Large-Bore Engines on Hogup Ridge

By Staff
Published on October 1, 1988
1 / 5
Engine 102 sp. Also visible (through the guard) are the low resonance coupling, clutch and part of pump gear-drive.
Engine 102 sp. Also visible (through the guard) are the low resonance coupling, clutch and part of pump gear-drive.
2 / 5
Valve train components of engine 103 sp. Compare sire of rocker arms to size of human hand.
Valve train components of engine 103 sp. Compare sire of rocker arms to size of human hand.
3 / 5
Inlet suction bell of one of the pumps
Inlet suction bell of one of the pumps
4 / 5
Dresser-Rand personnel.
Dresser-Rand personnel.
5 / 5
Inside crankcase of engine 103sp.
Inside crankcase of engine 103sp.

9025 Phoebe Court Annandale, Virginia, 22003

Most antique engine collectors are aware that large bore gas,
diesel and even gasoline engines were produced between the late
1800’s and early 1940’s but how many people are aware that
large-bore gas and diesel engines are still being produced by a
handful of engine manufacturers throughout the world? Via a
long-sought employment change, this author has become associated
with Ingersoll-Rand four-cycle, natural gas fueled engines. Three
of these engines are the star performers at the West Desert Pump
Station located at Hogup Ridge on the western shore of the Great
Salt Lake in Utah.

The West Desert Pumping Project was conceived as a means to
control the level of the Great Salt Lake. Throughout history, the
level of the Great Salt Lake has risen and fallen, but by June 1986
the level had reached an elevation of approximately 4,212 feet.
This record high was twenty feet above the lake’s 1963 record
low. The cities of Salt Lake City, Ogden and Willard along with
farmland, railroads, interstate highways and a wildlife refuge were
threatened. Construction of the Pump Station had begun in 1986;
Ingersoll-Rand had been awarded the contract to supply all of the
major equipment.

Three vertical shaft pumps, three right-angle speed reduction
drives and three lean-burn gas engines acting through low resonance
couplings and pneumatically actuated clutches comprise the heart of
the project. A multitude of support systems also exist; lubricant
and cooling/raw water pumping systems, air compression systems for
engine starting, instrumentation and plant use and a self-contained
electrical generation system featuring Kato alternators driven by
Cummins GAS engines. The Pump Station also houses a computerized
data acquisition/monitoring system that is tied into the State of
Utah Division of Water Resources Office.

The first engine and pump were commissioned and put on line in
April 1987. By early summer all units were operating. From the
outlet of the pumps, the water flows through an approximately 4.5
mile long canal and out into an area that is now known as the West
Pond. The West Pond covers an estimated 500 square miles with a
depth of 2.5 feet. This large area, combined with the shallow
depth, provides for rapid evaporation of the water.

The engines were built at Ingersoll-Rand’s Engine Process
Compressor Division in Painted Post, New York. From Painted Post,
the engines were transported to the I-R Services Division in Broken
Arrow, Oklahoma. At the Services Division, the engines were mounted
on custom fabricated skid packages then transported out to Hogup
Ridge, Utah. The engines are model PKVSE, 16 cylinder, vee-style.
The cylinder bore is 16.250 inches, stroke is 18 inches. All
current Ingersoll-Rand engines are fueled with natural gas; the
PKVSE is fuel injected by means of an individual poppet-style valve
in each cylinder. These engines are turbocharged with air only
being admitted through the intake manifold. The PKVSE/KVSE series
represent state-of-the-art technology in gas engine production
because they incorporate lean-burn combustion for low NOx exhaust
emissions. The lean-burn combustion makes use of a stratified
charge, divided combustion chamber. A very lean air/fuel charge is
admitted to the main combustion chamber while a rich air/fuel
charge is admitted to a small precombustion chamber located
adjacent to the main chamber. A conventional spark plug located in
the precombustion chamber ignites the rich charge; this flame front
then travels through a small passage and ignites the lean main
chamber charge. Due to the excess air in the lean mixture, the peak
combustion temperature is low (as compared to the peak temperature
of stoichiometric combustion), which results in very low formations
of NOx emissions. Another advantage of the pre-chamber is that the
flame issuing from it provides multiple ignition points within the
main chamber insuring reliable, stable ignition of the lean main
charge. The effect of the multiple flame fronts actually results in
an audible combustion knock similar to a diesel engine! This
thorough combustion also contributes to low emissions of CO and
reactive HC. These engines also feature microprocessor controlled
turbocharger boost, ignition timing and air/fuel ratio.

The pumps were produced by Ingersoll-Rand’s Engineered Pump
Group in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. They are 50 feet high, 12 feet
in diameter and weigh 160,000 pounds each. In order to operate with
the high salinity of the water, all pump components are made with
an aluminum-bronze alloy. Each pump is rated at 450,000 gallons per
minute; the three pumps operating at rated engine speed will move
1,350,000 GPM! The pump bearings are lubricated by a Farval grease
system that operates whenever an engine is running.

The right-angle speed reduction drives were also supplied by the
Engineered Pump Group although they were built by the Brad Foote
Gear Works in Cicero, Illinois. The gearset is a spiral bevel type
having a ratio of 2.37:1. The drives feature a fully pressurized
oil lubrication system.

In February 1987, the corporate structure of Ingersoll-Rand
underwent a major change. A joint venture was formed between
Ingersoll-Rand Company and Dresser Industries. Both companies
combined forces in a number of areas. The steam turbine groups,
engine and compressor groups and the I-R Services Division were
separated from their respective parent companies and combined as
DRESSER-RAND. Ingeroll-Rand, Clark and Worthington engines are all
currently handled out of the Painted Post, New York plant.
Dresser-Rand Services Division was awarded and subsequently
extended the operations and maintenance contract for the West
Desert Pumping Project. After all, who knows the equipment better
than the people who built it?

As of February 1988, all is well with the Pumping Project. Water
is flowing and the personnel are looking forward to another summer
of Salt Lake fun!

Engine enthusiasts seeking further information should feel free
to contact me at my home address or the following: Dresser-Rand
Company, West Desert Pumping Project, 261 E. 300 South, Suite 150,
Salt Lake City, Utah, 84111. Telephone (801) 295-5666.

Online Store Logo
Need Help? Call 1-866-624-9388