the 3 0
hp motor-drive assemblies that control the mixer impellers,
manufactured by the Lightning Mixing Equipment Company, located
in each tank.